History ShoutOut / Rango

* Rango's situation is a nod to the Brothers Grimm tale of the Brave Little Tailor, including the "killing seven with one blow" detail.

* The song which plays during Rango's highway crossing isn't on the soundtrack. It's "Finale" from the 2007 war drama ''The Kingdom''.

* Other influences cited by director Gore Verbinski were ''ElTopo'', ''HowlsMovingCastle'', Alex Cox's ''RepoMan'' & ''Straight to Hell'', ''ThreeAmigos''.

* Rango = Django (title character of the 1966 SpaghettiWestern). Is also similar to Ringo, another Spaghetti Western character from 1966 played by actor Giuliano Gemma.

* the giant yellow eye briefly seen underground could be a reference to the tyrannosaur in [[Film/JurassicPark]] which peers into the Jeep while hunting the children

* During the scene where Rango and the armadillo follow the walking cacti across the desert to find out where the water went, one of them collapses, referencing the "Rite of Spring" segment from ''{{Disney/Fantasia}}''. They're also reminiscent of another, more menacing [[Literature/TheDayOfTheTriffids species of "walking trees".]]

* The big action set piece featuring Balthazar's clan is a mishmash of ''Film/{{Deliverance}}, Film/ApocalypseNow, Film/MadMax2TheRoadWarrior, Franchise/StarWars'', and most likely more.

* Hans Zimmer's music evokes Music/EnnioMorricone's work with Creator/SergioLeone... complete with reusing a Morriconian-like track from ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd''. You could also hear a very familiar [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUbAmR3sOBA riff]] from Music/ElmerBernstein's ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven''.

* Rango calls Priscilla "little sister", recalling ''TrueGrit''.

* The teaser poster calls to mind the poster for ''Literature/FearAndLoathingInLasVegas''. And the driver of one of the cars Rango hits towards the beginning is none other than the [[HunterSThompson Good Doctor]] himself. Complete with sidekick.

* Hans Zimmer's music evokes Music/EnnioMorricone's work with Creator/SergioLeone... complete with reusing a Morriconian-like track from ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd''. You could also hear a very familiar [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUbAmR3sOBA riff]] from ElmerBernstein's ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven''.

* At one point in the film, Rattlesnake Jake, voiced by Bill Nighy, says "Make your move". [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean There's another movie with Johnny Depp where he plays the villain and also says "Make your move" at one point]]. And in both movies, Bill Nighy threatens to steal Johnny Depp's soul.

* The marks drawn in the sky with a flaming stick that tell about Rango's "quest" include a [[Franchise/StarWars TIE fighter]].

* WordOfGod states that Rango in general is meant to be a reference to Don Knotts in ''The Shakiest Gun in the West'', while the "only one bullet" references Knotts' most famous character, [[TheAndyGriffithShow Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife]]; the mayor's characterisation and EvilPlan heavily reference Creator/JohnHuston in ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'' (he even says "the future, Mr. Rango! The future!"); Rattlesnake Jake is an allusion to Lee Van Cleef in ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly''; and the hawk that attacks Rango towards the beginning is a reference to Lee Marvin in ''Film/CatBallou'', featuring the same metal piece on his nose. [[ReferenceOverdosed Whew]].

* The Spirit of the West [[spoiler:is the [[Film/DollarsTrilogy Man with No Name]].]]

* Anyone else think of ''Film/RaisingArizona'' when Rango was running from the hawk? Even the music got into the act. Not to mention when the... moles? rats? Whatever they are (WordOfGod calls them the "Inbred Rodents") first emerge to look for the bank.

* Was anyone else thinking of ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' when [[spoiler: the mole family briefly trick Rattlesnake Jake into thinking there's a hawk?]]

* Also, the toad sounds A LOT like [[WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpy Ren Hoek]]. It WAS a Nickelodeon movie.

** And his face is reminiscent of the hawkish features of [[TheGoodtheBadandtheUgly Sentenza/Angel Eyes]].
* At one point in the film, Rattlesnake Jake, voiced by Bill Nighy, says "Make your move". [[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean There's another movie with Johnny Depp where he plays the villain and also says "Make your move" at one point]]. Not to mention that in both movies, Bill Nighy threatens to steal Johnny Depp's soul.
* When Spoons yells "CAW! CAW!" as the "signal", it calls to mind [[Film/GalaxyQuest a certain]] [[AffectionateParody parody of another genre]].

* The Inbred Rodents themselves are very likely a much more family-friendly version of the cannibals of ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes.''

* Since the director knows about aye-ayes we're going to count this as a GeniusBonus: in one scene Rango (prior to actually becoming Rango) imitates a gun-slinging, bowlegged beetle. In real life there's a large beetle that lives in the desert that's so poisonous and aggressive that one species of lizard imitates it as a juvenile -- the only known case of a vertebrate imitating an invertebrate -- [[http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1c5_1264659141 by copying its markings and tall, bowlegged stance]] (at 1:30).

* It can't be a coincidence that the town's physician is a [[WesternAnimation/BugsBunny rabbit named "Doc".]]

* "You see that? I knew it!"

