For me, one of the best characters in the Shrek series was Puss in Boots (voiced so skilfully by Antonio Banderas). He seemed to have so many of the great one-liners, and the scenes where he took off his hat and put adversaries into a trance with his pleading, kitten eyes never failed to reduce viewers to mush.

However, his back story in the world of Shrek was sketchy - where did he come from? How did he eventually come to be hanging out with a donkey, a gingerbread man, an ogre and Pinocchio, to name just a few from the whacky bunch? This is where Puss in Boots comes in. 

It is set in the days before Puss teamed up with Shrek, where we see him being dropped off at an orphanage and being raised by the kindly Imelda (voiced by Constance Marie).

He becomes bosom buddies with Humpty Alexander Dumpty (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) in the orphanage but eventually gets caught up in his wheeling and dealing and is betrayed by him. He has no choice but to flee his home town in disgrace, taking the boots and hat that are his pride and joy, which Imelda gave him.

Years later, he is approached by the very sexy yet feisty Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek), who wants him to get involved in a scheme to steal the magic beans that he and Humpty Dumpty had coveted so badly as youngsters.

They had even set up a Beanclub to find them. Legend has it that the beans sprout into a beanstalk with a secret world at the top, with a goose who lays golden eggs.

These days the beans are in the ownership of Jack (voiced by Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (voiced by Amy Sedaris). However, in order to get them back and begin to clear his name, he must again team up with Humpty Dumpty. Kitty Softpaws is well aware of Puss’s nicknames - The Ginger Hit Man and Frisky Two Times - and is determined to get the better of him.

There are some excellent sequences of animation in this film, such as the scenes during the Festival of the Fire celebration when the film begins. Later, he and Kitty Softpaws have a dance-off in the Glitter Box bar.

There is also a host of cute cat jokes that poke fun at his reputation for commanding fear, such as cat-lapping leche at the bar. The “Ohhh Cat” (voiced by Robert Persichetti), who hangs out around the Glitter Box bar, is also a stroke of genius. He pops up a few times during the film and it is pretty much impossible not to laugh every single time he makes an appearance.

There is a lot in this film for adults to laugh at, although the fun is squarely aimed at kids for the most part, as it should be. The nude scenes, drug taking, double entendres and tattoos will totally go over the heads of children, yet always draw giggles from the older members of the audience.

Humpty Dumpty should have been drawn as being a little less creepy perhaps, and I kept waiting for him to produce the great gags that he was known for in Shrek, which didn’t quite appear.

Despite these small criticisms, this film is well worth an hour and a half at your time. I for one certainly laughed out loud, and would gladly watch it again to laugh a second time round.

Christine Brookes