The Shrek franchise surely helped popularize Puss in Boots, but the suave feline featured in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has origins that date back almost 500 years. Puss in Boots first made a cinematic appearance alongside Shrek and the gang in the family movie Shrek 2, where he quickly stole the hearts of children and adults alike. Voiced by Antonio Banderas, Puss in Boots entered into adventures with a swaggering confidence that indicated he was meant for bigger undertakings than a sidekick.
The pint-sized anthropomorphic cat, donning a feathered cap and signature boots, proved he could entertain all on his own upon the 2011 feature film aptly named Puss in Boots. While it's been a staggering 11 years since, the legendary outlaw still harbors the charisma for success as his second feature film called Puss in Boots: The Last Wish received remarkably high ratings and substantial positive reviews. Puss in Boots' accomplishment can be credited to Shrek as a platform, however, his existence is the responsibility of a centuries-old fairy tale.
Puss In Boots Is A 15th Century Italian Fairy Tale
The earliest known version of Puss in Boots' narrative was written by 16th-century Italian author sco Giovanni Straparola. Variations of the "Puss in Boots" story have been recounted over time and across multiple mediums. However, the original hails from Straparola's anthology Le piacevoli notti, or The Facetious Nights of Straparola.
sco Giovanni Straparola may have derived Puss from oral folklore, but the written story in his anthology generated countless adaptations that would eventually inspire the Dreamworks Animation studio. In fact, Puss in Boots is not dissimilar in this regard to other characters in the Shrek universe, many of whom are inspired by well-established fairy stories. However, while Puss is by no means an original creation, there are substantial differences between the film version of the character and the Italian story.
How The First Puss In Boots Is Different From Shrek's Version
Straparola's depicition of the feline is quite different from the animated Puss in Boots audiences have come to love. "Constantino Fortunato" is set in the land of Bohemia where three brothers, Constantino, Drusolino, and Tesifone, live impoverished with their mother, Soriana. When Soriana dies, she leaves one of the three possessions she had to her name to each brother - Constantino seemingly receives the short end of the stick because he's gifted her measly cat while his brothers are gifted the more useful items of a kneading trough and a pastry board.
Drusolino and Tesifone take advantage of the fact they received better inheritance than their brother, and they selfishly reap the benefits without providing for Constantino. Although he appears down on his luck, in good fortune, Soriana's cat turns out to be a fairy in disguise who helps swindle the king of Bohemia out of riches and the Bohemian castle for Constantino. Despite being a fairy in Straparola's depiction and having no relation to the titular pair of boots, the sentiment of Puss and Boots remains; and it's evident in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish that Puss is and has always been a champion for the better.
Source: SurLaLune Fairy Tales
