Puss in Boots

• Directed by Chris Miller
• October 16, 2011 (Allure of the Seas) / October 28, 2011 (US)

Voice Cast

• Puss in Boots-Antonio Banderas
• Kitty Softpaws-Salma Hayek
• Humpty Alexander Dumpty-Zach Galifianakis
• Jack-Billy Bob Thornton
• Jill-Amy Sedaris
• Imelda-Constance Marie
• Andy “Jack” Beanstalk-Mike Mitchell
• Commandante-Guillermo del Toro
• Little Boy Blue, Friar Miller, Prison Guard, Manuel, Rafael-Chris Miller

In an effort to restore his reputation, Puss in Boots joins with a former friend against two outlaws for a handful of magic beans in order to get the Golden Goose from the giant’s castle.

Set before the Shrek films, Puss in Boots is the origin story of the titular character before those movies. This is a story of redemption and revenge and friendship told in the most absurd extreme way. Unlike many films set within connected universes this does not rely on other characters from that universe’s main film(s) appearing in this. It maintains its connection with tone and an appearance that maintains a consistent environment. They don’t need to beat you over the head with blatantly obvious connections and reminders but rather trust the audience to get it.

This is a spinoff film that stands completely on its own. As I said it’s been a while since I’ve seen any of the Shrek movies so I was coming into this as close to blind about the concept as one can get other than never have seen any of the movies. I never felt lost at any point. Nothing was intricately tied to the Shrek films. This is completely accessible to anyone be it fans old or new.

We learn about Puss’s past and how he was essentially forced into becoming an outlaw after his friend Humpty Alexandar Dumpty from his days at Imelda’s orphanage in the dusty San Ricardo tricked him. While he was no saint from the start, an accident of fate made him a hero and it was a role he embraced.

Puss looks at this adventure to steal the legendary Golden Goose as a way to clear his name by repaying the town while Humpty presents his involvement as fulfilling a childhood dream. As the film goes along there are hints of more.

It’s been quite some time since I watched any of the Shrek movies, but this felt like a fresher take on the humor and general weirdness of the Shrek universe. The jokes are very funny with plenty of visual puns and odd twists on fairytale characters. I laughed at things like the bar’s name of The Glitter Box or the execution of the characters of Jack and Jill as outlaws that looked like they had some type of glandular issue and so much more. But Puss in Boots not only twists fairytales but pokes fun at the villain with a long-term master plan among other elements of more serious stories.

Humpty since getting out of jail has done a great deal of manipulating of Puss’s life to the point of ludicrous. And that is the point! These long-term evil master plans are a common trope but make little sense when a modicum of logic is applied.

I love how the story is a parody of the swashbuckling hero but of the Latin lover stereotype. The character of Puss in Boots doesn’t mock the idea but rather lovingly jokes about it. In fact, nothing is outright mocked. They aren’t trying to deconstruct anything, but rather are doing things with fairytales and so forth that only people who truly appreciate them would do. We all get how silly some of this stuff is, but the people here are not trying to take it down.

The cast of characters in Puss in Boots feels small to me. Not that I am complaining. It allows greater development of those in the story as well as the story itself. You get a distinct feel for Puss in Boots and his eventual love interest Kitty Softpaws come from or the motivations of Humpty Alexander Dumpty as well as Jack and Jill. And though mostly encountered in flashbacks, Puss and Humpty’s adoptive mother Imelda is a character as well. Just amazing characterization for an animated feature.

This small cast also gives those behind the voices greater time to develop their characters. Much of what is accomplished in animation with characters comes from the voicework. I have my doubts when actors do animation, but each brings the skills of great voice actors to their work here. Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris, and Constance Marie all do amazing work as does Mike Mitchell, Guillermo del Toro, and Chris Miller.

There are jokes here that can be enjoyed by all and a few that kids will not mercifully get. This is a mostly family friendly comedy that is not a groaner but rather quite entertaining. Adults can even watch it and not feel ashamed.

Puss in Boots is a great spin off film that equals and quite possibly at points exceeds that from which it sprung. It’s hilarious and entertaining with plenty of comedic action. This is a must see!