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Rango
"Now, remember son: stay in school, eat your veggies, and burn everything but Shakespeare."
Voiced by: Johnny Depp (English), Bruno Choël (European French), Marcelo Garcia (Brazilian Portuguese)
The main protagonist of the film, "Rango" is a chameleon with aspirations for the stage and stardom, but he desires companionship most of all. After being accidentally thrown out of his human's car, he starts his journey towards his destiny.
- Achievements in Ignorance: Rango's greatest strength — autobiographical improvisational skills aside — is that he somehow manages to do a number of really impressive things wholly by accident, from killing the hawk with a misfired ricochet to obliviously crossing the highway in the depths of his despair; arriving on the Other Side and solving the mystery of Dirt's missing water.
- Accidental Aiming Skills: They help Rango convince the people of Dirt that he killed seven people with one bullet when he accidentally kills a giant hawk with a ricocheting shot.
- Accidental Hero: He involuntarily saves the town from the hawk, and keeps building his legend through equally accidental feats of heroism. After his visit to the Spirit of the West, he moves from Accidental Hero to genuine, on-purpose hero.
- Acquired Poison Immunity: During one of his many tall tales, he claims that Rattlesnake Jake is his brother, and he's so immune to his venom that he puts it in his coffee.
- Amateur Sleuth: Despite his lack of detective training and experience, he's able to deduce the mayor's water-hoarding scheme thanks to his keen chameleon senses allowing him to pick up on details that go unnoticed by everyone else.
- The Anti-Nihilist: The film begins with him struggling to discover his identity, and his "birth" as he is thrust out from the safety of his tank into the burning desert. After struggling with an existential crisis for the entire story, Rango finally comes to realise he is the only one who can answer the question, "Who am I?"
- Becoming the Boast: He makes a name for himself in Dirt by making up stories about being a great hero, but over the course of the film he ends up becoming a hero for real.
- Becoming the Mask: At first, it's only superficial. Then, he takes a level in badass.
- Beware the Silly Ones: He's quirky and clumsy, but as the movie goes on, he becomes more competent and threatening to his enemies. Even by the end of the film, though, he still retains his silly personality.
- Birds of a Feather: With fellow secretly-lonely lizard Beans.
- Broken Pedestal: All the townsfolk realize Rango has lied to them about all his triumphs, courtesy of Rattlesnake Jake. But then this becomes a Rebuilt Pedestal when he brings the water back.
- Butt-Monkey: He gets put through a considerable amount of hell, from slapstick injuries to being pushed around and intimidated even as he accepts the role of sheriff.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Though he is willing to put more of a toe out of line than most examples, partially due to his years-long isolation. Take how he has no qualms about touching Beans (in a PG fashion) while she's paralysed.
- Clint Squint: Fittingly for a cowboy hero, when it's time for Rango to get dangerous, he'll narrow his eyes. His expression is practically locked into this during the finale.
- Companion Cube: He has a toy fish ("Mr Timms") and a dismembered doll for "friends" in his terrarium.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Though he's generally clumsy and mostly all talk, Rango does display occasional moments of cunning before officially taking a level in badass at the end.
- Exposed Animal Bellybutton: If you start asking why a chameleon has a navel, you're halfway to asking yourself why he has thumbs, and your Willing Suspension of Disbelief is likely to take a Critical Hit.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: Initially, as all his accomplishments in the eyes of the people of Dirt are lies or due to blind luck.
- The Fool: Lampshaded by Pappy Mole."He look like he sounds?"
- From Zero to Hero: He was just a pet lizard without a name, then he became the hero of a town.
- Furry Reminder: When a dragonfly buzzes past Rango's face, he sticks out his tongue and eats it.
- Genius Ditz: Rango is very aware that he's only digging himself deeper with his lies, but he's also very aware of his surroundings and is able to competently think up solutions to his problems. He's even able to piece together the mayor's water-hoarding scheme.
- Genre Savvy: He seems to know a great deal about a variety of genres in fiction, Westerns included, and thus doesn't have a hard time blending into Dirt.
- Girly Run: As shown when he runs from the hawk, he's far from graceful.
- Go Mad from the Isolation: He spent most of his life alone in a glass box. The first few minutes of the movie establish that he's not entirely sane.
- Guile Hero: Even when he becomes The Hero, he'd rather win by conning the villains into surrender... if he can.
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: He starts off wearing only a Hawaiian shirt and no pants. Once he becomes sheriff, he starts dressing himself in full cowboy regalia.
- Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist: His first outfit is a red and white Hawaiian shirt, an Actor Allusion to one of Depps's other acting roles (in this instance Raoul Duke).
- Hired to Hunt Yourself: After unwittingly giving some bank robbers an all-access pass to the bank and some friendly directions as to its location, he's given the responsibility of rounding up a posse to find the thieves who stole the town's water.
- Hollywood Chameleon: Averted. Rango's color-changing abilities are limited, and of little use to him in the story.
- I Have Many Names: He boasts about this before settling on Rango."Well, I'm a man of many epithets. There's my stage name, my pen name, my avatar. I had a pseudonym once, but I had it legally changed. Nom de plume, I have a CB handle, I'm actually one of the few men with a maiden name..."
- Large Ham: He already liked to do exaggerated acting in his terrarium, and then he pushes it further in an attempt to impress the townsfolk.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: He immediately caves in when faced with mortal danger from Rattlesnake Jake. Then he realizes that his friends are doomed, and only he can save them. So he goes back, fully prepared to die fighting if his Guile Hero tactics don't work.
- Line-of-Sight Name: His cactus juice in the saloon was made in Durango.
- Lovable Lizard: An endearing chameleon who serves as the protagonist, looking for his place in the world.
- Miles Gloriosus: Which is how he gets into the whole mess that is the main plot of the movie in the first place.
- The Münchausen: He brags at length about his fictional former exploits.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He mistakes the moles digging around Dirt as prospectors rather than bank robbers, and offers them assistance in a way that gives them full access to the water in the bank. Subverted in that it turns out the bank was robbed before the moles got to it.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Rango is Hunter S. Thompson, according to the creators. It's not a coincidence he meets the real Thompson (or, at least, his windshield.)
- No Name Given: We never hear his real name. Or for that matter, find out if he even has one. Considering the Arc Words question "Who am I?", he may not know himself.
- Not Used to Freedom: Rango the pet lizard lives in a clear tank, but then is forced to live in the desert. He has trouble both fitting in and surviving.
- Oral Fixation: He uses his projectile tongue to steal a man's toothpick in the bar scene, and menacingly snaps a dragonfly out of the air in his duel with Jake.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Rango doesn't kill the helpless Mayor at the end of the film, but he does give him to Rattlesnake Jake to answer for his betrayal. Jake accepts this as his soul payment before he drags the Mayor to his doom.
- Protagonist Title: His name or, rather, what he calls himself, is the title of the film.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: He often speaks with this, usually to come off as smarter than he really is."I say we track this pipe back to its hydraulic origin and apprehend the culprits behind this aquatic conundrum."
