An outlaw cat, his childhood egg-friend and a seductive thief kitty set out in search for the eggs of the fabled Golden Goose to clear his name, restore his lost honor and regain the trust of his mother and town.
When Blu, a domesticated macaw from small-town Minnesota, meets the fiercely independent Jewel, he takes off on an adventure to Rio de Janeiro with the bird of his dreams.
Director:
Carlos Saldanha
Stars:
Jesse Eisenberg,
Anne Hathaway,
George Lopez
The canine star of a fictional sci-fi/action show that believes his powers are real embarks on a cross country trek to save his co-star from a threat he believes is just as real.
A woman transformed into a giant after she is struck by a meteorite on her wedding day becomes part of a team of monsters sent in by the U.S. government to defeat an alien mastermind trying to take over Earth.
Directors:
Rob Letterman,
Conrad Vernon
Stars:
Reese Witherspoon,
Rainn Wilson,
Stephen Colbert
It's a jungle out there for Blu, Jewel and their three kids after they're hurtled from Rio de Janeiro to the wilds of the Amazon. As Blu tries to fit in, he goes beak-to-beak with the vengeful Nigel, and meets his father-in-law.
Director:
Carlos Saldanha
Stars:
Jesse Eisenberg,
Anne Hathaway,
Jemaine Clement
A local scientist is often regarded as a failure until he invents a machine that can make food fall from the sky. But little does he know, that things are about to take a turn for the worst.
The supervillain Megamind finally defeats his nemesis, the superhero Metro Man. But without a hero, he loses all purpose and must find new meaning to his life.
A scheming raccoon fools a mismatched family of forest creatures into helping him repay a debt of food, by invading the new suburban sprawl that popped up while they were hibernating...and learns a lesson about family himself.
Directors:
Tim Johnson,
Karey Kirkpatrick
Stars:
Bruce Willis,
Garry Shandling,
Steve Carell
Flint Lockwood now works at The Live Corp Company for his idol Chester V. But he's forced to leave his post when he learns that his most infamous machine is still operational, and is churning out menacing food-animal hybrids.
Barry B. Benson, a bee just graduated from college, is disillusioned at his lone career choice: making honey. On a special trip outside the hive, Barry's life is saved by Vanessa, a florist in New York City. As their relationship blossoms, he discovers humans actually eat honey, and subsequently decides to sue them.
Directors:
Simon J. Smith,
Steve Hickner
Stars:
Jerry Seinfeld,
Renée Zellweger,
Matthew Broderick
Boog, a domesticated 900lb. Grizzly bear, finds himself stranded in the woods 3 days before Open Season. Forced to rely on Elliot, a fast-talking mule deer, the two form an unlikely friendship and must quickly rally other forest animals if they are to form a rag-tag army against the hunters.
The Madagascar animals fly back to New York City, but crash-land on an African nature reserve, where they meet others of their own kind, and Alex especially discovers his royal heritage as prince of a lion pride.
Years before meeting Shrek and Donkey, the adorable but tricky Puss in Boots must clear his name from all charges making him a wanted fugitive. While trying to steal magic beans from the infamous criminals Jack and Jill, the hero crosses paths with his female match, Kitty Softpaws, who leads Puss to his old friend, but now enemy, Humpty Dumpty. Memories of friendship and betrayal enlarges Puss' doubt, but he eventually agrees to help the egg get the magic beans. Together, the three plan to steal the beans, get to the Giant's castle, nab the golden goose, and clear Puss' name.Written by
Mr. Top Hat
Humpty Dumpty says, "First rule of Bean Club, don't talk about Bean Club. The second rule of Bean Club...don't talk about Bean Club." This is a nod to the movie Fight Club (1999), where the famous quote, "The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club," comes from. See more »
Goofs
When the goose shows up to recover her eggs, she is disproportionately large compared to the size of the eggs. See more »
Quotes
[Taking Puss' bag of money]
Kitty Softpaws:
[sing-song voice]
Someone forgot his money!
See more »
Crazy Credits
When the DreamWorks Animation logo appears, it is accompanied by fireworks and the sound of a whip and the music is Latino-themed and festive. See more »
Americano
Written by Lady Gaga (as Stefani Germanotta), Brian Lee, Fernando Garibay and Paul Blair (as DJ White Shadow)
Performed by Lady Gaga
Courtesy of Interscope Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises See more »
"Puss in Boots" is a perfect example of a movie I absolutely never would have seen if I hadn't gotten a pass to a free screening. And if I had gone to see it — and, to reiterate, I wouldn't have — there's simply no way I would have seen it in 3D. But it was free, so I did. I guess you could say I had low expectations.
Some background: I loved "Shrek", I basically couldn't stand "Shrek 2", in part because I found the Puss in Boots character more annoying than charming, and I never bothered with the other "Shrek" sequels. Life is just too short. So I expected "Puss in Boots" to be, at best, tolerable, stupid, and intermittently funny. Imagine my surprise when I found that it was somewhat better than tolerable, more than intermittently funny, and actually kind of clever.
The story, as should be expected from a member of the "Shrek" lineage, plays fast and loose with fairy tale characters, plot points, and conventions. Puss, an orphaned cat now branded as an outlaw, joins forces with Humpty Dumpty, an egg of questionable intent, and Kitty Softpaws, a feline fatale, to steal the magic beans from Jack and Jill, grow a magic beanstalk, and find the golden goose of legend. Naturally, things don't go according to plan, and the plot thickens. It's pointless, but fun.
