With reference to Zorro, King Kong, and Fight Club, as well as many witty cat jokes, Puss in Boots is a movie that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. Antonio Banderas has brilliant comedic timing and is perfect for the voice of the hero, Puss. The animators have created a loveable protagonist who mixes adorable eyes and a lyrical Spanish voice. Master of both wooing females and handling a sword, Puss is one of the best animated heroes we’ve had in years- and his stand-alone film beats the last two Shrek films (but isn’t quite as good as Shrek 1 or 2).
The plot revolves around a young cat named Puss who meets an egg named Humpty (Zach Galifianakis) in an orphanage, and together they dream of finding magic beans and taking golden eggs from the castle in the sky that Jack discovered years before by climbing up the bean-stock. The movie begins years later, after Humpty and Puss have had a falling out and Puss has been forced to become an outlaw. Searching for a way to redeem himself to the people of the town he grew up in, who now view him as a thief because of Humpty’s actions, Puss stumbles back upon the tale of the magical beans.
After another thief interrupts Puss’ attempt to steal the beans, he follows them back to a bar and discovers (after a dance-off), that she is a woman named Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek). To find the castle and get the golden eggs, Puss teams up with Kitty and her accomplice Humpty. The movie almost entirely skips the scene up the bean-stock, with the trio stealing the golden goose and quickly returning to the ground. This makes the movie more about Puss’ redemption and the obstacles caused by the murdering couple Jack & Jill, as well as from the mother goose.
The 3D effects used in this film are, to a large extent, used well. The visuals are great for an animated movie, but the climax gets too explosive too fast, and we begin to lose our connection to the characters. Otherwise, the 3D enhances many of the sequences, including one in which Puss chases Kitty over the rooftops of a quaint Spanish town. The animators have milked all of the qualities that made Puss such a loveable character in the Shrek series, for example- he opens his eyes really wide and poses at least 5 or 6 times in the movie…but damn it if that isn’t the cutest animated cat ever.
As I said already, Antonio Banderas was the perfect casting choice for the voice of Puss. He seems to have such great understanding of the character that he knows just where to pause, or where to annunciate, to get the best response from the audience. Salma Hayek is good, and so is Zach Galifianakis, but neither of them are anywhere near as funny as Banderas. Other actors include Billy Bob Thornton as Jack, Amy Sedaris as Jill, and Spanish Director Guillermo del Toro as the Comandate. Overall, Puss in Boots does have a good ensemble cast, but the side characters don’t delight us as much as our hero. However, this also stands to show Puss’ ability to star in his own movie outside of another franchise.
I would recommend Puss in Boots to many of you. It’s a cute, entertaining animated comedy that will definitely be worth it if that’s the kind of film you’re looking for. Antonio Banderas fits the lead role perfectly, and the story is interesting enough to keep us engaged with the film- though its nothing too original. To conclude, Puss in Boots is a nice, simple animated film that passed my expectations.