DreamWorks' Puss-In Boots (2011)

**Puss in Boots**, (also known as ***Puss in Boots: The Movie***) is a 2011 spin-off film which is the first film of the Puss in Boots standalone franchise which is a spin-off of the *Shrek* franchise and it's set one year after the events of *Shrek Forever After*. It was released on October 28, 2011.

Antonio Banderas reprised his role as Puss in Boots. He is joined by new characters voiced by Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris, Zeus Mendoza, and Walt Dohrn (who plays the narrator), as well as a few more.

## Plot

Puss in Boots starts out the film by escaping from a man who had put him in a cage. He narrowly manages to get away and, after blowing kisses to the female cat he was leaving behind, he makes his way to a town. After being taunted and then gaining the respect of the thugs there, Puss learns that two murderous outlaws named Jack and Jill have the magic beans, which hold an ancient power that can destroy the world. When Puss tries to take them from the two outlaws, another cat with a mask interrupts and tries to get them as well. Both fail and escape, and Puss follows the cat back to a bunch of other cats, where they both have a dance fight and a sword fight, ending with Puss smacking him over the head with a guitar, which hurts the cat so much that he rips his mask off and reveals to a surprised Puss that he is in fact a woman. Puss then meets Humpty Dumpty who also introduces her as Kitty Softpaws, named because she can take things without anyone even noticing they’re gone (as she does frequently with Puss' hat, boots and money simply to tease him) and asks him to join them in finding the beans, planting them and getting the Puss eggs which lie at the top. Puss immediately refuses and even after Kitty tries to woo him into going with them, he denies and then tells her why. When he was a kitten, he was adopted in a home for orphans, where he met Humpty Dumpty. The two of them became "brothers" and loved to get into trouble by stealing things. After a bull is accidentally set free, Puss saves an old woman from it and becomes a hero, making Humpty feel left out. He tricks Puss into helping him steal the money from the town's bank, and Puss is forced to flee instead of going to jail as everyone believes he’s no longer good. They crash on the bridge, the money going over the side and into the river below, and Puss leaves Humpty to be arrested and jumps into the river, becoming an outlaw and ending the friendship between them.

After Humpty, who had followed the two, explains to Puss that he wants a second chance, Puss agrees to help him find the beans / golden eggs, making it clear that he’s doing it for the town and his mother who adopted him, *not* for Humpty. The three of them set off to find Jack and Jill, finally seeing them coming towards them, hiding in a canyon type place in the desert. Kitty jumps onto their cart which is pulled by warthogs, followed by Puss, while Humpty readies their getaway vehicle. Puss lowers Kitty into the back of the cart, who struggles to open the box the beans are held in (which is around Jack's hand), with Puss urging her to use her claws. She finally admits to him that she has no claws, which wakes up one of the baby pigs sleeping in the back. Puss drops in beside her and opens the box with his claws as Kitty quiets the baby pig, giving him to pussy as she uses her paws to get the beans from Jack's hand, giving them to Puss. Just as they are about to leave, Puss accidentally backs up and steps on two pigs' tails, alerting Jack and Jill, who drop into the bottom where they are. They manage to get outside, jam the levers to force their seats to stay up, and tie up their heads, signaling Humpty to get their own cart, besides the one that they are on now. Kitty jumps onto the cart, but Jill headbutts Puss before he can, briefly knocking him out and causing him to drop the beans, which bounce around the top of the cart, almost falling off. pussy gets them back while fighting Jill, who somehow escaped, but she grabs him and dangles him over the edge of the cart and the canyon, about to drop him. Humpty rams the side of their cart and Puss lands back in their cart, and they get away. Kitty explains to Puss, as they are riding in the cart, that her adoptive owners got her claws removed for an unknown reason.

They make it to the perfect spot to plant them, being directed in the right way by Humpty, and plant the beans in a bare, sandy area, right as a storm cloud comes overhead and a giant funnel of green-lit clouds and wind comes spinning down the place they planted the beans, cracking the sand, then suddenly disappearing, leaving only a small weed where the beans are buried. Kitty suggests Humpty talk to it, which he does, but barely gets a few words out before a giant beanstalk shoots up out of the ground, taking them with it, higher and higher into the clouds before it finally stops. The three got off and surprisingly are able to stand and walk on the clouds without difficulty, although their voices grow higher due to the thin air (their voices return to normal in the normal air pressure of the castle). They see a castle type building and they enter it, not having to fear the giant, as Humpty says it's been dead for years; although, there is a beast in the castle, which if gazed upon, allegedly turns the gazer to stone. They cross the water far below and get to the island. With only a small run-in with whatever the beast is, they find the golden eggs and a gosling that lays them. They take the gosling because the eggs are far too heavy and make it to the edge of the island before the rope they used to get across is broken, and they fall down into the canyon, the beast not far behind. As they are trying to get away, Kitty falls into the water, unable to pull herself back onto the branch due to her not having claws, but she’s saved by Puss. They escape and get back down to the ground, cutting the beanstalk down and rejoicing over getting the golden goose. They briefly dance and Humpty pulls Kitty aside to tell her to not lose focus, obviously talking about her falling in love with Puss. Kitty leaves to get rest, and Humpty and Puss lay outside with the goose. Puss tells Humpty he’s glad to have his brother back, and Humpty goes to sleep with the goose lying on top of him. Meanwhile, Jack and Jill suddenly come up behind Puss and knock him out.

