Not a good year for animated films

Rating: 5/10 (20 December 2011)

¨My thirst for adventure will never be quenched! ¨
Puss in Boots is a character we came to love in the Shrek franchise, and this time director Chris Miller (who wrote the original Shrek screenplay and directed some of the sequels) makes him the star of his own animated film. Antonio Banderas is back again voicing his character, and the similarities with the Zorro can't be ignored (considering he played this famous hero in two films). Puss in Boots takes place before the adventures with Shrek, and we get to see his background story and his interactions with other famous fairytale characters such as Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, the Mother Goose, Jack and the Beanstalk, and many more. Of course the stories are very different from the ones we've heard: Jack and Jill are two thieves who remind us a lot of Bonnie and Clyde; Humpty Dumpty is a smart great inventor, but at the same time is always getting into mischief; Jack sold a stolen cow for the magic beans and therefore is in prison, and so on. DreamWorks has done the same thing with the Shrek franchise so we are used to these funny alterations to classical characters. I really enjoyed the first half of this story and laughed throughout it. Puss in Boots is a great character and he deserved to star in his own movie. I did have a problem with some of the secondary characters, and especially with the last 20 minutes of the film which just got beyond ridiculous. It's too bad because the film really had a lot of potential and it began with a lot of promise.
Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) is a wanted man, or should I say cat. There is a reward on his head and he's living as a fugitive traveling from town to town and gaining reputation with the kitties. One night at a bar he hears that Jack and Jill (voiced by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris) are headed towards their town and that they have stolen the magical green beans. Puss wants those beans and is ready to steal them, but another kitten gets in his way: Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) so neither of them is able to do so. Puss is furious and when he discovers that Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) is involved he wants nothing to do with them. Dumpty and Kitty both want Puss to join them and help them finding the beans in order to climb the beanstalk and reach the giant's mansion to steal the goose that lays golden eggs, but Puss wants nothing to do with Dumpty. Something happened in their past and he refuses to help. After Kitty insists that he join them, Puss tells her how he met Dumpty and what happened to their friendship. We see a flashback of how Dumpty and Puss met in an orphanage where they were taken care of by Imelda (Constance Marie) and how their friendship begins. We even see how Puss gets his boots, but eventually he is betrayed by Dumpty, and they each go their separate way. Eventually Kitty convinces Puss to join them by telling him he has a chance to clear his name, and therefore the three embark on the mission.
I really enjoyed the first half of the story, the dialogue was funny and the main characters were interesting. The movie felt kind of fast paced at first and everything was happening real fast. Puss, Dumpty, and Kitty were interesting characters, but the villains aren't really memorable. My favorite part was perhaps the flashback where we get to see Puss's background and how he was betrayed by Dumpty. Another great scene was when Kitty and Puss have a dance off in a glitter club full of cats. Those were the highlights of the movie, but then once they get a hold of the magical beans the movie goes downhill. The plot gets really ridiculous and ends pretty badly. I wish they would've just kept the same pace of the first half of the movie. Puss in Boots still had its funny moments and I found myself laughing a lot, but I was disappointed with the second half. This wasn't as good a year for animated films as it was last year, but I guess I would have to say that my favorite one this year is Rio. The best thing about this film is definitely Puss and his endearing eyes.
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