This Shrek spin-off is a breezily entertaining DreamWorks animation that harnesses the familiar appeal of the self-aggrandising feline (Antonio Banderas), while also adopting a distinctive and original graphic visual style. Directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado both worked on the Kung Fu Panda films, and it’s perhaps this, plus the striking stylised action sequences of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, that informs the bold, peppy approach to Puss’s gravity-defying derring-do.
The plot is basic: down to his final life, Puss sees an opportunity to restore the full nine with a magic wishing star. He’s not the only one seeking it: Goldilocks and her ursine crime syndicate are on his trail, as is the monstrous “Big” Jack Horner. And then there’s Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and wannabe emotional support animal Perrito the chihuahua (Harvey Guillén). It helps that the writing is as sharp as Puss’s claws.
