Rango (2011)

Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Rango.

Synopsis: Rango (Johnny Depp), a sheltered chameleon accustomed to life as an ordinary family pet, inadvertently finds himself in the rough-and-tumble town of Dirt, a lawless haven inhabited by the desert's craftiest and most eccentric creatures, he discovers that he's conspicuous rather than inconspicuous. Embraced as the savior, the townsfolk have been longing for, Rango, reluctantly becomes the new sheriff, now he must find the courage within to fulfil his new role.

The Good:

* I quite liked all the weird and eccentric critters that inhabited the town of Dirt, their character designs were quite imaginative and all really well animated, especially the desert scenes that almost look as if the movie was actually filmed out in the wild west

* The voice acting is really well done, with some nice timing for the one-liners, plus Johnny Depp totally hams it up, making Rango a delight to watch.

* I really enjoyed the little nods to other films the actors had been in such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, plus there is even a nod to Star Wars.

* I also enjoyed the way they were able to fit humor into what is essentially a morally complex Western.

The Bad:

* There are a few scenes that will definitely scare younger children, plus a few jokes that are a bit more risqué than you would expect in a children's feature, so something to be aware of. 

* The story feels a little simple at times, even though it feels like the movie is more geared towards adults than children.

                         IMDB 7.3/10              Rotten Tomatoes 88%                 Me 8/10

Rango (Johnny Depp) doing the quintessential Western pose.

Aloha: Scooby Doo (2005)

Hi fellow animation fans, welcome to my review of Aloha: Scooby Doo.

Synopsis: When Daphne is given the chance to design clothes in Hanahuna, Hawaii the whole gang leap at the chance to join her. As they are exploring Hawaii, they notice people leaving Hanahuna, but a man stops to warn them that there are evil spirits on the island, the gang find this hard to believe. Arriving in Hanahuna they find themselves just in time for the Big Kahuna of Hanahuna Surfing Contest, which had previously been for locals only, but this year the mayor opened the contest to all, even the mainlanders. This of course appears to have angered the evil spirit the Wiki Tiki who has kidnapped the previous winner's girlfriend, now it is up to the Scooby Gang to solve the mystery and save the contest.

The Good: 

* There are a few really funny moments provided by the gang but surprisingly Shaggy (Casey Kasem) and Scooby (Frank Welker) aren't used as much for comedy as they usually are though, which actually makes for a pleasant change.

* The animation is bright colorful and easy on the eyes, perfect to hold children's attention.

* The voice acting is pretty good and features some well-known names in a few smaller roles, see if you can pick who Adam West is voicing.

The Bad:

* They make picking the bad guy at the start really easy, younger kids might miss it, but most people won't.

* Once you picked the bad guy out, the whole thing becomes rather predictable.

* Maybe because it was spoiled at the start, but unlike previous movies this one had very little suspense and the story seemed to plod along, felt like it ran for a long time even though it has a very slim 71-minute run-time.

                    IMDB 6.3/10                  Rotten Tomatoes 62% (audience)        Me 6/10

Shaggy informing the team, again that he doesn't want a mystery.