Puss In Boots (2011)

 

There is little doubt that the one character from the 'Shrek'-franchise to have a massive fanbase is Puss In Boots. It's easy to see why: the fun design and the suave portrayal by Antonio Banderas immediately turned him into an icon. Yet it took quite a while before he got his own film, which is a different beast compared to 'Shrek', more based on classic adventure films (anything Zorro-related springs to mind) with fairytale characters and situations inserted. 

It's also a lot of fun. 

This is a prequel of sorts, and Puss is an outlaw who needs to clear his name. What happened before? Well, he was brought up in an orphanage together with Humpty Dumpty and eventually the latter turned to crime and Puss was framed. Not easy to digest such betrayal. 

Years later, Puss wants to steal magic beans from Jack and Jill but is first thwarted by Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), who it turns out works for Humpty. An alliance is formed in order to get the beans and travel to the giant's castle in the sky to get the Golden Goose.

But there are machinations and monsters at work, and will Puss come out on top?

Who am I kidding: of course he will. 

It's not the story that makes this a fun romp, but the voice acting paired with pretty darn smooth animation. Banderas is once again giving it his all and he truly makes Puss come to life. Salma Hayek is a bit underused as Kitty, but she always sounds seductive. Funnily enough, it's Humpty that is pretty bland and annoying at times and he is not one of the most compelling characters. Jack and Jill were far more interesting, but they don't appear all that much.

The jokes usually land, even if some of them are a bit cheesy. But do keep an eye out for the "Oooh."-cat, that one is hilarious and they knew it, because he reappears three times.

Kids are going to love this one and even for adults it's pretty entertaining. Just a fun time, no alcohol required.