- The Sheriff: He's promoted to this after (accidentally) getting rid of the hawk.
- Signature Headgear: Rango gets several bits of choice headwear during the course of the movie, each signifying his progress as a hero of the West:
- A hat he takes from a patron at the bar, trying to "blend in" after first adopting the persona of Rango. This is his primary hat, and he wears it more than the others throughout the course of the movie.
- A showier ten-gallon hat (which he "had marked down from fifteen") he receives upon becoming sheriff.
- An even showier mariachi-themed hat he picks up once he decides to "get serious".
- The ladies' bonnet with ribbons he dons during the semi-successful raid on the Mole family's compound.
- A black, no-nonsense hat mirroring Rattlesnake Jake's own once he truly gets serious.
- Too Dumb to Live: Um, Rango? It would be a good idea to take off your shirt and blend into the sand when the hawk is flying in the air.
- Took a Level in Badass: He does this after killing the hawk to some degree, as he's much braver after that than before and more clever. However, he gets a big one later when he returns from his Heroic BSoD and defeats Rattlesnake Jake. Very strongly proven when he stares Jake down and actually scares the crap out of him.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: As part of a disguise. Hardly has a male hero kicked so much butt while wearing a dress.
- You Can't Fight Fate: He's told as much by the Spirit of the West. Dirt needs a hero, and he's the only one around wearing a white hat. And besides, no man can walk out on his own story.
Beans
Voiced by: Isla Fisher
A ranch owner, this desert iguana found Rango and brought him to Dirt. She suspects that something has happened to the water supply of the town, and has noticed that someone is dumping great amounts of water into the desert.
- Action Girl: She's just as involved in the mix as Rango, and even has a shotgun ready.
- Badass Adorable: She's one of the only characters in the film whose design emphasizes cuteness, but is definitely one of the most capable characters in the town of Dirt.
- Berserk Button: Don't say anything unkind about her daddy. In fact, don't say anything about him at all. She will take it in the worst way possible, even when it's respectful.
- Birds of a Feather: With fellow secretly-lonely lizard Rango.
- Character Tics: Beans has an unfortunate habit of freezing in place and going momentarily catatonic when under stress. She explains that it is a defense mechanism natural to lizards faced with predators, which is true. The problem with Beans is that "her switch is broken."
- *Click* Hello: Her first scene has her pointing a double-barrel shotgun at Rango's head.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: She mentions at one point that her father was was abducted by the people of Andromeda 5. Although, come the tie-in video game, she's proven to be absolutely right about him being abducted by aliens.
- Daddy's Girl: She was quite attached to her father while he was alive, still hasn't quite gotten over his death, and will not tolerate any disrespect being thrown his way.
- Damsel in Distress: Despite her general Action Girl nature, she does get tied up in the climax.
- Deadpan Snarker: Most of the movie's snark comes from her.
- Defiant Captive: She's not afraid to mouth off at Rattlesnake Jake or the Mayor while she's their hostage.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: She starts off rather cold towards Rango and is annoyed by his bizarre personality, but eventually warms up towards him when he shows how heroic he can be.
- Determined Homesteader: She won't let her father's ranch get taken by the Mayor, no matter what.
- Disappeared Dad: Who did not die by falling while drunk down a mineshaft.
- Feet-First Introduction: "Get your slimy, webbed phalanges off my boots!"
- Fiery Redhead: She has auburn-colored hair and has an incredibly short temper, especially when the topic of conversation is her deceased father.
- Furry Female Mane: Despite being a lizard.
- Humanoid Female Animal: Downplayed; her eyes and lips are much more human-like compared to the male lizard Rango, and she sports Non-Mammalian Hair and Non-Mammal Mammaries, but their body proportions are roughly the same.
- Motor Mouth: At different points, her speech lapses into this, but this is most obvious when she's arguing with Angelique.
- Non-Mammalian Hair: Even if she's a lizard, she has these characteristics to make it clear she's female, but the latter is subtle.
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: She's a rancher, and by the end of the film, she's the only person in the Dirt area who still owns land that hasn't been bought up by the Mayor. However, Beans is never shown doing any work on her ranch, and is only ever seen either in the town proper or out in the desert.
- Shotguns Are Just Better: Whenever she has a weapon, it's usually a double-barrel.
- Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: The opposite of Priscilla's Advertised Extra status. She's one of the main characters, but was barely featured in promotional material.
- The Smurfette Principle: She's the only woman who joins the posse.
- Stay in the Kitchen: Invoked by Rango when tries to stop her from joining his posse. Beans just gives him a silent glare and joins them regardless, which shuts up Rango.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: One usually precedes or follows a catatonic fit. Her daddy was never near that mineshaft!
- It's not a rash, it is a birthmark!
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: To make it crystal-clear that she's a female lizard to the viewer, she has hair and wears a dress.
- Tsundere: Initially, she acts like this towards Rango.
- Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Her father was fond of baked beans.
Priscilla
"You're a stranger. Strangers don't last long here."
Voiced by: Abigail Breslin
A young cactus mouse (or, if you believe Verbinski, an aye-aye) in the town of Dirt. At first she dismisses Rango as "funny-lookin'", she grows to admire him near the end. She has her own pair of revolvers, seems a little too excited about violence and death, and likes to make fun of strangers.
- Advertised Extra: She was all over the promotional material, almost being advertised as Rango's sidekick. In the movie proper, she's a pretty minor character.
- All There in the Manual: Like a few of the other characters, her real name isn't said in the movie proper (she's called "little sister" by Rango), so we learn her name is "Priscilla" only through the credits and the special features.
- Badass Adorable: She's the cutest (or at least, the least ugly) character in the whole movie, but she carries a pair of revolvers in her lunchbox."Can I gut-shoot someone?"
- Creepy Child: She looks the part, but is more of a subversion. She's a little too obsessed with violence to be a completely normal child, but she's otherwise pretty friendly and sweet.
- Deadpan Snarker: When she talks to Rango upon first meeting him.
- Expy: She looks quite a lot like a possum version of Mattie Ross.
- If You Die, I Call Your Stuff: A running gag is her laying claim to Rango's boots any time he's off to do something dangerous.
- Informed Species: She has been referred to as an aye-aye by the creators, but Priscilla lacks any features that would identify her as an aye-aye, such as huge, bat-like ears (her ears are very tiny instead), bushy tail, coarse fur, and most all, long, creepy-looking fingers, and more closely resembles some type of mouse or possum. And while aye-ayes do have large eyes, they are not as comedically oversized as Priscilla's (such a feature more closely matches a bushbaby or tarsier, if we're talking lower primates).
- Little Miss Badass: Priscilla wants to be one, and shows Rango she's got a lot of spunk. However, he tells her to stay behind, perhaps too afraid of endangering her. As a side note, their entire dynamic resembles that of Mattie and Cogburn in True Grit.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: Either she's this or Misplaced Wildlife, as she's either a cactus mouse, an aye-aye, or some combo between the two.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: She packs heat, and constantly reminds Rango that she wants his boots when he dies.
