Puss in Boots (animation)



""Live for danger. Fight for justice. Pray for mercy.""

Puss In Boots is a Dreamworks Animation film, serving as a prequel to the Shrek series and telling the Backstory of Puss in Boots. Guillermo del Toro is executive producer.

The film shows Puss (voiced again by Antonio Banderas) getting reunited with an old friend- Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) who betrayed him once, and who convinces him to steal the magic beans from Jack and Jill (who are dangerous outlaws here) so they can climb to the castle in the clouds and steal the goose that lays the golden eggs. Along for the ride is Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) a Classy Cat Burglar, who becomes Puss's Love Interest and Rival. But all is not as it seems...

The film was released on October 28, 2011. Here's the teaser, and here's the first theatrical trailer.

The Blu-Ray and DVD release featured the short film The Three Diablos, which is set almost immediately after the events of the film.

This work contains the following tropes:
"Humpty Dumpty: Do you know what they do to eggs in prison? I'll tell you this much... it ain't over easy."
 * Action Catgirl: Kitty Softpaws.
 * Actor Allusion: Antonio Banderas, best known for his role as Zorro, plays a cat version of him.
 * And is reunited with Salma Hayek, his co-star in Desperado and Once Upon a Time In Mexico.
 * Adorkable: Young Humpty Dumpty, from the freckles to the Oliver Twist getup.
 * Alien Blood: Watch carefully in the flashback when Puss and Humpty become Blood Brothers. Humpty has yolk instead of blood, naturally.
 * All-Star Cast
 * Arbitrary Skepticism: Despite the 'verse being a Fantasy Kitchen Sink, Jack and the Beanstalk is considered a myth.
 * Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever:
 * A Worldwide Punomenon

"Puss (Referring to Humpty Dumpty): Maldito huevo..."
 * Badass Adorable: Puss, as usual, and also Kitty Softpaws. Particularly Puss as a kitten, look at his little belly!
 * Badass Spaniard: Both cats also qualify for this, especially given their voice actors.
 * Bad Guy Bar: Puss visits one at the beginning of the film.
 * Bait and Switch Comment: "You are not as good as they say you are, Miss Softpaws - you're better."
 * Bar Brawl: More like Bar Dance Brawl, and it later plays into a swordfight.
 * Battle Couple: Puss and Kitty; Jack and Jill.
 * Berserk Button: Don't even get one drop of milk on Puss' boots.
 * Beware the Cute Ones: This goes for both Puss and Kitty.
 * Bilingual Bonus: Many, as the movie is set in an AU! Spain. Yet this one takes the prize:
 * Bilingual Bonus: Many, as the movie is set in an AU! Spain. Yet this one takes the prize:

"Puss:I should make you into an egg salad sandwich! Humpty: Yech! That is disgusting!"
 * Literally, "Damned egg". Made even better by the fact that huevo is also used as an euphemism for testicle.
 * You also get a relatively rare occasion in which the phrase "Holy frijoles!" - often used in a stereotypical fashion in film and TV depictions of Mexicans, or used by non-Mexicans as a generic exclamation in the same context as "Aye Cayrumba!" - is actually uttered by a noted Hispanic actor in a non-stereotypical context.
 * Blood Brothers: Puss and Humpty, Blood Oath included.
 * Book Ends: The movie opens and ends with a narration by Puss.
 * Puss and Humpty flee San Ricardo with a horse carriage full of gold in both the flashback and the climax.
 * Capulet Counterpart: Kitty starts out as Puss' rival, but ultimately ends up as his Love Interest.
 * Carnivore Confusion:

"Puss: Do not worry. I will protect you. Kitty: What are you gonna do? Hit it in the head with a guitar?"
 * Cats Are Mean: Played somewhat unconventionally in that most of the feline characters in the flick are only smarmy or jerks to those that really deserve it.
 * Cats Are Snarkers: Kitty Softpaws easily qualifies; Puss himself might to a lesser extent.
 * Cats Hate Water: Zigzagged - Puss is shown taking a leap into a river during the flashback, but a prison guard can keep him in line with just a spray bottle.
 * This is actually similar to the way cats behave in real life - most will enter water without a fuss if they need to, but they hate having it thrown on them against their will.
 * Cephalothorax: Humpty.
 * Chekhov's Gun: Both Humpty's original glider (the one built in childhood) and the flying carriage end up being used during the climax.
 * Chekhov's Skill: Puss and Kitty's dancing pops up on several occasions.
 * Classy Cat Burglar: Salma Hayek's character, literally.
 * She's able to steal Puss's hat AND boots without Puss realizing it!
 * Clear My Name
 * Combat Pragmatist: When Softpaws makes him lose his sword in their fight, Puss has no problem hitting her with a guitar. Softpaws doesn't let him live that one down.
 * In fairness to Puss, he doesn't become aware that she's a girl until after he hits her.
 * Compelling Voice: When Puss goes into adorable kitty mode, the guard is very nearly persuaded into letting him out of jail.
 * This troper would argue that that had more to do with Puss's Puppy Dog Eyes. He does provide the page image, after all.
 * Cool Mask: Kitty has a black luchador-style one.
 * Cool Sword: Puss has an ornate rapier, but Kitty does one better with a size-retractable dagger.
 * Cub Cues Protective Parent: The Goose that lays the Golden Eggs turns out to be the gosling of a gargantuan goose, who is not too keen about having her offspring stolen.
 * Cute Giant: The Golden Goose's mother.
 * Dance Battler: Both Puss and Kitty during their first duel.
 * Dance of Romance: Subverted in Puss and Kitty's first "dance" ; played straighter in their dance, which is much more intimate.
 * Dance Party Ending: It's a Shrek tradition, this time set to Lady Gaga's "Americano."
 * Darker and Edgier: Unlike the series it was spun off from, which was a comedy with a bit of drama mixed in, this movie is more of an action/comedy.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Kitty Softpaws

