Puss in Boots (2011)

Movie Info

I have dreams Puss…big dreams!

Puss in Boots is searching for the magic beans and gets a lead that a couple named Jack and Jill might possess the legendary beans. When he discovers that his childhood friend Humpty Alexander Dumpty is also after the beans with a cat named Kitty Softpaws, Puss is forced into an uneasy alliance.  Puss reveals to Kitty his past with Humpty and how Humpty had him branded as an outlaw…Now Humpty, Puss, and Kitty are close to making Humpty’s childhood dream of the goose that laid the golden egg true, and Puss sees a chance to restore his name.

Put up your dukes!!!

Directed by Chris Miller, Puss in Boots spun-off the wildly popular Shrek series where he first appeared in Shrek 2 (2004).  The movie was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature (losing to Rango) and features the voices Antonio Bandaras, Zach Galifianakis, Salma Hayek, Billy Bob Thornton, and director Guillermo del Toro.

Shrek never was my favorite series though I can recognize why the films are liked.  I often found that they didn’t take themselves seriously enough and focused too much on trying to get the audience to laugh.  Oddly enough, Puss in Boots reverses this trend and goes more for the adventure…feeling more in tune with the ideas of the original 1697 French fairy tale by Charles Perrault (though it was originally called Master Cat; or, The Booted Cat…Le Maître Chat ou Le Chat Botté).

Golden eggs make the best breakfast…

I like the sense of adventure of this film and it is smartly combined with some of the fairy tale aspect of Shrek.  The Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk is the same Jack of Jack and Jill (something that DC’s Fables and Jack of Fables explored). Humpty Dumpty is obsessed with the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg since there is a kinship with the egg idea, and the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg is the child of Mother Goose.  I enjoyed these smart ties and in many ways, this is smarter than some of the Shrek writing in that it is more than parody. It also is an immensely different feel than the previous Shrek films.

Puss…let’s dance!

The movie is supposed to be a prequel to Shrek, but you’d never know that Shrek was part of this world if Puss hadn’t shown up in the film.  I’m glad that the movie chose not to bring any of the Shrek story into this story, and was pleasantly surprised by this fact since it would be much simpler to capitalize on Shrek’s popularity.  I also enjoyed that it was a bit of a reunion for Salma Hayek and Antonio Bandaras who both rose to popularity in 1995’s Desperado.

Puss in Boots was a surprising fun.  I went into the film expecting more of the same from the Shrek series, but found it to be its own adventure.  As a result, people who like Shrek might not find Puss in Boots to be to their likings.  I rather enjoyed it as an adventure film.  The idea of a sequel has suggested by Guillermo del Toro who served as executive producer.

Related Links:

Shrek (2001)

Shrek 2 (2004)

Shrek the Third (2007)

Shrek the Halls (2007)

Shrek Forever After (2010)

Scared Shrekless (2010)