Marketed as your standard blockbuster animated fare, Rango was a studio-supported, massive-budget, wide-release 'family film' that unabashedly plays to adults, boasts stunningly gorgeous animation, indulges in cinephile references, and straight up gets weird with it. However, that very disconnect is part of what makes Rango such a bizarre film.

Despite the fact that Gore Verbinski is a solid filmmaker, despite the fact that ILM does some of the most exceptional CGI in the industry, and despite the talent of the voice cast involved, I dismissed Rango as boilerplate kiddy animation for years.