Lions and tigers and a panda bear. Lizards and elephants and werewolves and dogs and cats and rabbits and monkeys. Yes, from the supernatural woods of "Breaking Dawn" to the seafaring adventures of "Tintin," it was a good year for animals at the movies. And since we're lovers of both animals and movies, we naturally had to look back at the past 12 cinematic months and select our favorite non-human creatures from the kingdom Animalia.

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Captain Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka, Sweeney Todd... the list goes on and on and on and on when it comes to the colorful characters that Johnny Depp has played. It not only makes for a fascinating actor's resume, but also a strong wealth of resources to pull from in playing Rango, the star of the animated movie of the same name that arrived on Blu-ray and DVD last week.

MTV News spoke with director Gore Verbinski about the movie late last week, and the filmmaker explained that in many ways, Rango and Johnny are very similar. Describing Rango as "a guy who actually doesn't know who he is and can be all these characters" — something that comes with the territory of being a chameleon, naturally — Verbinski said that "Johnny is like" that as well.

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So, I just saw "Rango" for the first time this week, and I have to say — favorite Johnny Depp performance ever? Maybe not quite that far, but pretty darn close. Depp provides the voice (and got physically in character) for the central chameleon in Gore Verbinski's animated debut, and it ruins nothing to say that the "Pirates of the Caribbean" pair's familiar dynamic positively makes this movie. Without Depp and Verbinski on board, there is no "Rango."

That said, the two aren't alone in crafting one of the most memorable animated movies of the year: there's a colorful cast of characters backing them up, as you'll see in our exclusive clip from the flick.

"Rango" is out on Blu-ray and DVD today (July 15, 2011).

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A lizard who lives in a terrarium. Starring Johnny Depp. Directed by Gore Verbinski. Set in the Mojave Desert. Has there ever been a more unlikely combination? Maybe, but "Rango" looks like it's going to pass with flying colors regardless when it hits theaters today.

But there's a lot of elements of the film that you probably had no idea about, like the way the CGI was captured and who Depp based Rango on. After the jump, we give you some insight into just how special this little film actually is.

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Johnny Depp is a man with many hats, and we're not just talking about his various film roles. In addition to being an actor, Depp is something of a human lie detector, it seems.

We'll allow Depp to explain this one for himself: over the course of shooting "Rango," the animated comedy featuring Depp's voice in the title role, the acclaimed actor discovered some of the tricks and tells that let you know whether or not a person is telling the truth.

"If this guy is in deep stress and forced to act or lie in these situations that really are do or die, one of the things I've always been fascinated with people is they have a tendency where the register of their voice goes up when they lie," he told us. "You and I could have a conversation like this, but if I'm really starting to talk about something and I want you to believe me, the register goes up. You start teetering on soprano."

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RangoIt's not an accident that we've described "Rango" as one of the movies we're most excited about in 2011. From the initial moody teaser of a windup fish toy sailing through the arid desert air to the much more extensive full-length trailer, everything we've seen about "Rango" has had us completely captivated.

The commercial you're going to see on Sunday during the Super Bowl is no exception. By all accounts, it appears that director Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp have brought all their signature magic to this quirky little film. And if you can't wait through the weekend to see the trailer, well, good news: you don't need to wait. The trailer is already online!

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How Do You KnowThe new year is here, and with it a time for reflection on the past year and things we resolve to do better in the coming 365 days. The New York Times talked to some studio executives last week about whether Hollywood had learned its lessons from the flops in 2010 and was going to lead us into a great year for movies in 2011. Amy Pascal, Sony's co-chairwoman shared: "We think the future is about filmmakers with original voices. Original is good, and good is commercial."

Original voices maybe, but original film stories not so much. Despite the fact that some of this year's most-loved films were new ideas ("Black Swan," "Despicable Me" and "Inception"), the biggest moneymakers followed the too-familiar trend of sequels, reboots and remakes ("Toy Story 3," "Iron Man 2" and "Alice in Wonderland"). And while studio execs might be professing that change is in the air for 2011, looking at a list of next year's films shows a whole lot of the same.

Here's a breakdown: Of the 93 films hitting theaters next year, 29 are original; 28 are either adaptations or based on true events (but not twisted into thrillers like "Apollo 18" and "The Rite"); 34 are either reboots, remakes or sequels; and two are documentaries (hi there, "African Cats" and "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"). After the jump we'll take a look at them and see if studios really have learned lessons from 2010's biggest flops. Read More...

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Movies We're Excited for in 2011

It was an excellent year for theatergoers in 2010, and by all accounts, 2011 is shaping up to be just as exciting. From high octane action thrillers and comic-book adaptations to gut-busting comedies and family fare, there's no shortage of highly anticipated films coming our way in the New Year.

Over the next three days, we're offering a detailed look at 30 of the most exciting movies that 2011 has to offer. Check out the first 10 movies (listed in chronological order by release date), as well as a gallery of photos from the films, after the jump! Read More...

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Not much is known about Gore Verbinski’s latest collaboration with Johnny Depp, a CG animation/motion-capture hybrid movie about household pets on a dangerous cowboy adventure. Turns out that lack of knowledge extends to the title itself, which MTV News has learned might not even be called “Rango,” as had been previously reported.

“It was called ‘Rango,’” Bill Nighy told MTV Movies Editor Josh Horowitz while promoting the 3D Disney movie, “G-Force.” “I think it may be called ‘Rango,’ it may be called ‘Cheap as Dirt.’”

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Johnny DeppContributed by Silas Lesnick

While talking to Isla Fisher at this weekend's "Confessions of a Shopaholic" junket, MTV News learned about an exciting bit of casting; Fisher has joined Gore Verbinski's 2011 animated adventure film, "Rango".

Already set to star Johnny Depp as a household pet who goes on a fantastic adventure, the film reunites Depp with the "Pirates" director. Fisher is set to voice a lizard that Depp's character
encounters on his travels. Read More...

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