Clip 1 – The Spirit of the West
Which basic principle(s) do you notice in the scenes in this clip?
The animation in this scene utilizes the principle of Anticipation. There are at least five instances of this principle that we can see in this scene. First, when Rango encounters the Spirit of the West, he looks up and into a space not previously seen by the viewers. Second, Rango walks past the golf cart towards the Spirit of the West in the direction where he is standing. Third, when the man (in the person of Clint Eastwood) responds to Rango, he turns around towards him, which is logical for their conversation. Fourth, when Clint Eastwood walks past Rango to the golf cart, he walks by him. As he does this, his size and the sound of his footsteps are proportionate in comparison to Rango, the chameleon. Finally, the Spirit of the West makes a square out of the dust on the inside of the front window of the golf cart around Rango as he sees him through it. This presents Rango as the focus of his attention during that conversation.
Clip 2 – Between a Hawk and a Glass Place
Which basic principle(s) do you notice in the scenes in this clip?
(Hint – notice how the animators make the hawk to move)
The animation in this scene utilizes the principle of Squash and Stretch. Viewers can see the visual allusion created by the animator of the hawk laboring to carry the bottle up above the ground. We believe the bottle is heavy for the hawk as it struggles a bit to pull it up against the forces of gravity.
Clip 3 – The Car Crash
Which basic principle(s) do you notice in the scenes in this clip?
The animation in this scene is an example of the principle of Exaggeration. The animators convey the severity of the heat of the Mojave Desert as Rango lands on the road and within a few seconds, he sees the water under his toy fish visibly evaporate. Also, within the next few seconds his eye and the rest of his body visibly changes due to the extreme heat of the sun. The skin on his body shrivels up and cracks twice as he becomes dehydrated. The evaporation of the water and the shriveling of his body is an exaggeration of how the heat has affected him and his surroundings after experiencing the life altering event of having been accidentally thrown out of his owner’s moving vehicle and left stranded and alone.
Clip 4 – In Deep Water
Which basic principle(s) do you notice in the scenes in this clip?
The animation in this scene is an example of the principle of Staging. When John points his gun at Rattlesnake Jake, Rango can be seen in the tank of water behind him as he struggles to help Beans. However, everything visible in the scene surrounding the gun in his hand briefly goes out of focus. This is done to direct the viewers’ attention to the gun in his hand, which fails to shoot. Another example is when the bullet that Beans accidentally swallowed is dislodged from her throat after Rango performs the Heimlich maneuver on her and it floats through the water towards the glass. The lighter colored bullet is clearly visible and is the focus of that part of the scene as it hits the glass and causes it to crack.
Clip 5 – Jake the Rattlesnake
Which basic principle(s) do you notice in the scenes in this clip?
The animation in this scene is an example of the principles of Follow Through and Overlapping Action. The movement of Rattlesnake Jake is created as animators draw parts of his large body to uncoil continuously after his head has stopped. Then, the rattle on the tip of his tail, or the Gatling gun, keeps moving as he prepares or threatens to shoot. This is the follow through of the movement of that character. Overlapping action can be seen in how his head moves forward towards Rango while the hinder parts of his body continue to coil forwards as it carries him.