Bad Bill
Voiced by: Ray Winstone
A Gila monster outlaw who works for the Mayor and is first introduced tormenting some poor soul who's behind on his mortgage. Rango's first obstacle in endearing himself to the citizens of Dirt is facing down Bill.
- Death Glare: His only reaction to Rango setting him on fire with cactus juice.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: An English-accented Gila monster who works in a gang with a Mexican rat and two rabbits.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- When Rango unwittingly sets him on fire, Bill slides him a gun and takes the fight outside rather than simply gun him down right there. Notable because his entrance to the saloon involved shooting into the floor.
- Bill wonders if he really should summon Rattlesnake Jake to Dirt, given how dangerous he really shows himself to be.
- Additionally, his expression when Rattlesnake Jake tries to kill Beans shows even he thinks the serpent is taking things way too far.
- Evil Brit: He has Ray Winstone's natural Cockney accent, and he's a pretty savage gangster.
- Evil Debt Collector: He's first introduced attacking a poor bird who's behind with his rent.Bad Bill: YOU GOT CORN IN YOUR EARS, MATE?! YOU DON'T PAY THE MORTGAGE, YOU DON'T OWN THE LAND!!
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: He appears to be a Cigar Chomper. Rango, attempting to intimidate him, snatches his stogie out of his mouth and eats it.
- London Gangster: Despite being a Gila monster from the Mojave, Bill has the Cockney accent and the threatening, loutish behavior of this character archetype.
- Made of Iron: Rango sets him on fire twice, and his only reaction is a mean Death Glare.
- Malicious Monitor Lizard: Technically, Gila monsters aren't monitor lizards, but he's close enough.
- Meaningful Name: Given that he scares the townspeople, and challenges Rango to a duel, Bad Bill is, indeed, VERY BAD!
- Oh, Crap!: When he sees the hawk flying over Rango.
- Properly Paranoid: After Tortoise John makes Rango the sheriff of Dirt, Bill warns him that the chameleon could be trouble. He's proven correct in that Rango is able to piece together the mayor's water-hoarding scheme and ultimately thwart it.
Mayor Tortoise John
Voiced by: Ned Beatty, José Santa Cruz (Brazilian Portuguese)
The mayor of the town of Dirt, who appoints Rango as the sheriff after killing the hawk. He is the wealthiest citizen in Dirt, and is a polite gentleman to the townsfolk, supporting their wishes of a better life. Early in the film, he is the only character with access to the town's supply of water, which makes Beans particularly suspicious of him in the face of the worsening drought. He's also responsible for the strict control of the flow of water in town, which is part of his grand plan to construct a more modern city outside the borders of Dirt (implied to be inspired by seeing the Las Vegas cityscape), which would eventually make it obsolete and the townsfolk forced to move or to face death.
- Asshole Victim: His fate of being Dragged Off to Hell by Rattlesnake Jake is well-deserved, and nobody in Dirt will miss him.
- Big Bad: As we find out towards the end, especially when he turns on Rattlesnake Jake.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He betrays Rango, Beans, the townspeople and Jake all in the name of progress. That last one is what gets him (figuratively) Dragged Off to Hell.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He's pretty handy with a firearm.
- Conspicuous Consumption: He holds a gigantic flask of "Vintage Rainwater" in his desk which he shares with guests as a sign of his wealth and position.
- Dragged Off to Hell: Due to the myth surrounding Rattlesnake Jake, and the fact Jake has threatened Rango with this fate before, the Mayor being dragged away screaming by Jake definitely has this vibe to it.
- Even Evil Has Standards: His one moment of humanity in the film is when he tries to tell Jake he's going too far in threatening to kill Beans if she doesn't sign over her land to him, though considering he's fine watching her drown it's likely he just didn't want to personally witness the gory scene of her being squeezed to death.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": His name is never spoken, and he's only ever called "the Mayor".
- Evil Counterpart: He deceived the town of Dirt like Rango does, but has none of his guilt, compassion, or even likable traits of the titular character.
- Evil Cripple: As we find out towards the end. He sits in a tricked-out motorized wheelchair, which he uses at all times.
- Expy: He bears an unmistakable resemblance to Noah Cross, John Huston's character in the 1974 film Chinatown. In terms of role, he also echoes Mr. Morton from Once Upon a Time in the West pretty closely, due to being an Evil Cripple rich man trying to modernize the West through a real estate scheme.
- Fat, Sweaty Southerner in a White Suit: Well, except for the sweaty part, since reptiles can't sweat.
- Faux Affably Evil: He acts very friendly and well-meaning, almost grandfatherly before we get to know his true intentions.
- Flipping Helpless: Rango's escape from the flooding bank vault knocks the Mayor out of his chair and leaves him on his back, unable to do anything but try to reason with Rango... who turns him over to Jake, who the Mayor had been trying to double-cross just moments ago. Needless to say, Mayor John is unable to do anything to stop Jake from dragging him off.
- Ink-Suit Actor: He does bear a striking resemblance to Ned Beatty.
- Killed Offscreen: He's last seen being dragged out of Dirt kicking and screaming by a very pissed-off Rattlesnake Jake, whom he double-crossed and tried to kill only minutes earlier. It's safe to assume that Jake didn't show him mercy, or deliver a quick death.
- Light Is Not Good: He appears as the Big Good of the entire story, and mostly wears white, particularly a white hat, which is seen as a symbol of good in Old West movies, but his true nature is much eviler than he lets on.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: He's sharply dressed, very hydrated, and absolutely remorseless.
- Mayor Pain: Type A, as he's wicked and corrupt.
- Obviously Evil: It could be the voice, could be the way he uses insects as literal playthings. Especially since he sounds and dresses like Noah Cross.
- Shell Backpack: He wears a white suit, but his shell shows through the back.
- Small-Town Tyrant: He's the Big Bad of the film who deliberately cuts off his people's supply of water to force them into handing over their land for his own purposes.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: He has the gentle voice of Ned Beatty and is generally calm and cordial, while also being an unscrupulous monster.
- The Sociopath: Lacking even Rattlesnake Jake's noble side, the Mayor has manipulated the town and hidden his corruption from them. Caring only about his own vision of the future, he is even willing to murder and double-cross even Jake to push it forward. Even his being against Jake trying to kill Beans for not signing the contract is hypocritical since he doesn't have a problem with trying to drown her (and Rango) in his own water vault.
- Super Wheelchair: It even has a putting stick attached!
- Ultimate Authority Mayor: He has very much absolute authority over the town of Dirt.
- Villain in a White Suit: As can be seen in the above picture. He's the real Big Bad of the movie, and dresses all in white.
- Villain with Good Publicity: He hides his inner immorality from his people really well. Only Beans (and later Mr. Merrimack) initially suspect something is wrong.
- Visionary Villain: Tortoise John aspires to create a modern city in the place of Dirt. To that end, he causes a water shortage so that he can buy the land at a low price.