"Humpty Dumpty: Do you know what they do to eggs in San Ricardo Prison? I'll tell you this much.... it ain't over easy."
 * Disney Death:
 * Dreamworks Face: From Humpty rather than the actual lead.
 * Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Jack and Jill are by all means ruthless bandits, but are Happily Married and treat their hogs like children.
 * Evil All Along:  were secretly part of the Big Bad's scheme.
 * Expy: Puss is obviously a parody of Zorro, especially since he's voiced by Antonio Banderas, who played the character.
 * And he has now played the parody in twice as many films as the actual character.
 * Eyes of Gold: Humpty,
 * Face Heel Turn:
 * Famous Last Words:
 * Femme Fatale: Kitty.
 * Flash Back: A lengthy one is given by Puss to explain to Kitty (and the audience) the extent of his relationship with Humpty Dumpty.
 * Foot Focus: A shot or two of Puss's boots as he strolls through the town square.
 * Foregone Conclusion: Anybody who has been on the Shrek 4D ride at Universal Studios would have seen  coming, as
 * Except this film series also had two Pied Pipers and two Rumpelstiltzkins...
 * Foreshadowing:
 * Furry Reminder: Similar to the previous movies, while Puss is more or less a swashbuckling hero, he can't overcome his feline instincts.
 * Genre Shift: The regular Shrek series was an Affectionate Parody of fairy tales, a trait that's prevalent even through its most serious moments. Puss' story in the 'verse however, keeps the irreverent sense of fairy tale humor (in a lesser amount) but has a much more action-orientated tone similar to Pirates of the Caribbean.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: The opening scene has Puss grabbing his stuff and getting ready to leave this sleeping kitty in the morning. Apparently he only did that to steal her owner's ring, which adds fresh implications.
 * Puss has quite the reputation with the ladies. Apparently, he's called "Mr. Friskie Two-Times". So yeah.
 * This line from Humpty:
 * Puss has quite the reputation with the ladies. Apparently, he's called "Mr. Friskie Two-Times". So yeah.
 * This line from Humpty:


