MOVIE REVIEW - Puss In Boots

They make entirely too many animated movies. But every once in a while a gem pops up, and that's Puss In Boots that is out this week.

I love Dreamworks Animation. The are so my favorite. All the way back to Balto, I really like the way they do animated movies. As Pixar, and Disney has their feel, so does Dreamworks, and it just feels better. They have such a nice grown up movie feel, without forgetting about the kids. This movie is fantastic for so many reasons.

First the animation is great, but everyone does good animation. The story is just really fun, and is told in such a charming way, it's hard to resist. It's the story of course of Puss In Boots, a sword toting, boots wearing cat in a cavalier hat from Spain. Is he a hero, or a villain? He is incredibly voiced by Antonio Bandaras. This may be Bandaras' best performance ever. Simply fantastic. Puss is trying to find the Golden Goose who lays the golden eggs just like in the fable with the help of Kitty Softpaws (Selma Hayak) and Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). And there are pitfalls along the way. But the story will tell itself when you go, and you should.

This movie is so well done, charming, lovely and flat out fun, more movies should be this way. Wonderfully written for kids and adults alike. Plenty of action, and fun. Wonderful character development, snappy dialogue, and enough zest to go around two or three time. This movie has one imaginative scene after another, with Bandaras leading the way.

This movie too, is blessed with one of the best musical soundtracks in years. A big, dramatic Spanish inspired salsa-samba orchestral score that is simply breathtaking. This is a great music to expose youngsters to, as many may never hear such incredible music in their I-pod or on their computer. What a great experience to give a young person, in addition to a fun time at the movies. If this soundtrack isn't nominated for an Oscar, they should stop handing out the award. Awesome. Enhances this movie from start to finish. Stay and watch the closing credits, and you'll get a sense of how wonderful this music really is.

Puss In Boots is great in very way. This is perfect for any viewer, and generation. The bar has been raised in technique, execution, and sophistication for this kind of movie. See it once, then see it again.

This is the new benchmark of animated movies.