- Wise Old Turtle: But not a benign one. He's been around long enough to witness the construction of Las Vegas and is the oldest citizen in Dirt by a long shot, using the knowledge he has amassed over the decades for his own ambitions.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: He tries to do this to Rattlesnake Jake in the end, but with Rango's gun, which no longer has any bullets in it.
Rattlesnake Jake
"You got killer in your eyes, son? I don't see it."
Voiced by: Bill Nighy, Luiz Carlos Persy (Brazilian Portuguese)
A fearsome, ferocious desert rattlesnake with a Gatling gun for a tail, Rattlesnake Jake is the secondary antagonist. He is called the Grim Reaper, and lauded by many as a ruthless killer who "doesn't leave a town without taking a soul."
- Animal Facial Hair: Markings variant. Jake has a distinctive pattern on his upper lip scales that is strongly reminiscent of a thin but well-maintained mustache, similar to those worn by "Doc" Holliday and Johnny Ringo in Tombstone.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Part of what makes Jake so terrifying is that he doesn't even need to get physical in order to be a horrifically effective threat, being able to psychoanalyze Rango to the point he nearly wins through intimidation alone. Jake bases his entire "The Reason You Suck" Speech off an accurate assumption that Rango is an arrogant blowhard — without having even met Rango prior — going so far as forcing a loaded gun into Rango's hands and pointing it at his own face in order to prove Rango doesn't have "killer in his eyes." It's finally proving that he visibly does have the will to pull the trigger that finally earns Jake's respect.
- Badass Bandolier: Several of them are wrapped around his upper half.
- Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: He finishes off the Mayor in the end.
- Believing Their Own Lies: Maybe. It's not clear if he actually believes that he's a Grim Reaper or if he's just using his legend as an intimidation tactic.
- Beware My Stinger Tail: His rattle has been replaced by an artificial machine gun made of revolver cylinders.
- Blood Knight: Killing is his business, and he enjoys his work.
- Bottomless Magazines: Subverted in the final battle, and exploited to make Jake waste all his bullets on the Mole family's bats.
- Break the Badass: Jake breaks Rango's heroic identity by first daring him to drink his venom and then daring him to kill him with one bullet, neither of which Rango can actually do like he bragged.
- The Comically Serious: While Rattlesnake Jake definitely adds a sinister touch to the movie, his second faceoff against Rango costs him a little of his mystique. He is quick to gain it back after the mayor screws up a double-cross, however.
- Cruel Mercy: He could've just simply killed Rango, but the only reason he doesn't is because that would've just cemented his fake hero status. So rather, he spares him, but not without destroying that reputation in front of everyone.
- Defeat Means Respect: After he loses the battle to Rango at the end, Jake now sees him as a Worthy Opponent.
- Dragged Off to Hell: He tells Rango he'll do this if he ever sees him again after their faceoff outside the sheriff's office. As a result of all the myth surrounding him, it's difficult to question if he can actually carry out the threat or not. Due to this and the rest of his character in general, the scene where he drags the mayor away screaming certainly has this vibe.
- The Dragon: To the Mayor. He's the one called in when Rango starts asking too many questions, and is the biggest threat Rango faces.
- Dragon-in-Chief: He may be working for the mayor, but he'll be damned if he'll let Tortoise John tell him how to do the job he was hired for.
- The Dreaded: Just mentioning him freaks people out.
- Enemy Mine: In the end of the movie, he strikes peace with Rango and seemingly kills the mayor.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Upon his first meeting with Rango, one gets the distinct impression that he hates liars."Listen to me, you pathetic fraud..."
- Evil Is Bigger: He's the largest character apart from the Spirit of the West.
- Evil Sounds Deep: A rattlesnake outlaw with a disturbingly deep voice.
- Evil Virtues: He hates liars and frauds, and is willing to respect enemies who earn it.
- Expy: Jake seems to be based on Angel Eyes from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
- Fangs Are Evil: It comes with the territory of being a rattlesnake.
- Faux Affably Evil: He presents himself as friendly and polite, but it's a particularly thin facade, and he's a ruthless and sadistic sociopath.
- Flaw Exploitation: He falls victim to this in the final battle, first with his fear of hawks and then with his anger at being made to look a fool.
- Foil: To Rango. They both are larger-than-life "legends" with fearsome reputations that are a part of their influence. However, the villainous Jake is much more authentic and can actually back up his boasts, while Rango is a Fake Ultimate Hero whom Jake effortlessly discredits. From this encounter starts Rango's journey into true herohood. Tortoise John explicitly says both Jake and Rango are not so different legends that have no place in the future he envisions. Jake himself acknowledges Rango as another legend after the sheriff rescues the outlaw from the Mayor.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has a thin jagged scar over his left eye. It's easy to miss outside of close-ups.
- The Great Serpent: He's a snake, and far larger than any of the people of Dirt, making him look like this to them.
- The Gunslinger: A cross between a Vaporizer and a Quick Draw. He can pump out huge amounts of fire from that Gatling tail, but he can also unleash a quick burst with uncanny accuracy and speed. He pops Wounded Bird from halfway across town based on nothing but the sound of Wounded Bird's gun cocking.
- Hannibal Lecture: He could have killed Rango easily enough at their first meeting, but seems to feel that he's not even worthy of that. He calls all Rango's bluffs, humiliates him utterly, and forces him to recant his lies. It crushes the spirits of all the townsfolk.
- Hero Killer: It's established that he killed the previous sheriff of Dirt, not to mention what Bad Bill says about him."Jake's the Grim Reaper, he never leaves without taking a blooming soul!"
- Humiliation Conga: He goes through a bit of a wringer at the end that likely puts a few dents into his reputation. First he gets blasted sky-high by a geyser of water. Then he gets frightened by the bat-riding moles flying in the shape of a hawk. After he empties his weapon on them, he gets held up by Rango and only survives due to the intervention of the Mayor. Finally, he's betrayed by Tortoise John, and only survives that due to the timely escape of Rango.
- Hyper-Awareness: Even in a fit of panic, he's able to figure out that the hawk in the climax is a fake.
- Impossibly Cool Weapon: His Gatling gun/rattle seems to have no realistic way of working (what is the firing mechanism for that thing?), but more importantly, it's very cool.
- Insult Backfire:Beans: Go to Hell!
Jake: Where do you think I come from? - Jerkass Has a Point: When he encounters Rango for the first time, he breaks his bravado by daring him to shoot Jake with his one bullet. Rango is unable to do it, and Jake berates him for giving the town false hope and for lying about his identity.
- Karma Houdini: He loses a bit of his badass mystique, but he doesn't suffer anything worse.
- Knight of Cerebus: When he shows up, the film's tone goes from light and mischievous to high-stakes drama.
- Lack of Empathy: He's completely devoid of sympathy and pity for the newcomer Rango, going as far as to humiliate and disgrace him for pretending to be a legend rather than just killing him, his thought process likely being that killing Rango would only lionize him and prove his claims of heroism. Notably, however, frauds and liars are his Berserk Button, so his excessive cruelty is likely fueled by that hatred. As to whether he is completely devoid of empathy is left up to question, though he gains a fair bit of Villain Respect for Rango in the end after he proves himself.
