Paramount Pictures has announced that it is seeking licensing partners for its upcoming animated film, Rango. Directed by Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) and featuring the voice of Johnny Depp, the movie is slated for release in March of 2011. The property is now available for licensing in all categories through Paramount Licensing.

Conceived by Verbinski and written by John Logan (The Aviator), Rango is described as the tale of a household pet who sets out on a journey of self-discovery. The title role will be voiced by Depp, who voiced the male lead in Tim Burton’s Oscar-nominated The Corpse Bride. Verbinski’s Blind Wink Prods. is producing the pic, along with Grahm King and John Carls. Paramount’s Nickelodeon Films is also expected to play a role in bringing the film to the screen.

According to ILM, the film will use keyframe animation based on the studio’s proprietary Imocap system which captures data onset and not performance-driven motion capture. Oscar-winning Pirates of the Caribbean veterans Hal Hickel and John Knoll will be the film’s animation director and vfx supervisor respectively.

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