Parents' Guide to The True Story of Puss 'n Boots

Movie NR 2011 79 minutes
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Common Sense Media Review

Renee Schonfeld By Renee Schonfeld , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 6+

Truly awful version of the classic fairy tale.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 6+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 8+

Based on 6 parent reviews

age 3+

Based on 9 kid reviews

What's the Story?

The miller's youngest son is in love with a beautiful princess. When the miller dies and leaves the boy only a saucy cat in red leather boots, his chances with the girl of his dreams are dim. But the cat has other plans. He conspires and swindles, cajoles and sweet-talks his way into the royal court with the lowly miller's son in tow, only to encounter the evil forces of The Chamberlain and The Ogre who have other plans for the beautiful lass.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 6 ):
Kids say ( 9 ):

Loosely based on the Charles Perrault fairy tale, everything about this film is sub-standard. Nothing is original, clever, or memorable. William Shatner's falsetto, improvisational performance as Puss will disappoint even his most loyal fans.

The story as rewritten is not easy to follow. Characters are sent on missions that have no purpose. People appear in unlikely places and disappear without explanation. The iconic cat seems to have no magical powers and certainly has no charm. An effort has been made to update this story with a modern-day princess and modern dance moves, but since nothing else has been modernized, it's a wasted effort. There is really nothing at all to recommend this sorry version of the classic story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why fairy tales appeal to kids. Why is it fun to imagine magical places where wishes come true and everything ends happily ever after? What are your favorites?

  • Lots of fairy tales are known for their "helpers," like fairy godmothers and animals. Other than Puss 'n Boots, who are some of the best known of these helpers? What do they do for their masters and what do they have in common?

Movie Details

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