Puss In Boots

¡Holy frijoles! It's Puss in Boots!

Yesterday, Joyce and I went to see the newly-released Puss In Boots. Yes, in the US it's been out for over a month, but it only came out yesterday in Belgium, so don't blame us. But all in all, it definitely was worth the wait!

Puss In Boots, directed by Chris Miller, was released as a spin-off to the Shrek franchise. I'm glad they finally released it, because Puss had been in development since 2004! It was to be a direct-to-video release or series in 2008, but due to the character's popularity plans were changed and decisions were made to make it a full theatrical release.

The movie is set way before Puss meets Shrek and Donkey, and its plotline (as did all Shrek movies) draws inspiration from old folktales and nursery rhymes (as Dora the Explorer would say: "let's count them together!"). Puss (one!, voiced by Antonio Banderas) tries to get his hands on magic beans (two!) that are currently owned by an evil couple called Jack and Jill (three!, voiced by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris). But Puss's mission fails as he gets joined by an unknown cat who also tries to steal them. Later on, that cat is revealed to be a woman ("ooohhh!") who goes by the name of Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek). Kitty works together with Humpty Alexander Dumpty (four!, voiced by Zach Galifianakis), a long-estranged childhood friend of Puss's. The trio teams up to get the magic beans so they can get to the castle of the giant and his Golden Goose (five!).

To see if they succeed and if Puss and Humpty will be able to rekindle their long-lost friendship, you'll have to go see the movie yourself - and we recommend you to do so!

The digital graphics are amazingly detailed, the storyline is exciting, the humor is tongue-in-cheek and the chemistry between the main characters is ever-present. And the music! Composed by Henry Jackman and inspired by the late Manuel de Falla, the soundtrack features traditional folk instruments to create a passionate Latin vibe. Two songs were composed by the Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, who also worked on the Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides soundtrack.

Puss In Boots is definitely worth a visit to the movies!

Me-ow!

xo, Jelle