- Large Ham: He has almost as much of a flair for the dramatic as Rango, weaving threats of Hellfire and damnation into his speech at every opportunity.
- Laser-Guided Karma:
- After humiliating Rango, exposing him as a fraud, and running him out of town, Rango eventually returns the favor with a hilarious Humiliation Conga. Jake is ungracefully blasted sky-high by a water geyser, tricked into wasting all his ammo at what he believes to be a hawk, and ultimately left at Rango's mercy.
- He is eventually backstabbed by Tortoise John, the man who hired him to terrorize the town. By the end of the movie, Jake returns the favor when he drags him out of Dirt for revenge.
- Lecherous Licking: When confronting Rango, at one point he gathers up Beans in his coils and gives her a lick on the cheek.
- Lightning Bruiser: The most frightening thing about him, other than how hard he can hit with his Gatling gun, is how fast he is. He coils up Tortoise John and drags him off so fast that Rango likely couldn't have stopped him even if he wanted to.
- Logical Weakness: His Gatling gun is a powerful weapon that makes him a bonafide One-Snake Army. However, once he runs out of bullets, Jake is helpless against anyone else armed with a gun, since his lack of hands leaves him unable to reload his weapon in a timely manner.
- Never Bareheaded: Somehow, his hat never leaves his head, even when he gets launched in the air by a high-pressure geyser or jostled by a deluge of water.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: By exiling Rango from Dirt, he causes the lizard to walk into the area where the emergency release valve is, revealing the mayor's whole scheme and giving Rango the means to end it and defeat Jake in combat.
- Ninja Pirate Robot Zombie: He's a cowboy rattlesnake with a Gatling gun grafted onto his tail.
- Noble Demon: Rattlesnake Jake is a contract killer without an ounce of compassion or pity, but he does exhibit a disgust for lies and treachery, and he respects true courage — even in an enemy. Especially in an enemy.
- Not Worth Killing: He refuses to kill Rango, and chooses to disgrace him instead by destroying his reputation as a hero. He and Rango also let the other walk away with their lives; Rango earns his respect by fulfilling his own legend, while Rango lets Jake take revenge on Tortoise John by dragging him out of Dirt.
- Oh, Crap!: He inspires this reaction from pretty much everyone when he arrives. He gets one himself when he faces off against Rango and realizes that the chameleon has found the necessary grit to gun him down.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Rattlesnake Jake's accent, though otherwise solid, tends to briefly slip into something vaguely resembling Irish.
- Psycho for Hire: It's implied that he isn't in his line of work for the money — his price for service is one life.
- Punch-Clock Villain: He's only in town because Tortoise John brought him in to fulfill his vision of the future.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: He disgraces Rango in front of the entire town for lying about his identity and for pretending to be a legend.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: His look like the Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Unlike Rango and Beans, Rattlesnake Jake is nothing but a snake slithering in the dust.
- Rhyming Names: Rattlesnake Jake.
- Sadist: He takes a twisted glee in Rango's abject humiliation, and his treatment of the other characters suggests that he loves his work.
- Scary Teeth: Besides his venomous fangs, Jake's mouth is also lined with dozens of razor-sharp teeth that make him look even more demonic.
- Shrouded in Myth: He's regarded as the Grim Reaper by the people of Dirt, and is said to hail from Hell itself. Jake puts his own mystique to good work intimidating Beans.
- Snakes Are Sinister: The sole rattlesnake in the cast is the biggest and most menacing character in the movie. Though it turns out he's not quite the Big Bad.
- The Sociopath: He's a charming, sadistic Psycho for Hire who does not hesitate to kill and feels no need to justify what he does. Though he turns out to have some form of noble side, as shown in the end, which elevates him above the completely unempathetic mayor.
- Suicidal Sadistic Choice: After Beans refuses to sell her ranch to the Mayor, Jake coils her up and demands that either she signs the land over or he'll crush her to death.
- Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: His appearance instantly puts the funnier bits of the movie on the back burner.
- Villain Respect: After Rango escapes the bank's vault filled with water by using a single bullet, and in doing so saves Rattlesnake Jake from being killed by the Mayor, Rattlesnake Jake develops a respect for Rango.
- Western Rattlers: He's a rattlesnake gunslinger with a gun in place of his rattle, a cowboy hat, and bandoliers slung across his body.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Though many would say this is what everyone else thinks of Jake, he is afraid of hawks, which is the only thing keeping him away from Dirt. Rango uses this to his advantage by having the moles form a shape of a hawk to fool Jake. It doesn't fool him for long, but it does make him waste his ammo. This is somewhat ironic, considering the trope's name.
- Wise Serpent: Villainous example. While Jake gives off the impression that he's just a murderous gun-for-hire, he swiftly proves to be one of the most intelligent characters in the movie, particularly in how immediately deduces that Rango is a fraud and is able to spiritually break with words alone.
- Worthy Opponent: His opinion of Rango at the end."I tip my hat to you... One legend to another."
- You Wouldn't Shoot Me: Not only does Jake give Rango a gun during their first meeting, he aims it at his own face for him and barks at him to pull the trigger, telling Rango that he doesn't have "killer in his eyes". He's right... at that time.
Waffles
Voiced by: James "Jim" Ward Byrkit
Part of the posse, he's a horned lizard with a simpleton personality and less-than-appropriate amount of teeth. Regarding official information about him, he writes "surprisingly bad haiku."
- Abusive Parents: His father made him cough up marshmallows he had eaten the last evening for breakfast when he was a kid, and, in one line, it's implied his father once took him to a brothel.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Although everybody (sans Rango, Beans, and Wounded Bird) in the town could be considered this, Waffles is perhaps the most prominent example.
- The Fool: In comparison to everyone else.
- Friendly Enemy: He acts as one towards one of the moles for a very brief moment, warning him that he's about to hit his head.
- Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Besides his father making him cough up the marshmallows for breakfast and a few other anecdotes, he, at one point, implies his father took him to a brothel.
- Kindhearted Simpleton: He's a rather nice guy, and a bit of a moron.
- Manchild: Waffles has a childlike personality and matching intelligence.
- Scary Teeth: Most of the townsfolk have bad teeth, but Waffles' big, crooked, rotten teeth are the most visible.
Wounded Bird
Voiced by: Gil Birmingham
Part of the posse and Rango's deputy, he's a Native American crow who is a quiet bystander and uses a crutch of some sort to help himself walk. His general information from the movie's website states that his tracking skills are legendary, and that he's big in Finland for reasons unknown.
- Artistic License – Biology: Played for Laughs. Birds don't really have a sense of smell, or have a limited one if they do; definitely not to the extent that Wounded Bird has.
- Captain Obvious: In the video game, it's almost impossible not to find it funny that he keeps repeating "I'm over here", "Over here, Rango" and "I'm here" while Rango is goddamn standing right next to him.
- Clever Crows: He's a crow, and a very insightful one at that, able to track the water thieves and deduce their personalities with pinpoint accuracy based on their scents, behaviors, and the things they leave behind on their trail.
