I’m happy to say Puss in Boots is hardly a Shrek franchise spin-off. The titular character may have had his debut alongside the big green ogre back in 2004, but here he is more than just a smooth-talking, glassy-eyed sidekick. In his first headlining adventure Puss is a debonair, leche-sipping outlaw and unlike the Shrek franchise, the use of Lady Gaga’s “Americano” is about as pop culture as this animated adventure gets, which is to say screenwriter Tom Wheeler recognized the failings of so many recent animated films and their reliance on pop culture in-jokes and decided story comes first.
Serving as an origin story for the swashbuckling feline, Puss in Boots begins by exploring the roots of the cat that would soon wear the boots of legend. Growing up in an orphanage in San Ricardo, Puss (voiced by Antonio Banderas) becomes fast friends with Humpty Dumpty (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) almost by default after saving him from the bully Little Boy Blue. As children, the two spend their days hunting for the magic beans of legend, which, once planted, will grow into a massive beanstalk stretching high into the sky where they’ll be rewarded with riches beyond their wildest imaginations.
As they grow older the fruitless search is forgotten, leading up to the day where Puss saves a local elderly woman and in return is declared a town hero and given his sword, hat and boots. Humpty’s future, however, is a bit grimmer. Consistently in and out of trouble with the law and unable to change his ways the once inseparable duo is ultimately tested when Humpty tricks Puss into robbing the town bank, a situation that ends in Puss fleeing the town where he was once a hero and is now an outlaw.
After years of being on the run, Puss is in need of adventure and as fortune would have it, the magic beans he and Humpty sought as children re-enter his life… as does Humpty. The oafish couple Jack and Jill (Amy Sedaris and Billy Bob Thornton) have the beans in their possession and Humpty insists he’s hatched a plan that will not only secure the beans, but put the two of them back in good favor with the town of San Ricardo.
The possibility of returning home is enough for Puss to reluctantly join forces with the once-bad egg as well as Humpty’s new sidekick, the stealth Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek).
Daring maneuvers, a giant goose, cliff-side thrills, a little swagger, a little flirting and plenty of innocent thrills later and you come up with a fun animated film. Banderas brings more life to Puss than we ever saw in the Shrek films (mind, I never saw the fourth one) and the film overall just has a certain energy you can’t help but be entertained.
The animation and cinematography (the art design is beautiful in some instances) are top notch, Henry Jackman’s score keeps things energized and the overall choreography of the action scenes, and even a couple of dance numbers, win big with the audience up to the thumping credits as Gaga’s “Americano” ushers audiences out of the theater with a troupe of dancing strays providing visual embellishment.
I’ll admit, I was skeptical walking in, but my enjoyment wasn’t as a result of low expectations. This is a legitimately solid film and it’s one of the more family friendly animated films I’ve seen in some time. As much as it isn’t dependent on pop culture jokes, it also stays clear of potty jokes or sexual innuendo. It’s nice to see some importance placed on story, because once you have an entertaining story in place the rest just tends to fall in line.
