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Puss in Boots (also known as Puss in Boots: Story of an Ogre Killer or Puss in Boots 3D) is a 2011 American computer-animated action comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation, directed by Chris Miller (who direct Shrek the Third in 2007), executive producer Guillermo del Toro, and written by Brian Lynch, with screenplay by Tom Wheeler. It stars Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Amy Sedaris. The film was released in theaters on October 28, 2011 in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D.

Although the character of Puss in Boots originated in a European fairy tale in 1697, the film is a spin-off prequel to the Shrek franchise. It follows the character Puss in Boots on his first adventure before his first appearance in Shrek 2 in 2004. Accompanied by his friends, Humpty Dumpty and Kitty Softpaws, Puss is pitted against Jack and Jill, two murderous outlaws in ownership of legendary magical beans which lead to great fortune.

Puss in Boots opened to generally positive reviews and became a sucess at the box office with a gross of $554 million. It was also nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 84th Academy Awards.

A sequel titled, Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves is scheduled to be released on December 21, 2018.

Plot

The story takes place before Puss (Antonio Banderas) met Shrek and Donkey, when he was a swashbuckling hero who protected the innocent.

The film starts out with Puss escaping from a man who had had 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, Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (Amy Sedaris) 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 her over the head with a guitar, which upsets the cat so much that she rips her mask off and reveals to a surprised Puss that she is in fact a woman. Puss then meets his adoptive brother Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), who also introduces her as Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), named because she can take things without anyone even noticing they are gone (as she does frequently with Puss's hat, boots, and money simply to tease him) and asks him to join them in finding the beans, planting them, and getting the golden 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 is 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 is 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 Puss 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 beside the one they're 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. Puss 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 is 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 is 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 is lying in the desert surrounded by birds, which he shoos away. He finds footprints and wagon tracks around him, and he 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 is 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 adorably 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 will 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.

Cast

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 Puss.

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

The promotional title of the film was Puss in Boots: Story of an Ogre Killer.

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.

Expanded franchise

Sequel

Main article: Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves

In November 2012, executive producer Guillermo del Toro said that they already did a couple of script drafts for a sequel, and that the director Chris Miller was to take Puss on an adventure to exotic places. In April 2014, Antonio Banderas, the voice of Puss, said that the work on the sequel had just begun. In June 2014, it was announced that a sequel titled, Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves would be released on November 2, 2018. Two months later, it was moved back to December 21, 2018.

Television series

The film also spawned an animated series to premiere of Netflix in late 2014.

Trivia

  • Originally, Puss in Boots was going to be released in 2012, but when Shrek 5 was scrapped, they moved it forward to 2011.
  • The film is hinted at the end of Shrek Forever After. When Shrek returns the Shrek book back to the bookcase, a Puss in Boots book is next to it.
  • Puss in Boots is Antonio Banderas' and Salma Hayek's 6th film together (the other 5 were Desperado, Four Rooms {both 1995}, Frida {2002}, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, and Once Upon A Time In Mexico {both 2003}).
  • Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona were once rumored to return. Shrek and Fiona were rumored to be voiced by John Di Maggio and Jennifer Aniston while Eddie Murphy would reprise his role. Obviously, this turned out to be false as the film is set way before Puss even met Shrek and the others. Plus, neither one of them were mentioned at all.
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