- Collector of the Strange: In the video game, he gives Rango updates to his abilities by getting sheriff stars traded in return. Wonder what he does with those stars...
- Deadpan Snarker: He slightly slips into this when he becomes Rango's second-in-command, especially when Rango assumes he's a Magical Native American played straight.
- Forgot Flanders Could Do That: While he usually speaks in short and broken sentences, possibly deliberately to play along with Rango thinking he's a Magical Native American, in the latter part of the movie he has lines in perfect English.
- Handicapped Badass: His leg injury doesn't seem to slow him down very much.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: To Rango. He's the deputy to the lizard's sheriff, but not only is he a lot more serious and experienced in the desert, he has a much better idea of how to track down the water thieves.
- The Lancer: To Rango, sort of, as he names Wounded Bird to be his deputy.
- Magical Native American: Parodied with his character.Wounded Bird: [scattering feathers in the air]
Rango: I see you're consulting with the spirits.
Wounded Bird: No, I'm molting. Means I'm ready to mate. - Mysterious Past: His information on the movie website says that he's "big in Finland for some reason". There are no hints of this in the movie whatsoever, so one could only wonder how and why he's been to Finland and what he did there.
- The Nose Knows: It sure does! See Scarily Competent Tracker to realize how much he can learn about someone simply by smelling their scent.
- The Quiet One: He doesn't speak much, the one way his Magical Native American tendencies are played straight.
- Scarily Competent Tracker: He can smell blindness, or if a person has a large prostate.
- Spanner in the Works: Had he not tried to shoot Jake, the snake wouldn't have moved to the spot where Rango installed his trap.
- Shaped Like Itself: He's a bird who's been wounded, making him a Wounded Bird.
- Terse Talker: For the most part, when he talks, he doesn't talk much.
Ambrose
Voiced by: Ian Abercrombie
Part of the posse. An owl of some sort, he dresses like a gentleman and, according to his official information, is a professional gambler and can speak 12 languages.
- All There in the Manual: Most of what we know about him isn't shown in the film proper, but is only in the supplementary materials.
- I Am Big Boned: If only a matter of speculation — Ambrose is notably round, but it might be just because he's an owl.
- The Owl-Knowing One: According to his official info, he can speak in 12 languages.
- Professional Gambler: Again according to supplemental material, but he is first seen in the film playing cards.
- Quintessential British Gentleman: He acts and dresses the part, right down to a cane and top-hat.
- The Smart Guy: He's notably the one who realizes Rango has only detailed how six of the seven Jenkins Brothers were killed in his story, and he's generally the most educated person in dirt.
- Tuxedo and Martini: When he's seen while Rango steps into the saloon for the first time, Ambrose is wearing his usual tuxedo with a top hat, and there's a shot glass filled with cactus juice beside him.
Doc Kenny
Which one-a you fellers needs a checkup?
Voiced by: Stephen Root
Doctor to the town of Dirt. Frequently found passed out on the bartop of the local saloon.
- All There in the Manual: there's a wealth of info about him that's only available in the game or other media, including his age, weight, and place of birth.
- The Alcoholic: His Establishing Character Moment has him so drunk he's passed out in the saloon, only waking up to mistakenly order a drink when he hears Rango ask for water. He follows it up later by regaining enough consciousness to shout "drinks all around!". He also carries and uses a flask regularly.
- Captain Obvious: A lot of his dialogue involves this. Most notably when he checks the pulse on the Hawk that's currently buried under a mountain of sand after a giant metal water tower fell on its head
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: A given, as a resident of Dirt. He mistakes Wounded Bird identifying one of the bank robbers suffering from an enlarged prostate as a suggestion that someone in the posse needs a colonoscopy.
- Deadpan Snarker: When Rango attempts to show off his "scar" from battling with Rattlesnake Jake.Doc: Fascinatin', that there's a belly button.
- Scars Are Forever: Overlaps with Fashionable Asymmetry. He's missing an ear, all the way down to the base of his skull
- The Stoic: By and large the tone of his voice never wavers, unless he's in a drunken stupor. Even walking past an entire wall that turns out to merely be the eye of some massive underground creature barely fazes him.Doc: That's a big one. *takes swig of his flask*
Spoons
Thank you, Spirit of the West, for sending a man like Sheriff Rango to us
Voiced by: Alex Managuin
Resident of Dirt who likes to play the Spoons as an instrument
- Accidental Hero: his decision to fire off a shot as part of his role as "The Signal" is what creates the opening for Rango and the posse to grab the stolen water jug and escape the mole people.
- Ambiguously Gay: He describes having Rango-in-a-dress land on him as "not altogether unpleasant"
- Animal Facial Hair: his fur grows into a massive beard that hangs from his face.
- Dirty Coward: Played with, as he immediately backs off when Rango fires back at his Your Mom comment in the bar, but otherwise is perfectly willing to ride into battle with the rest of the posse.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Spoons is the only moniker anyone uses for him.
- Face of a Thug: his squinted eyes and long facial hair give him a far more intimidating appearance than he actually lives up to.
- Shaming the Mob: He's the face of this when the mob comes to lynch the Mole family. Rango's Et Tu, Brute? to him immediately causes him to go from "Let's cut off their giblets!" to admitting they're all just freightened about the missing water.
- Too Much Information: His contribution to the campfire discussion immediately incurs this:Spoons: I found an entire human spinal column in my fecal matter once.
Elgin
Voiced by: John Cothran, Jr.
Part of the posse. He's a grim bobcat whose past is shrouded in mystery.- Animals Not to Scale: He's a bobcat that's the same size as a chameleon.
- Badass Longcoat: He wears one.
- The Comically Serious: While most of the citizens of Dirt are eccentric in one way or another, Elgin remains grim and self-serious through and through.
- Face of a Thug: His grim appearance and demeanor certainly give off a sinister vibe but he's one of the good guys.
- Perpetual Frowner: He's usually seen scowling and grumbling.
Sergeant Turley
Voiced by: Gore Verbinski
What appears to be a former Confederate Soldier now living in Dirt.
- Comically Missing the Point: Thinks Rango referring to "something in his eye" is his hereditary conjunctivitis rather than the massive arrow sticking out of his right eye.
- Creator Cameo: He's voiced by the film's director.
- Eye Scream: He's got an arrow through his right eye, as shown in the image above, but it doesn't bother him.
- Handicapped Badass: He's an ex-sergeant, has what by all rights should be a lethal injury, and has conjunctivitis. Despite this he's no notably worse in performance than anyone else in the posse.
- Made of Iron: He has an arrow going through his eye and out the back of his head and is largely unfazed.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: While arguing over where to go after they stumble across the drained aquafer under Dirt, he says "We are experiencing a paradigm shift!"
- Southern-Fried Private: Or Sergeant. His accent and grasp of reality paints him as this.
Roadkill
Voiced by: Alfred Molina
An armadillo that doesn't have the best luck with crossing the road or cars.