 * From one ad, Puss says "That's not what your mama said." For those who don't know, the full version of this comeback is "That's not what your mom said when I was doing her."
 * When an outlaw tries to show Puss his "golden goose eggs".
 * Actually, most anything involving eggs
 * A cat walks into a bar and orders milk. Whereas the humans are drinking from actual beer bottles. Or are they?
 * The prison guard seemed pretty put-out to find Puss carrying catnip. Knowing how cats react to the stuff...
 * He says it's for his glaucoma, for which medical marijuana is sometimes prescribed.
 * Kitty Softpaws' costume includes a little kitty cat gimp mask.
 * Really, with a film focusing on a character like Puss, most of the one-liners are pretty much this.
 * Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Puss and Kitty.
 * Hand Cannon: Jack and Jill have a literal one -- the gun they use is a miniaturized, handheld cannon. complete with a fuse.
 * Heel Face Revolving Door:
 * Heel Face Turn:
 * Held Gaze: A very short one, as part of the Mating Dance scene between Puss and Kitty (see example below).
 * Heroic Sacrifice:
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Puss and Humpty, though it gets muddied for... complicated reasons.
 * High on Catnip: Puss claims his bag of catnip is for his glaucoma.
 * Hollywood Density: Averted; the golden eggs turn out to be so heavy even taking one would have been difficult. That said, the characters do occasionally handle them as if they were far lighter, but this is more artistic than plot-relevant.
 * Impossible Thief: Kitty. A Running Gag has her steal Puss' hat and boots without him noticing until she points it out. Puss later gets to do this to some guards by making their pants fall down without apparently moving a muscle.
 * Improvised Weapon: Puss uses a guitar to knock Kitty out in their first duel, revealing her identity.
 * In Love with the Mark:
 * Inspector Javert: The Comandante of San Ricardo.
 * It's All About Me: Humpty's main character flaw, and ultimately the cause of Puss becoming an outlaw.
 * Jump Scare: A minor one when Humpty says, "Hi, plant" to the little sprout in the desert.
 * Kirk's Rock: The trio pass in front of a creditable rendered version at one point.
 * Kissing Discretion Shot: Finally, after all the UST between the two, Kitty and Puss finally kiss.  Could also count as a (covered up) The Big Damn Kiss, because of the dramatic lighting behind them.
 * Kitty Cat Eyes: Naturally. At one point, it borders on Compelling Voice, as Puss uses them to get a guard to do what he wants.
 * Latin Lover: Puss prides himself as quite the Casanova.
 * Like a Son to Me/Parental Substitute: Imelda and Puss' relationship.
 * Masked Luchador: Kitty wears a mask like this.
 * Mating Dance: There is a quite passionate and fast paced one between Kitty and Puss, they literally can barely keep their hands(/paws) off each other! Complete with with a Almost Kiss and even a Held Gaze moment.
 * Meaningful Name: Kitty Softpaws can rob you blind
 * Meet Cute: Despite the fact they were preparing to fight to the death (and the fact guitar clubbing was included), the first real time
 * Memento MacGuffin: As it turns out, Puss's hat and boots.
 * More Dakka: Hand Cannons? A carriage with broadside cannons? Jack and Jill came down that hill packin'.
 * My Biological Clock Is Ticking: Hilariously gender reversed with Jack and Jill, as Jack is the one who wants to have kids. He even uses this line at one point.
 * Mythology Gag: A couple to Shrek 2:
 * After Puss is arrested and searched, the guard finds catnip among Puss' possessions. This was part of the Cops (series) parody in Shrek 2.
 * The final scene has
 * Puss again puts on his Puppy Dog Eyes, this time for a prison guard so he may escape. The score during this part is the same melody played during the first time Puss does it in Shrek 2. It's even on his Wanted poster.
 * Nice Hat: Puss has a Musketeer-esque hat, complete with feather.
 * Nice Shoes: Who else?
 * The Old Convict:.
 * Once More, with Clarity: Parodied.
 * One Last Job: Jack wants to retire and start a family after the job is done. Jill however wants to continue the profession.
 * One Steve Limit: Averted. The movie boasts both "Jack and Jill" Jack and "Jack and the Beanstalk" Jack.
 * The One Who Wears Shoes: Both Puss and Kitty Softpaws own a pair of boots.
 * Orphanage of Love: Imelda.
 * Outlaw Couple: Jack and Jill.
 * Paper-Thin Disguise: Humpty attempts to blend in with the golden eggs in a gold bodysuit. Unfortunately the actual eggs are barely a foot wide. The goose buys into it at least once, though.
 * Playing Against Type:
 * Pop Star Composer: Rodrigo y Gabriela did additional music for the film, teaming up with Hans Zimmer protege Henry Jackman.
 * Prequel
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: Jack and Jill's boars have glowing red eyes, as does in a brief shot.
 * Redemption Equals Death:
 * Revenge:
 * Ridiculously Cute Critter: The Golden Goose. Kitty Softpaws and Puss also qualify.
 * Roof Hopping: Quite a bit, mostly from Puss and Kitty.
 * Running Gag:
 * Kitty stealing Puss' things without him noticing.
 * Jack pestering Jill about having kids.
 * Pointing out that Puss In Boots turned a guitar into an improvised weapon.
 * The cat that keeps covering its mouth whenever someone says a pun (or does something naughty) and goes "ooooooo...".
 * Running on All Fours: Kitty, especially when jumping.
 * Samus Is a Girl: Kitty, who for the first few minutes of her appearance wears a heavy black mask to hide her face. Given the generally realistic cat proportions the only real thing marking her as a different gender anyway is her voice (at least to the audience. Puss has no problem telling by her face, even though he seems incapable of identifying a female cat otherwise, apparently).
