Very good but not purrfect

Rating: 8/10 (14 December 2011)

Given that Shrek, as a self-contained full-length feature franchise, has not so much reached the end of the line as hit the buffers at full speed, a Puss In Boots spin-off is an excellent idea.
Carrying virtually no Shrek continuity (other than being set in a world where familiar fairy tale happenings are regular everyday occurrences) this film tells a tale from Puss's younger days, including his childhood as an orphan, his friendship with the conflicted Humpty Dumpty, and how it all goes horribly wrong. This leads to a present-day(-ish) adventure involving Jack and Jill (who turn out to be not at all what you would have expected), some magic beans, a beanstalk, a goose which lays golden eggs, and a cat burglar called Kitty Softpaws.
The film, set firmly in what one might call Zorroland is, as one might expect, technically excellent - set design, character design, voice, talent, animation and 3D are all flawless. There are a lot of good gags too, some laugh out loud stuff.
Somehow it doesn't quite all fit together, although I'm hard put to say why. It doesn't quite have the heart that the first Shrek movie did, for instance. But it is still an excellent family film, and merits a sequel. One can also imagine a Donkey spin off...