Puss In Boots at Paul Mesner Puppets, Inc

It is a great year for animated movies, with the addition of "Puss In Boots" to the current line-up of "Rango" and "Kung Fu Panda". It would not be too far a stretch to say that fans have been waiting for a spin-off starring the whimsical feline ever since his debut in "Shrek 2" and rest assured, the wait is well-worth it.

While "Puss In Boots" is not deep or groundbreaking, it certainly has energy, charm and wit. The story is peppered with pop culture references, with the movie itself crafted to be homage to Banderas' 1998 "The Mask Of Zorro". Simple and full of heart, there is no loose end to be seen, and it is marvellous how they managed to seamlessly weave the use of fairy tales and its characters, such as Jack and Jill, Jack and the Beanstalk, to name a few.

The cast is also perfectly suited for their characters, with Banderas voicing the titular Puss in Boots, Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws and Zach Galifianakis as Humpty Alexander Dumpty. Considering that almost all the speaking characters has a Spanish accent, or a something similarly-sounding, I found it appropriate the they used Zach's voice for Humpty Dumpty, and whose earnestness further highlights Humpty's identity issues.

There are fewer characters than there were in "Shrek", which also means that no one is idle here. Every character has their own role in the feline hero's story to play. To put it simply, while the story is believable and fun, especially the dance scene, the morally-cracked Humpty is the one that provides the film's emotional ride. This is a movie where its cast takes precedence over the story, delivering lines after lines of hilarity and wisecracks.

Overall, "Puss In Boots" is a consistently pleasing movie, and more entertaining than the last two instalments in the "Shrek" series. Kids and adults alike will definitely enjoy this latest effort from Dreamworks, so give it a go.