Puss in Boots (2011 film)

Theatrical release poster

***Puss in Boots*** is a 2011 American computer-animated action-adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is a spin-off of the *Shrek* film series and its fifth installment, rather than an adaptation of the fairytale "Puss in Boots". The film was directed by Chris Miller with a screenplay by Tom Wheeler from a story by Brian Lynch, Will Davies, and Wheeler, based on the character from *Shrek 2* (2004) and inspired by the Puss in Boots fairy tale. It stars Antonio Banderas (reprising his voice role as Puss in Boots), alongside Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Amy Sedaris. The film follows the origin story of Puss in Boots (Banderas) during his adventure years before the events of *Shrek 2*. Accompanied by his friends, Humpty Dumpty (Galifianakis) and Kitty Softpaws (Hayek), Puss is pitted against Jack and Jill (Thornton and Sedaris), two murderous outlaws, for ownership of three legendary magical beans that lead to a great fortune of Golden Eggs from the Great Terror, a gigantic Goose.

Development began following the release of *Shrek 2* in 2004. Originally titled *Puss in Boots: The Story of an Ogre Killer*, it was announced as a direct-to-video film to be released in 2008. In October 2006, the film was re-slated as a theatrical release due to market conditions and DreamWorks Animation's realization that the Puss character deserved more, with *Shrek the Third* (2007) director Miller joining the project as the director. Guillermo del Toro signed as an executive producer in September 2010. This was the first film from DreamWorks Animation to be partly made in India with a Bangalore studio owned by Technicolor, which had mainly worked on TV specials and DVD bonus material, spending six months animating three major scenes in the film.

*Puss in Boots* had its world premiere on October 16, 2011, aboard the Royal Caribbean International's cruise ship *Allure of the Seas*, docked in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the time, and was released in theaters on October 28, 2011. *Puss in Boots* received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $555 million on a production budget of $130 million. At the 84th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Animated Feature.

A television series spin-off from the film titled *The Adventures of Puss in Boots* premiered on Netflix in January 2015 and concluded in January 2018 after six seasons. A sequel set after the *Shrek* films, titled *Puss in Boots: The Last Wish*, was released on December 21, 2022.

## Plot

Puss in Boots is a Spanish-speaking anthropomorphic cat, named for his signature pair of boots. A fugitive on the run from the law, Puss is seeking to restore his lost honor. One night, he learns that the murderous outlaw couple Jack and Jill have the magic beans he has long sought, which can lead him to a giant's castle known by legend to contain valuable golden goose eggs. When Puss attempts to steal the beans at their hideout, a female cat named Kitty Softpaws interrupts. She was hired to steal them as well by Humpty Alexander Dumpty, a talking egg and Puss' long-estranged childhood friend from the orphanage where they both were raised. Puss tells Kitty his origin story and how he felt betrayed by Humpty, who tricked Puss into committing a bank robbery in his Spanish hometown of San Ricardo, and why he has been on the run ever since. Humpty eventually convinces Puss to join them in finding the beans and retrieving the golden eggs.

Puss and Kitty's relationship turns romantic and, despite Puss's initial grudge against Humpty, he slowly warms up to him, as the trio steals the beans from Jack and Jill and plants them in the desert. They ride the beanstalk into the clouds and enter the giant's castle, where Humpty reveals to Puss that although the giant died a long time ago, they must still avoid the "Great Terror" who guards the golden eggs. They soon realize the golden eggs are too heavy and decide to steal the Golden Goose after witnessing it lay miniature golden eggs. They manage to escape the castle and cut down the beanstalk. After celebrating, the group is ambushed by Jack and Jill, and Puss is knocked unconscious.

When he wakes, Puss assumes Humpty and Kitty were kidnapped and tracks Jack and Jill's wagon back to San Ricardo. There, he learns that the kidnapping was staged. Jack, Jill, and Kitty are all working for Humpty, who is seeking revenge against Puss for abandoning him during the failed bank robbery. Puss is surrounded by the town's militia and turns himself in following pleas from his adoptive mother, Imelda. As Puss is hauled away to prison, Humpty is celebrated as a hero for bringing the wealth of golden eggs to the townspeople.

Puss meets Andy "Jack" Beanstalk in prison, who reveals that Humpty stole the beans from him when they shared a cell years ago, and warns Puss that the Great Terror is the Golden Goose's mother, a gigantic bird who will stop at nothing to rescue her baby. Puss realizes that luring the Great Terror was Humpty's intention all along, hoping to destroy the town in revenge for his imprisonment and flee with the gosling in the chaos. Kitty frees Puss from prison and apologizes, revealing her feelings for him. He locates Humpty in time and convinces him to redeem himself by helping save the town from destruction. Using the gosling as bait, Puss and Humpty are able to lure the Great Terror away from town. With Kitty's help, they also thwart Jack and Jill's attempt to steal the gosling during the chase. As they reach the outskirts of town, Humpty and the gosling are knocked off a collapsing bridge but manage to hang onto a rope that Puss grabs. When it becomes evident that Puss can not save them both, Humpty sacrifices himself by letting go. After a fatal impact, Puss discovers that Humpty was a large golden egg underneath his shell. The Great Terror is reunited with her gosling, and she takes Humpty's golden egg remains back to the giant's castle.

Despite being hailed a hero by the townspeople for saving San Ricardo, Puss is still a fugitive in the eyes of the militia. He reunites with Imelda, who expresses her pride and love for Puss before he flees with Kitty, who playfully steals his boots and runs off. In the epilogue, Jack and Jill are recovering from their injuries, Humpty's spirit is seen, in his normal form wearing a golden egg costume, dancing on the Great Terror’s back with her gosling, and Puss and Kitty share a kiss.

## Voice cast

*Main article: List of Shrek (franchise) characters*

* Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots, a cat fugitive from the law trying to restore his reputation as hero of San Ricardo.
* Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws, a street-savvy Tuxedo cat who is Puss' female counterpart and love interest.
* Zach Galifianakis as Humpty Alexander Dumpty, the mastermind who intends to retrieve the Golden Eggs from the one-of-a-kind Goose.
* Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris as Jack and Jill respectively, a murderous outlaw married couple who owns the three legendary magical beans.
* Constance Marie as Imelda, Puss' human adoptive mother
* Mike Mitchell as Andy "Jack" Beanstalk
* Guillermo del Toro as Comandante, the military leader of San Ricardo dispatched to capture Puss
* Chris Miller as Little Boy Blue, Friar Miller, Prison Guard, Manuel and Rafael