Saturday morning, my wife and I rounded up the young’uns and drove the herd over to the theater to see Rango, the new CG animated film that Nickelodeon’s been flogging between episodes of Spongebob and iCarly for the past six weeks. Perhaps you you’ve heard of it? Directed by Gore (Pirates of the Caribbean) Verbinski? Starring Johnny (oh, most everything) Depp? No? Then follow the link above; I’ll not be doing a synopsis here.
It was, as the critics have said, a good movie: great story, great characters, great action, funny bits to spare, and with just enough Deep Thoughts to give it a vaguely mythic quality.
In fact, as we left the theater, part of me was just a little bit sad to leave the world of cowboys and talking animals behind. I was intrigued. I wanted to learn more about Rango and his friends. Yes, the story had a satisfying conclusion, but there were still questions unanswered:
- What did happen to that girl’s father? Or those brothers reportedly killed off-screen?
- What are the villain’s cronies going to do now? For that matter, what’s the deal with the slithery heavy?
- (Yes, I’m being vague, trying to avoid spoilers. You’re welcome.)
- What of the villain’s project? How did that get started in secret? What happens to it now?
These questions, this sense of intrigue, the pop-culture craving to more fully immerse myself in this world — these are all indications that Rango is situated to be a great transmedia property.
Trans-what Now?
“Transmedia” is a hot buzzword right now, with multiple, occasionally conflicting definitions. For my purpose, I’m defining a transmedia property as one that allows connected stories to be told across multiple media platforms.
Star Wars is the classic example. You’ve got the movies, sure, but all those other books, comics, and games expand the world beyond the movies and tell hundreds of other stories — which are all related to both each other and to the setting as a whole.
On the other hand, Twilight is not a transmedia property. Neither is Harry Potter. While they’re both terrifically popular properties, with lots of licensed merchandise, none of those other products expand the world or tell more stories. The movie tells the story of the book. The Lego playset tells the story of the book (as defined by the movie). The officially-licensed tattoo your mother got across the small of her back is a painful reminder of the story of the book.
Back at the Ranch
With its interesting setting, characters, and conflict, Rango is swollen to bursting with story potential. It’s a pregnant property, its transmedia water ready to break. So let’s see how how the fine folks behind the property are exploring this (warning: pretentious term coming up) story-space.
Rango: The World – Okay, this is really cool. It’s a browser-based, kid-friendly, mini-MMORPG based on the movie. You create your own character and explore the world, doing quests and playing minigames. From the 20 minutes I’ve spent messing around in it, I’d guess there are some new stories here — and since it’s a multiplayer game, players can create their own Rango-based stories (which some transmedia folks say is a key ingredient in keeping the audience engaged).
Rango: The Videogame – Available for the three main consoles, I was ready to write this off as “tie-in merchandising” rather than an extension of the world, but the reviews I read talked about the crazy new stories in the game. Something about meteorites and aliens. There was none of that in the movie, I assure you, so I’ll have to say there’s some new story here.
And… that’s it. Yes, there is the novelization. And the children’s serial novelization, in which they cut the movie up into three different books to be read in sequence. But this isn’t new story; it’s just the movie’s story with more words and fewer pictures.
My Unsolicited Transmedia Advice
You’re dropping the ball. This money here? You’ve left it. It’s lying on the table, looking up at you with lonely, Geico eyes.
Where are the comics? The “further adventures of Rango” books? The CG web-shorts starring that adorably psychotic little girl lemur (or whatever she was)? The one-shot web-comic, available exclusively at Nick.com, taking us into the world of those hillbilly moles (updated every week, and surrounded by ads for upcoming shows and movies)?
Maybe it’s coming. Maybe the powers that be wanted to make sure the movie was a hit before announcing the various ways they’re expanding the property. Fair enough. If that’s the case, my daughters and I will be there, money in hand, ready to revisit Rango and the glorious town of Dirt.
Don’t make us wait for the sequel, folks.