There are instances of real invention here. The first is the setting, which is sort of a medieval spaghetti western, although the western card was played better in "Rango". There are several great visual gags, like what happens to Humpty's covered wagon, and a dance fight that is easily the best part of the movie. Without giving anything away, I'll also say that, the more you think about the identity of the "monster", the funnier, and the more fitting, it becomes. However, the storytelling is sloppy at times. There's at least one plot point that is dispensed with far too quickly, and the fate of one character simply doesn't make sense. Still, it all kind of works, and the good parts are good enough to help you forget the shortcomings.
Ultimately, the movie is saved by its pacing and its animation, which, as much as I hate to admit it, is absolutely stunning in 3D. I can't recommend paying the 3D up-charge, but I will say that those who do will probably not be disappointed. This isn't a cheap, gimmicky use of 3D, but one that actual adds depth and detail. There was one particular scene, a chase that, oddly enough, reminded me of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids", where I found the use of 3D really creative. Would I pay for the 3D? Probably not, but for those looking for a 3D experience, you could do a lot worse.
"Puss in Boots" also raises the question of whether or not it's worth it to have major stars as voice actors. Actually, I take it back. This movie doesn't so much raise that question as answer it, resoundingly, with a no. As much fun as Antonio Banderas is as Puss, I'm not convinced that he brings anything to the role that a lesser known actor couldn't have brought. Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis are completely wasted as Kitty and Humpty. Billy Bob Thornton is a good choice as Jack, but that's largely because of the clever writing. Understand what I'm saying: I'm not being critical of these actors' work. I am being critical of the decision to cast them in a picture like this, where the most clever aspects of their characters come from the animation, not from the vocal performances. My suggestion would be to save the money needed to hire such big names, and use lesser known actors, perhaps from Broadway. That way, it would be easier for "Puss in Boots", a movie that many people will approach with a deserved amount of skepticism, to make money, and struggling actors will find more work. Believe me, the movie won't suffer from it.
This isn't high art. It's not nearly the equal of "Shrek", and it doesn't have one iota of the heart of most Pixar films, or of DreamWorks' "How to Train Your Dragon". But at the same time, it's not bad for what it is. It's clever, witty, well-made, and fast-paced. It's nothing like a masterpiece, but as far as diversions go, it's quite diverting.
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"Puss in Boots" is a perfect example of a movie I absolutely never would have seen if I hadn't gotten a pass to a free screening. And if I had gone to see it — and, to reiterate, I wouldn't have — there's simply no way I would have seen it in 3D. But it was free, so I did. I guess you could say I had low expectations.
Some background: I loved "Shrek", I basically couldn't stand "Shrek 2", in part because I found the Puss in Boots character more annoying than charming, and I never bothered with the other "Shrek" sequels. Life is just too short. So I expected "Puss in Boots" to be, at best, tolerable, stupid, and intermittently funny. Imagine my surprise when I found that it was somewhat better than tolerable, more than intermittently funny, and actually kind of clever.
The story, as should be expected from a member of the "Shrek" lineage, plays fast and loose with fairy tale characters, plot points, and conventions. Puss, an orphaned cat now branded as an outlaw, joins forces with Humpty Dumpty, an egg of questionable intent, and Kitty Softpaws, a feline fatale, to steal the magic beans from Jack and Jill, grow a magic beanstalk, and find the golden goose of legend. Naturally, things don't go according to plan, and the plot thickens. It's pointless, but fun.
There are instances of real invention here. The first is the setting, which is sort of a medieval spaghetti western, although the western card was played better in "Rango". There are several great visual gags, like what happens to Humpty's covered wagon, and a dance fight that is easily the best part of the movie. Without giving anything away, I'll also say that, the more you think about the identity of the "monster", the funnier, and the more fitting, it becomes. However, the storytelling is sloppy at times. There's at least one plot point that is dispensed with far too quickly, and the fate of one character simply doesn't make sense. Still, it all kind of works, and the good parts are good enough to help you forget the shortcomings.
Ultimately, the movie is saved by its pacing and its animation, which, as much as I hate to admit it, is absolutely stunning in 3D. I can't recommend paying the 3D up-charge, but I will say that those who do will probably not be disappointed. This isn't a cheap, gimmicky use of 3D, but one that actual adds depth and detail. There was one particular scene, a chase that, oddly enough, reminded me of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids", where I found the use of 3D really creative. Would I pay for the 3D? Probably not, but for those looking for a 3D experience, you could do a lot worse.
"Puss in Boots" also raises the question of whether or not it's worth it to have major stars as voice actors. Actually, I take it back. This movie doesn't so much raise that question as answer it, resoundingly, with a no. As much fun as Antonio Banderas is as Puss, I'm not convinced that he brings anything to the role that a lesser known actor couldn't have brought. Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis are completely wasted as Kitty and Humpty. Billy Bob Thornton is a good choice as Jack, but that's largely because of the clever writing. Understand what I'm saying: I'm not being critical of these actors' work. I am being critical of the decision to cast them in a picture like this, where the most clever aspects of their characters come from the animation, not from the vocal performances. My suggestion would be to save the money needed to hire such big names, and use lesser known actors, perhaps from Broadway. That way, it would be easier for "Puss in Boots", a movie that many people will approach with a deserved amount of skepticism, to make money, and struggling actors will find more work. Believe me, the movie won't suffer from it.
This isn't high art. It's not nearly the equal of "Shrek", and it doesn't have one iota of the heart of most Pixar films, or of DreamWorks' "How to Train Your Dragon". But at the same time, it's not bad for what it is. It's clever, witty, well-made, and fast-paced. It's nothing like a masterpiece, but as far as diversions go, it's quite diverting.