 * Senior Sleep Cycle:
 * Shout-Out: From this ad: "Stay Furry, my friends."
 * From this one: "Look at your cat. Now back to me."
 * Puss has mastered the Magnum... But only in the trailer.
 * "The first rule of Bean Club is you do NOT talk about Bean Club."
 * Puss facing off with a highly competent imitator who turns out to be female, which happens with Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. This dips into Actor Allusion as both ladies are played by Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz, known for being best friends in real life. For that matter, both scenes lead into a Sorry I Left the BGM On moment.
 * Kitty Softpaws is a black-and-white stray who was declawed.
 * "There is only one word for you... me-WOW."
 * The garden in the giant's castle looks like the Jungle of Misery, and the Great Terror's roar in that scene even sounds like Rudy the Baryonyx.
 * Obvious Jurassic Park allusions with the mother goose (scenes similar to having the T-Rex baby in the car to lead the mother out of town).
 * The split-screen shots are a reference to Sergio Leone films. Much of the film's score is also inspired by Leone's films.
 * Puss hitting Kitty with a guitar could be a shout-out to El Kabong.
 * The Running Gag cat that goes 'Oooh' thinks it's in a Carry On film.
 * The Mother Goose's attack on San Ricardo is very similar to the 1997 Tri Star Godzilla, right down to the final assault on the bridge(and her attacking Humpty's plane from below, just how 'Zilla chomped a helicopter in the movie).
 * "His boots are made of soft Corinthian Leather" is a reference to Ricardo Montalban (one of the most prominent Hispanic actors in early Hollywood) and his famously suave endorsements for Chrysler. Montalban also co-starred with Banderas in one of the Spy Kids films, and it's very likely "San Ricardo" is named in his honor.
 * Jack and Jill's little ones are ten little piggies.
 * Signature Style: Despite Guillermo del Toro merely producing, a couple of his trademarks like Steampunk (Jack and Jill's cannon carriage, Humpty's transforming carriage) and fantastically improbable creatures appear in this movie. Not to mention that it's the first work since Pan's Labyrinth that's set in a remotely Hispanic setting.
 * So Proud of You:
 * Spexico: San Ricardo and it's surroundings are the definitive Spexico. Considering that Puss originated in the Shrek movies, which seem to take place in Arthurian Europe, one would presume Puss is Spanish. San Ricardo and it's surroundings, however... ain't exactly medieval Spain.
 * Then again, weren't a lot of classic Westerns filmed in Spain (standing in as Western US/Mexico)?
 * Spaghetti Western: The script, the visual style and even the music all owe a debt to the work of Sergio Leone and his imitators.
 * The Starscream:
 * Steampunk:
 * Swallow the Key: Jack swallows the key that locks the box where the magic beans are kept.
 * Taken for Granite: According to Humpty, anyone who looks at the monster in the castle will turn to stone..
 * Talking Animal: Puss and Kitty.
 * Toothy Bird:  Actually reminiscent of real-life , which have serrated beaks.
 * Trailers Always Lie: A scene from the commercials where Puss uses his Puppy Dog Eyes to repel a thrown dagger is nowhere to be found in the film proper.
 * Puss's Overly Long Gag with sipping the leche. ...he still does it in the actual movie, but it's no longer a long gag, and he doesn't say, "I'm still thirsty" after finishing.
 * The running gag with the cat that goes "Ooh...!" has him taking his hand out of his mouth after Puss scolds him, which doesn't happen in the actual movie.
 * True Companions: Puss and Humpty, when they were kids, and considered each other "brothers". Not so much in the present, though Humpty tries to get it back
 * Two Guys and a Girl: Puss, Humpty, and Kitty form this dynamic.
 * Used to Be a Sweet Kid:
 * UST: Very much so between Puss and Kitty through most of the movie.
 * Visual Pun:
 * Let's not forget the tip of the hat to the best known fairy tale mascot of all time -
 * Vocal Dissonance: In the flashback, Puss is revealed to have had the same voice he had as an adult... as a kitten.
 * As did Humpty.
 * The Voiceless: Subverted in the flashback, where a young Puss almost never speaks until near the end of the flashback.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: A large part of Puss' motivation throughout the movie is to redeem himself to Imelda, his foster mother.
 * We Used to Be Friends: Puss and Humpty.
 * What Measure Is a Non-Cute?: The adorable Puss is praised as a hero and loved like a son by the orphanage matron while his childhood friend Humpty, who is pretty much just a big face, is regularly mocked, gets into much trouble,
 * Where It All Began: The story eventually leads back to Puss' hometown of San Ricardo. Of course, this turns out to be intentional,.
 * Who's Laughing Now?: Invoked word for word (barring the accent) when the castle in the clouds is proven to be real.
 * Xanatos Roulette:
 * You Are Better Than You Think You Are: The Arc Words for this movie.
 * Who's Laughing Now?: Invoked word for word (barring the accent) when the castle in the clouds is proven to be real.
 * Xanatos Roulette:
 * You Are Better Than You Think You Are: The Arc Words for this movie.

The Short Film The Three Diablos Includes:

 * Cute Kitten: The titular kittens
 * Furry Reminder: As usual
 * The Speechless: The titular kittens again.
 * Furry Reminder: As usual
 * The Speechless: The titular kittens again.