Bring the whole family to the Castro Theatre to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of Gore Verbinski’s meta-existential masterpiece, Rango (2011) with the acclaimed writer/director IN PERSON! The evening will consist of a pre-screening autograph signing followed by a post-screening on-stage Q&A with one of the most unhinged studio directors of the 21st Century.
“15th Anniversary of RANGO (2011) in 35mm w/ Director Gore Verbinski IN PERSON”
December 10, 2026
Rango
7:30 pm
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Written by John Logan
Cinematography by Roger Deakins
Containing Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone, Timothy Olyphant
It’s time to revisit Rango (2011), a subversively surreal kids flick that follows a suburban-raised lizard who is suddenly flung into the “Wild West” of the Mojave Desert and is forced to take action as the sheriff of a little town named “Dirt”.
This Oscar winning Animated Feature showcases dozens of unique critters, led by Johnny Depp, who gives yet another inimitable performance) and is enhanced by mesmerizing Visual Effects by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Add to that the gorgeous camera work of Roger Deakins, one of the greatest and most influential cinematographers in cinema history, and a maniacal soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer, Los Lobos, and Bay Area industrial/punk band Lard.
Buckle up for this family friendly acid-Western that belongs on the same top shelf as The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and may have even paved the trail for Max Max: Fury Road (2015).
Rated PG for rude humor, language, action and smoking. 35mm print of Rango courtesy of Paramount Studios. Running Time: 114 minutes. Preceded by a raffle and a bevy of Verbinski 35mm trailers.
Gore Verbiniski graduated UCLA with a film degree in 1987, he began directing music videos and TV commercials, including the legendary Budweiser ad, featuring frogs who croak the brand name. His feature films include Mouse Hunt (1997), The Mexican (2001), The Ring (2002), The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (2003-2007), the underrated and misunderstood The Lone Ranger (2013), A Cure For Wellness (2012) and this year’s wild Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (2025). For Rango (2011), Verbinski won both the Academy Award and the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.
Jesse Hawthorne Ficks is the film history coordinator at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, is the film festival critic for the San Francisco Bay Guardian (aka 48hills), and is part of the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle. He is also celebrating 25 years of curating/hosting “MOViES FOR MANiACS,” a film series celebrating underrated and overlooked cinema, in a neo-sincere manner.