- Ambiguous Situation: Given that his first appearance involves him getting run over by a car and having his midsection flattened (but he immediately recovers from it), and he never interacts with anyone but Rango, it's unclear if he's a ghost or just an eccentric hermit with cartoon physics on his side.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: He's shown to have his midsection crushed after being run over by a car. A little later, however, he's perfectly fine.
- Plot-Triggering Death: Assuming he's actually dead after his midsection is shown having suddenly healed, anyway. His attempt to cross the road is what caused the traffic accident that sent Rango flying out of his family's car and kickstarting the main plot.
- Spirit Advisor: He has this general vibe — Rango is the only character who interacts with him, and he appears whenever Rango is near "the other side of the road", a mystical realm.
- Unexplained Recovery: After being very clearly introduced bisected by a car, he shows up a few camera cuts later completely intact and mobile.
- Wild West Armadillo: He's the first character Rango meets upon being released from his vivarium.
The Mariachi Owls
Voiced by: George DelHoyo (Señor Flan)
A quartet of owls that are sort of like Romeo and Juliet's chorus, either providing exposition or playing the background music.
- Deadpan Snarker:Accordionist: When is he going to die?
Guitarist: [depressed sigh] Soon. - Everyone Has Standards: They spend the whole movie mocking and dismissing Rango as only edging ever closer to his inevitable doom, but even they look crestfallen when Rattlesnake Jake breaks the chameleon's spirit and has him exiled from Dirt, so much that they're seen packing their instruments away.
- From a Certain Point of View: The movie ends off without Rango's death despite the owls having stated that the story would lead to his doom; in fact, the film has a very happy ending with everybody better off (except for the Mayor). The guitarist states that Rango will more likely die later on in the future, such as from a household accident.
- Gratuitous Mariachi Band: Well, as much as the setting must be close to Mexico, doesn't make it any less fitting of the trope!
- Greek Chorus: They function as one together, though the head of the group does this most, with the others echoing him.
- Interactive Narrator: Rango and the other characters are aware of their presence, even occasionally signaling to them to start playing.
- Left the Background Music On: Sometimes it turns out they are playing the score, once even having an owl playing the solo of the Ennio Morricone Pastiche.
- Lemony Narrator: They constantly narrate that Rango will meet some doom or the other.
- Lying by Omission: They claim that Rango will die. The movie's plot progresses and he's still alive and well to see the end credits. When one of the band members questions the narrator on this, he says that Rango will still die — someday, because everyone does.
- No Fourth Wall: Unlike the other characters, they speak directly to the viewer.
- Rockers Smash Guitars: An owl is seen smashing his guitar in the credits, while another sets his on fire Hendrix-style.
Rock-Eye the Toad
Voiced by: Joseph Nunez
A desert toad whom Rango meets shortly before the hawk chase.
- Asshole Victim: He's rather rude to Rango when they first meet, and is carried off to his presumed death moments later.
- Curse Cut Short: "You son of a-" [hawk screeches]
- Hoist by His Own Petard: If he actually stayed where he was and kept posing as a rock, the hawk wouldn't have snatched him up.
- Jerkass Has a Point: He is rude towards Rango when they meet, but he's only trying to survive, and Rango's panicking isn't helping matters.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He appears for a short scene and then is carried off by the hawk, never to be seen again.
The Hawk
A red-tailed hawk that we first meet after Rango's tank falls out of the car in the middle of nowhere.
- Brutal Bird of Prey: It's clearly been terrorizing the town for some time, and is currently the page image for this trope.
- The Dreaded: The hawk is feared by Rattlesnake Jake, and is the only thing keeping Jake at bay.
- Evil Versus Evil: It's collectively agreed that the hawk is the lesser of two evils. It may be bad, but Rattlesnake Jake is more dangerous. However, both the hawk and Rattlesnake Jake are nothing compared to Tortoise John, who is far more worse than them combined.
- Feathered Fiend: It terrorizes the town of Dirt, and is all too eager to snap up any unfortunate sap it can get its talons on for lunch.
- It Can Think: The hawk is intelligent enough to operate a vending machine, and place a specific order using its Feather Finger.
- Necessarily Evil: The townsfolk of Dirt are frightened of the hawk, but if it dies, Rattlesnake Jake might show up. Nobody wants that.
- Psychotic Smirk: It's fond of giving these to its prey.
- Purely Aesthetic Gender: Rock-Eye the toad refers to her with female pronouns, but her gender would be indiscernible besides that. Female hawks are larger than the males, however, befitting her status as The Dreaded.
- Shown Their Work: The hawk is modeled after a red-tailed hawk, which is where the classic Stock Sound Effect bird-of-prey screech originated from, and indeed it makes those very screeches.
- Silent Snarker: It has no dialogue outside of screeching, but smirks at Rango while operating the vending machine.
- Starter Villain: It's the first antagonist Rango has to deal with in the film, and is the first adversary he defeats to set him up as a hero to the people of Dirt.
- Super-Persistent Predator: Even after it catches Rock-Eye the toad, the hawk continues to just have it in for Rango, amd chases him all across the town of Dirt, ignoring all the other people that would have made suitable prey.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: The hawk's face once it sees the water tower is about to come down on its head appears to be a mix of stunned surprise and the realization that This Is Gonna Suck.
Mr. Johannes "Fluffy Joe" Merrimack III
Voiced by: Stephen Root
Dirt's banker who mysteriously disappears a little while after Rango comes to Dirt.
- Dies Wide Open: After the posse finds his body, Doc closes his eyes.
- He Knows Too Much: He is killed by the Mayor's gang after he began looking into the water situation.
- Ink-Suit Actor: Of all the characters he voices in Rango, Stephen Root most resembles Mr. Merrimack.
- Nervous Wreck: He's introduced taking tablets, and in general seems like a nervous guy.
- Overly Long Name: Downplayed, as his first and last name both have three syllables, but his name otherwise doesn't stand out much as far as names go.
- Parental Substitute: Apparently he's been this for Beans ever since her father did not fall drunk down a mineshaft.
- Poverty Food: Because water is both valuable and scarce in Dirt, he is forced to dunk his antacid tablets in...an empty glass. Which he then proceeds to "drink" and loudly crunch on the tablets.
Angélique
Voiced by: Claudia Black
A French-accented red fox that works as the Mayor's secretary.
- Animals Not to Scale: She's a red fox that's the same size as a chameleon and desert iguana.
- Even Evil Has Standards: She may have a petty rivalry going with Beans, but she is appalled by the depths the Mayor will go to further his goals.
- Everything Sounds Sexier in French: She speaks with a French accent, which only heightens the image of sexiness she's going for.
- Foxy Vixen: The sexiest character in the film is, unsurprisingly, the fox.
- Humanoid Female Animal: Even more so than Beans, even having Hartman Hips.
- Punch-Clock Villain: She works as Tortoise John's secretary, but otherwise doesn't engage in any real villainous behavior. Once he's out of the picture, she simply finds employment elsewhere in Mud.
