Cats and footwear. Two things that traditionally don’t mix, what with cats being more temperamental than a spoiled toddler who hasn’t had his nap yet. Because of this inborn insistence on kicking it hobbit-style, when a bold, pioneering cat does rise above his feline brethren to slip his tootsies in some bootsies he is sure to command attention. Maybe, if left in the anthropomorphizing machine for long enough, he can even wear a hat, belt, and cape and become a charming, dashing rogue in the tradition of Zorro and Robin Hood. I’m talking, of course, about Puss in Boots, once a novel side-character of the Shrek franchise who proved popular enough to warrant two movies of his own, the most recent of which being Puss in Boots: The Last Wish a 2022 animated adventure directed by Joel Crawford. P.I.B.T.L.W. won critical and commercial success on release and was even nominated for an Oscar, which means it was only a matter of time before the relevancy-starved Magellans at the Movies turned their discerning critical eyes towards this modern fairy tale and the contents therein. Grab a seat and remember that cats in real life should absolutely never be given milk, let the games begin!