When Puss awakens, he’s lying in the desert surrounded by birds, which he shoos away. He finds footprints and wagon tracks around him, and follows them to the town he was adopted in. He sees a shadow of Humpty being held by Jack and Jill, and he follows them to save him, only to find them laughing and celebrating. Humpty explains to him how the only thing he wanted against Puss was revenge, and everyone had been working for him, even Jack and Jill. Puss doesn't fight against arrest (told not to by his adoptive mother) and sees Kitty as he’s being led away in a carrier, knowing she has betrayed him. While in jail, he finds the Jack who had the beans first in the same cell, and he tells Puss that the beast is in fact the gosling's mother and will destroy the town trying to get her baby back. Puss escapes using his adorable big eyes to practically hypnotize the guard and Kitty comes back to do the rest. She helps Puss escape, and he goes to find Humpty. Puss tells him that the mother is going to come back for her baby, and Humpty finally agrees to help save the town. They lead the mother goose to the bridge, which breaks under her weight, and Puss has to hold onto a rope that Humpty is holding onto to be sure he doesn't fall into the wreckage. The gosling was also caught by a rope, but it is breaking, and Humpty lets go of his rope, so Puss can save the baby to make sure the mother does not destroy the whole town. He does save her, and later finds Humpty has been turned into a golden egg, which the mother takes and flies back to the castle.

Puss and Kitty get away from the guards still, and Kitty says she’ll see him again soon, showing that she has taken his boots. During the first half of the credits, it shows Humpty once again in his regular egg form riding the goose in the clouds, and Puss and Kitty (while dancing) finally kiss.

## Voice cast

* Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots , the titular protagonist and hero.
* Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws, the deuteragonist.
* Zach Galifianakis as Humpty Dumpty, the hidden true main antagonist-turned-tritagonist.
* Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris as Jack and Jill, the main antagonists.
* Constance Marie as Imelda, the secondary tritagonist.
* Zeus Mendoza as Rancher
* Walt Dohrn as Narrator

## Production

*Puss in Boots* has been in development since 2004, when *Shrek 2* was released. As a *Shrek 2* spin-off, it was originally planned for release in 2008 as a direct-to-video film, but this was changed in 2006 in favor of a theatrical release. Production on the film began after the release of 2010's *Shrek Forever After*. In early 2010, Antonio Banderas said in an interview that he had completed the first recordings of his character Puss in Boots.

The film was released in 3D. In late 2010, Guillermo del Toro signed on as executive producer.

## Marketing

The first teaser trailer was released on March 4, 2011 and was shown in front of *Rango*. This particular trailer features the song "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" by Pitbull.

A full-length theatrical trailer was also shown in front of screenings of *Kung Fu Panda 2*, *Mr. Popper's Penguins*, *The Lion of Judah*, *Cars 2*, *Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World*, *Winnie the Pooh*, and *The Smurfs*.

## Trivia

* Originally, the movie was going to be released in 2012, but when *Shrek 5* was scrapped, they pushed it back to 2011.
* The film was hinted at the end of *Shrek Forever After*. When Shrek returned the *Shrek* book back to the bookcase, a *Puss in Boots* book was next to it.
* *Puss in Boots* is Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek's sixth film together (the first five being *Desperado*, *Four Rooms*, *Frida*, *Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over*, and *Once Upon A Time In Mexico*).
* Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona were once rumored to return, but it turned out to be fake mainly because the film wanted to focus on Puss in Boots.
* This was released on the 10th anniversary of the first Shrek movie in 2011.
* *Puss in Boots* was the third Highest-Grossing animated film of the year, right behind *Cars 2* (#2) & *Kung Fu Panda 2* (#1).

## Gallery

Original *Puss in Boots* logo

*Puss in Boots in 3D* promo

Puss and Kitty promo picture

Theatrical poster

Puss In Boots Movie poster 2011

Puss In Boots (2011)