* The sheriff's outfit Rango wears for most of the film looks like what Gary Cooper wears in ''HighNoon''.
* The Spirit of the West [[spoiler: is the [[Film/DollarsTrilogy Man with No Name]].]]
* An obscure (and somewhat random) one: in the sheriff's building when Beans, Rango and Wounded Bird are talking, one the wanted posters on the wall offers a reward (in water, of course) for the capture of [[TheSimpsons Disco Lovejoy]].
* One member of Bad Bill's gang is a hunchbacked rabbit with a German accent named [[KlausKinski Kinski]].

* Anyone else think of ''RaisingArizona'' when Rango was running from the hawk? Even the music got into the act. Not to mention when the... moles? rats? Whatever they are (WordOfGod calls them the "Inbred Rodents") first emerge to look for the bank.
* The big action set piece featuring Balthazar's clan is a mishmash of ''{{Deliverance}}, Film/ApocalypseNow, TheRoadWarrior'', StarWars, and most likely more.
* WordOfGod states that Rango in general is meant to be a reference to Don Knotts in ''The Shakiest Gun in the West'', while the "only one bullet" references Knotts' most famous character, [[TheAndyGriffithShow Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife]]; the mayor's characterisation and EvilPlan heavily reference Creator/JohnHuston in ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'' (he even says "the future, Mr. Rango! The future!"); Rattlesnake Jake is an allusion to Lee Van Cleef in ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly''; and the hawk that attacks Rango towards the beginning is a reference to Lee Marvin in ''CatBallou'', featuring the same metal piece on his nose. [[ReferenceOverdosed Whew]].

* Hans Zimmer's music evokes Music/EnnioMorricone's work with Creator/SergioLeone...complete with reusing a Morriconian-like track from ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean: At World's End''.
** You could also hear a very familiar [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUbAmR3sOBA riff]] from ElmerBernstein's ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven''.
* The toad Rango runs into trying to disguise himself as a rock gives his last words almost same as Tuco from Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly, complete with censor sound.

* Also, the toad sounds A LOT like [[RenAndStimpy Ren Hoek]]. It WAS a Nickelodeon movie.

* During the credit slideshow, the Mariachi Owl with the electric guitar [[JimiHendrix smashes it then burns the pieces while worshiping them]].
* Rattlesnake Jake appears to have the [[TheLordOfTheRings eyes of Sauron]].
* At one point in the film, Rattlesnake Jake, voiced by Bill Nighy, says "Make your move". [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean There's another movie with Johnny Depp where he plays the villain and also says "Make your move" at one point]].
** Not to mention that in both movies, Bill Nighy threatens to steal Johnny Depp's soul.

** The Inbred Rodents themselves are very likely a much more family-friendly version of the cannibals of ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes.''
* The marks drawn in the sky with a flaming stick that tell about Rango's "quest" include a [[StarWars TIE fighter]].
* When Rango goes to the Bank of Dirt after the townspeople learn that the bank has nearly no water left, it resembles the famous scene from ItsAWonderfulLife.

* Since the director knows about aye-ayes I'm going to count this as a GeniusBonus: in one scene Rango (prior to actually becoming Rango) imitates a gun-slinging, bowlegged beetle. In real life there's a large beetle that lives in the desert that's so poisonous and aggressive that one species of lizard imitates it as a juvenile -- the only known case of a vertebrate imitating an invertebrate -- [[http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1c5_1264659141 by copying its markings and tall, bowlegged stance]] (at 1:30).
* During the Sunset Shot, he gives a speech in the style of WinstonChurchill.
* While tossing out cliched life advice to a youngster, Rango includes "burn everything but Shakespeare", a line from the the play ''TheSkinOfOurTeeth''.

* The end credits are rendered in precisely the style of Series/TheWildWildWest.

* During the scene where Rango and the armadillo follow the walking cacti across the desert to find out where the water went, one of them collapses, referencing the "Rite of Spring" segment from {{Disney/Fantasia}}.
** They're also reminiscent of another, more menacing [[Literature/TheDayOfTheTriffids species of "walking trees".]]

* The Mole Family erupting out of the ground arms-first is a nod to ''TheReturnOfTheLivingDead''.
** The Inbred Rodents themselves are very likely a much more family-friendly version of the cannibals of ''TheHillsHaveEyes.''

* The scene where Rango walks into the saloon, orders some water, and is told by the bartender "Cactus juice, that's what we got" is almost frame-for-frame out of the third Film/BackToTheFuture film, when Marty walks into a saloon in 1885 and asks for ice water.

* The scene where Rango walks into the saloon, orders some water, and is told by the bartender "Cactus juice, that's what we got" is almost frame-for-frame out of the third [[Film/BackToTheFuture]] where Marty walks into a saloon in 1885 and asks for ice water.

* It can't be a coincidence that the town's physician is a [[BugsBunny rabbit named "Doc".]]

* The teaser poster calls to mind the poster for ''FearAndLoathingInLasVegas''. And the driver of one of the cars Rango hits towards the beginning is none other than the [[HunterSThompson Good Doctor]] himself. Complete with sidekick.

* This troper was reminded of a [[MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail certain group of minstrels]] when the mariachi owls started singing about how Rango would be injured in various ways including loss of his his "cojones".

** You could also hear a very familiar [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUbAmR3sOBA riff]] from ElmerBernstein's The Magnificent Seven.

* The Mole Family erupting the ground arm-first is from ''TheReturnOfTheLivingDead''.