- Sexy Secretary: She plays the part to the Mayor.
- Sitcom Archnemesis: For Beans, who both trade catty insults in the one interaction they have. The reasons for their animosity are never elaborated on.
- Smoking Is Glamorous : She's rarely seen without her cigarette holder.
The Mole Family
Belligerent, numerous, and possessed of strange ideas concerning property ownership, they are a community unto themselves, headed by their patriarch, known simply as "Pappy".
- All There in the Manual: According to the credits, Pappy's name is "Balthazar".
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: The moles' various armaments include guns, dynamite, hatchets, knives of various sizes, digging equipment, a cheese grater, and an egg beater.
- Cassandra Truth: Justified, as they are admitted bank robbers, so the townspeople of Dirt have good reason to not believe them, but when Pappy, Jebidiah, and Ezekiel are accused of and arrested for bank robbery and the murder of Mr. Merrimack, they protest that the bank was already robbed when they got there and someone else killed Mr. Merrimack. Fortunately for them, Rango does believe them, and though he still arrests them, he immediately begins to suspect and investigate the actual culprit, the Mayor.
- Clear My Name: Their reason for helping Rango take on Rattlesnake Jake.
- Decoy Antagonist: They are set up to be the cause of Dirt's water problems. At first.
- Deadpan Snarker: Pappy has his moments.
- Deep South: In spades. Even though they're all native to the Southwest, the Mole Clan is pretty much one big satirical look at this trope.
- Also, their playing banjos during the mounted bat fight alludes to Deliverance.
- The Dragon: Maybelle, the de-facto leader when Pappy is absent. She is the only other named mole besides Pappy, Ezekiel, and Jedidiah.
- Dysfunction Junction: Pappy is abusive and his sons are stupid. Wounded Bird says they need an intervention.
- Evil Cripple: Pappy is blind, and uses a cane — not that he really needs the cane, as he mostly just uses it to whup on his progeny. Maybelle has a clubfoot and correcting footwear.
- The Family That Slays Together: They act the part, hooting and hollering as they chase the posse through the canyon in swarms.
- Gatling Good: Several of their bat steeds are armed with actual hand-cranked Gatling guns to provide heavy firepower in the sky.
- Goggles Do Nothing: Averted. They are in fact quite useful both below ground and high above it.
- Gonk: And considering the Ugly Cute nature of the rest of the characters, that's saying something.
- Heel–Face Turn: Rango enlists their aid to take out Rattlesnake Jake in exchange for freeing their family members from Dirt's jail and clearing their name.
- Hidden Depths: Despite their apparent lack of sophistication, Pappy and his sons do appear to enjoy theatre, and not just because they like "thespians."
- Hillbilly Horrors: The entire family makes their presence known by rising from the dirt like a horde of zombies and chanting about making food out of other animals.
- Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: They even have a system worked out, complete with a rousing cry and a platoon of trained bats."I likes it when they run."
- Made of Explodium: ...The hell are they feeding those bats?!
- Mauve Shirt: Of the god-knows-how-many moles we see, only four are named onscreen; Pappy, Ezekiel, and Jedidiah (the first three moles we see), and Maybelle, Pappy's lieutenant.
- Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: Their attempt to rob the bank of Dirt reveals that the water was already gone when they got there
- Non-Indicative Name: Played with, as their patriarch is a mole, while a good number of them appear to actually be gophers, prairie dogs, and/or other underground dwelling animals.
- Noodle Implements: The "prospecting equipment" Rango gives them includes an Etch-A-Sketch and a loofah sponge, which Jedidiah takes an instant liking to.
- The Nose Knows: Pappy, who is blind, seems to navigate primarily through smell. Which is not unusual for a mole.
- Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Balthazar, Jedidiah, and Ezekiel are all biblical names. This makes Maybelle the Odd Name Out.
- Screaming Warrior: The moles let out a gobbling war cry (similar to a Confederate Rebel yell
) before giving chase to Rango's wagon, further cementing them as expies of the Deep South.Pappy: Maybelle! Give the holler! - The Snack Is More Interesting: Pappy relaxes considerably after finding out the new sheriff "looks like he sounds".
- Stuff Blowing Up: They make liberal use of dynamite, and their bats explode when they crash.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Pappy, who is well aware of it, and not at all happy about it. His walking stick sees more use thumping heads than as a blind man's cane.
- Threat Backfire: See Zerg Rush.
- Villain Song: Their chant.♪ Grit and spit and collared greens ♪♪ Waffle chitons, monkey brains ♪♪ Refried bones and booger blood ♪♪ Pickled eggs and flaps of mud ♪
- Wicked Cultured: A gang of inbred thieves who know how to play "Ride of the Valkyries" like an orchestra. With banjos and empty moonshine jugs.
- Zerg Rush: The Mole family might have more extra chromosomes than teeth, but one marvels at the problems that can be solved by throwing the sum total of your kinsmen at a given situation. Overlaps with We Have Reserves in the final fight, where the plan is to have Rattlesnake Jake empty his guns shooting at them so Rango can safely walk right up to him with his One Bullet.Rango: We've got you surrounded! You and your entire family get your hands up where I can see 'em!
Pappy: [chuckles] My entire family?
Melonee
Did it with one bullet, Bill!
Voiced by: Kym Whitley
A female frog that we see briefly.
- Non-Mammal Mammaries: Out of the female cast of the movie, she has the most obvious ones.
- The Oldest Profession: As much as a children's movie can get away with, she's implied to be a hooker.
- Sassy Black Woman: She has the voice and cadence of one.
The Spirit of the West
"No man can walk out of his own story."
Voiced by: Timothy Olyphant
A mysterious spirit, resembling the Man with No Name, that advises Rango in the film's climax.- Cryptic Conversation: He prefers to phrase his advice in vague riddles rather than directly telling Rango what to do.
- Exact Words: When Rango makes up the story of the Spirit of the West to his posse, he describes the Spirit as "riding an alabaster carriage" and protected by "golden guardians". When he meets the spirit for real, those details are true, but they take the form of a golf cart and ersatz Oscar statues, respectively.
- The Expy With No Name: He takes on the appearance of an old gunslinger with a poncho, cowboy hat, and a gravelly voice. Indeed, Rango recognizes him as the Man with No Name and says so outright, heavily implying the spirit has taken the form of Clint Eastwood himself in-universe too.
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: Roadkill the Armadillo indicates that the Spirit takes different forms depending on who he talks to. For Rango, a movie-loving lizard, he takes the form of a gunslinging Western hero.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Is he a hallucination? A true manifestation of the Spirit of the West? Did Rango simply happen to encounter an eccentric Clint Eastwood? Either way, he's what Rango needed to see.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: His appearance is based on Clint Eastwood, specifically his "Man with No Name" character in the Dollars Trilogy.
- Spirit Advisor: He appears to Rango in the climax of the film, advising him to embrace the heroic gunslinger personality he pretended to be.
- Token Human: The only human character in the film to be seen clearly and have substantial dialogue, though he would appear to be a shapechanging spirit rather than an actual human.
