- The dialogue: Our hero talks like George Clooney talking like Clark Gable in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" so pay close attention!
- Homages to classics from "Star Wars" to "Singin' in the Rain."
- The music has everything from yodeling during a chase scene (with toilet paper trailing from a shoe) to Ride of the Valkyries during an aerial attack.
- The Spirit of the West (in an Alabaster Chariot) is a serape-clad Clint Eastwood in a white golf cart with a bunch of Oscars tossed in the back.
- The line dance of the townspeople on Main Street is done to Cool Water by what sounds like the Sons of the Pioneers.
- A Greek Chorus/Mariachi Band which explains the action, consists of four little cactus owls.
- The hawk that terrorizes the town has a partial silver beak, a la Lee Marvin in Cat Ballou.
- One of the townspeople has a crackly voice like Pat Buttram from the old Roy Rogers movies.
- The snake is waaaay too scary for children even though it is clearly patterned after the one from the "Harry Potter" franchise.
- Much of Hans Zimmer's music seems inspired by Ennio Morricone of Spaghetti Western fame.
- Johnny Depp ("The Tourist") is our hero, a scrawny little chameleon. He articulates, he projects, he emotes! This little lizard is an out-of-work actor with delusions of adequacy who is accidentally dumped along the Interstate near a town in the throes of a drought.
- Isla Fisher ("The Lookout") is the spunky little gecko who is trying to save her daddy's ranch.
- Abigail Breslin ("Zombieland") is the sweet little possum who believes in our hero.
- Ned Beatty ("Toy Story 3") is the land tortoise who is mayor of that little burg.
- Timothy Olyphant ("Deadwood") does a bang-up job voicing Clint Eastwood.
- Bill Nighy ("Valkyrie") is that evil rattlesnake.
You'll like it a lot if you like movies. I laughed more than most of the audience because I'm afraid many of the older references went over their heads. I hope you give this classic Western a shot...smile...