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Rango and its references, riffs, nods, tributes

posted 13 years ago by parrastaka
38 replies | jump to latest

So my friends and I tried to sum up all the references and tributes in this movie... we somehow came to write down this list. In case anyone is interested:

Main references/tributes:

Chinatown (main plot and characters)
Cat Ballou (characters: Hawk, and owl band that also has influences of There's something about Mary)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (characters: Rattlesnake, The Bad, The Man with No Name, The Lizard with No Name, when there is a cursing 'beeped'; by the hawk scream, the finale)
A Fistful of Dollars (main plot), itself inspired by Yojimbo
High Noon
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Destry Rides Again
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (car windscreen cameo)
Once Upon a Time in the West (entering the saloon and street, windmill)
The Shakiest Gun in the West (main character: Rango)
JFK (the single bullet theory, ending speech in the extended cut)
plus probably even more music and details from other great Western movies...

Other/nods have been pointed out later in this thread:

Jurassic Park
The Three Amigos
It’s a Wonderful Life
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Time Machine
The Wild Bunch
Apocalypse Now
Star Wars
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Spider-Man 2
Road Warrior
The Lord of the Rings
Alice in Wonderland
Goldfinger
Alien
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Pirates of the Caribbean At Worlds End/The Matrix Revolutions
True Grit
Blazing Saddles
Raising Arizona
Rio Bravo
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Big Lebowski
Maverick
The Brave Little Tailor
Holes
Zelig
Analyze This

Also:

The big eye scene in the aquifer, is a tribute to Miyazaki
'KISS' can be read (rock band, appears in the fire Rango uses in the firecamp)
The Kingdom (music by Danny Elfman)
Pulp Fiction (credits music)
We don't want to forget the Armadillo, Roadkill, that seems to have just gone out of an animal adaptation of Don Quixote.

Maybe it's too much? maybe we are forgetting some important ones?

I loved the movie, one of my friends too, another one thought it was just ok. I'm sure he will rewatch and love it! haha

Cheers,

[–] leetron 11 years ago

When the spigot drops the dollop of mud on Rango, someone in the crown yells out to "Burn him" and "He's a witch" just like the witch lynching scene in Monty Python's Search For the Holy Grail when Sir Belvedere is introduced.

"Circle of life" when leaving Mr. Merrimack unburied - The Lion King.

If I agreed with you, we would both be wrong!

[–] Furrerd 11 years ago

I added the Raising Arizona reference to IMDB database and should show up soon.

I can't believe it wasn't there yet with the yodeling singer and the exploding buildings just like the Nick Cage running down the grocery aisle streaming a panty behind his head while shotgun blasts blow apart food behind him and a yodeler accompanies the scene.

Here's a link to the scene which is still my favorite chase scene of all time:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8e2_1306135356&comments=1

"And what were you bobbleheads doing while I was just getting earf...ed by father time?"

[–] Dark_Star1 11 years ago

I think the mayor's secretary (whatever that character's name was) is a reference to Marlene Dietrich's character in "Destry Rides Again," and several of the townsfolk-critters seemed like references to some of the barroom characters from that film.

In fact, quite a lot of the characters reminded me of some old Western actor or another - sometimes only vaguely, but sometimes it seemed pretty clear. One of the characters seemed like a copy of Andy Devine's character in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," and there were so many others that whizzed by so fast I found myself wondering if they actually used a specific Western actor or character as a model for every single one of the townspeople. I'd really like to catch the director's comments and see what he has to say about that.

[–] gluserty 10 years ago

Rango's speech during the extended cut ending is very similar to a speech JFK gave in the 1960's.

[–] MoviemanCin 9 years ago

More references, riffs, nods, tributes and homages than any movie I've ever seen. A very funny movie for adults.

The one from The Odd Couple is classic! The funniest part of that clip is watching the late, great Walter Matthau's reaction to Felix's absurd sinus clearing noises.

Boom.

Schrodinger's cat walks into a bar, and / or doesn't.

[–] dbznarutofan2008 9 years ago

Maybe I'm wrong;but the scene in the saloon when the main character came up with the fake name when intimidated,kind of reminded me of Back to the future Part three.

Buford Tannen: 'Hey..whats your name dude?'

Marty: 'Eastwood...Clint Eastwood.'

[–] 9 years ago

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