For Monday night’s preem of “Rango,” Paramount turned Broxton Ave. in Westwood into a Western ghost town, opting for old-timey saloons and general stores rather than red carpet’s traditional step-and-repeat.

“I wasn’t familiar with the Western genre, so I did have to watch a bunch of films” in preparation for the role, shared thesp Isla Fisher. “I wanted her to sound like Holly Hunter in ‘Raising Arizona.’ I must have watched that movie a million times.”

Fisher also said “Rango” was assembled unlike most animated films, with the actors rehearsing their parts together as though it were a play before recording any voices.

Story scribe James Byrkit said the film’s true influence is rooted not only in Clint Eastwood genre pics but also “this Don Knotts film called ‘The Shakiest Gun in the West.'” After all, in the pic Johnny Depp voices Rango, a chameleon with an identity crisis.

Byrkit added that he and helmer Gore Verbinski share a trait that shows through in their films together: They don’t like to be pinned down to a single genre or style. “I love the whole broad spectrum…I love the big effects spectacles, but I also love old MGM musicals and everything in between.”

– variety.com