The Adventures of Puss in Boots is an American computer-animated television series. It stars the character Puss in Boots from the DreamWorks AnimationShrek franchise.[1] The series debuted on January 16, 2015, on Netflix, when the first five 22-minute episodes were released. A total of 26 episodes have been ordered, and they are expected to air throughout the course of 2015 in blocks of five episodes.[2][3] The second block was released on May 8, 2015.[4]
The series will see Puss in Boots fight off an endless legion of invaders to protect the previously hidden city of San Lorenzo, after his actions unintentionally broke the spell that protected its legendary mystic treasure from the outside world.
Dulcinea (voiced by Jayma Mays) – A female cat who is Puss's love interest.[2] Mays describes her as sweet and naive,[5] very innocent and sheltered.[3][6]
Vina (voiced by Grey Griffin)[7] – An older orphan who makes up facts and sometimes steps into Puss's personal space.[6]
Kid Pickles (voiced by Candi Milo)[7] – A "Runyon-esque" 11-year-old who likes pickles.[6]
Esme (voiced by Ariebella Makana)[7] – A 5-year-old girl who is described as adorable.[6]
Cleevil (voiced by Candi Milo)[7] – A street-smart goblin in her early teens.[6]
Recurring
El Moco (voiced by Danny Trejo)[1][8] – A bandit king who is often foiled in the episodes.[6]
Sphinx (voiced by Grey DeLisle) – A hairless, winged cat who acts a little like a valley girl and a hipster. She protects the Hourglass of Eurythion.[6]
The Duchess (voiced by Maria Bamford)[1] – One of the recurring villains in the series. She steals the souls of magicians and sorcerers to use their powers- denying observations that she has no magic of her own- and was involved with Artephius; she also had a previous fight with Puss, in which the latter had cut off her foot.[6]
Goodsword (voiced by John Rhys-Davies) – An enchanted sword who falls from the sky stuck into a stone, then chooses Dulcinea to be the town's hero.[6][1]
Puss is in a town when he encounters Dulcinea who is being harassed by thieves. After rescuing her, he helps her buy some silk, but gets concerned that she might be attacked on her way home, so he follows her to the desert and through a hidden portal to the legendary town of San Lorenzo. There he meets the town's residents who have been living in secrecy for many years. Dulcinea shows Puss their town's treasure room, but when Puss steals a coin from the vault, he inadvertently breaks the spell that has cloaked the town, and must defend it from the oncoming thugs. Afterwards, he agrees to stay around to protect the town.
2
"Sphinx"
Lane Lueras
Doug Langdale
January 16, 2015 (2015-01-16)
Puss accidentally gives the orphans a magic substance that will ultimately make them explode. The only cure is guarded by a Sphinx who challenges Puss with riddles – and contrary to his own belief, Puss is not good at riddles.
3
"Brothers"
Lane Lueras
Greg White
January 16, 2015 (2015-01-16)
Puss is Toby's new best friend, and it's driving Puss crazy. When Toby is kidnapped by his ninja brothers, Puss realizes how much he misses the big oaf. Unfortunately, the brothers use Toby to steal a powerful gauntlet from the treasure house, which they plan to use for "mad evil, bro."
4
"Duchess"
David Mucci Fassett
Jesse Porter
January 16, 2015 (2015-01-16)
The Duchess seeks Artephius' soul for her spell collection and it's up to Puss to protect him. It turns out that The Duchess and Artephius have a complicated relationship.
5
"Adventure"
Luther McLaurin
Ben Acker & Ben Blacker
January 16, 2015 (2015-01-16)
Puss misses the old days adventuring with his buddy Jack Sprat. Fearful he will leave San Lorenzo, Dulcinea concocts a super special adventure surprise with the orphans. But Jack Sprat shows up with the promise of a damsel in distress....who turns out to be a super scary monster.
6
"Fountains"
Douglas Lovelace
Doug Langdale
May 8, 2015 (2015-05-08)
When Puss's old master, White Glove, comes to town Puss is shocked to hear that he is retiring. So in order to prevent this Puss, Artephius, and Dulcinea go in search of the fountain of youth which is guarded by a firebreathing Sphinx.
7
"Bravery"
David Mucci Fassett
Greg White
May 8, 2015 (2015-05-08)
The mayor, Temoroso, constantly wakes Puss with his paranoid fears. In an attempt to make the mayor braver Puss and Dulcinea hire bandits to pretend that the mayor defeats them. Feeling brave the mayor becomes a wandering hero while Puss is made mayor. Only the mayor angers the bandits and they attack the town leading to a bizarre fight with a barrel.
8
"Golem"
Luther McLaurin
Jesse Porter
May 8, 2015 (2015-05-08)
Long ago, Puss angered an evil wizard, who then created a golem to hunt Puss down. When the golem finally tracks Puss to San Lorenzo, Puss must discover a way to get the golem to stop chasing him and obey new orders. Things get out of hand, however, when the orphans start giving the golem their own commands.
9
"Boots"
Roy Burdine
Tad Stones
May 8, 2015 (2015-05-08)
When Jack Sprat comes back to town, he tricks Puss into letting him into the treasure room so he can steal the 7 League boots which grant the wearer incredible speed. Only problem is the boots unleash a demon called the Devil Wind that Puss and Jack must defeat together.
10
"Sword"
David Mucci Fassett
Ben Acker & Ben Blacker
May 8, 2015 (2015-05-08)
Dulcinea becomes enchanted with heroic powers when she pulls a magical sword from a stone, and Puss must help her learn how to control her strength.
Production
The series was announced in March 2014 as part of an agreement between Netflix and DreamWorks Animation, under which the studio will develop more than 300 hours of exclusive programming for the service.[11]
Critical reception
The New York Times gave the first episode a positive review stating that the show "is nicely drawn, and San Lorenzo is populated with some appealingly odd young residents, human and otherwise." Moreover, they praised the humour stating that it was "relatively sophisticated (you could write a psychological treatise on Dulcinea, who has modeled her life on a somewhat vacuous book of epigrams), but not so sophisticated that children will be left behind."[12]
Awards and nominations
In 2015, the second episode of the series, "Sphinx", was nominated at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival.[13]