One of the more obscure yet revolutionary Japanese animated films in history is a 1969 adaptation of Charles Perrault's fairy tale classic, Puss 'n Boots. Entitled The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots, the film marked a historical breakthrough for acclaimed studio Toei Animation, as the title character would become their logo mascot, and many of the top key animators would lead their own prolific careers in the anime industry such as Yasuo Otsuka, Reiko Okuyama, Yoichi Kotabe & Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. While it does remain somewhat unnoticed internationally, it's still a remarkably fun adventure.
The film follows Pero, an outlawed swashbuckling feline in boots and Pierre, a poor, neglected miller's son, on their own little adventures. Upon discovering a bustling kingdom where its princess Rosa is betrothed to be married to a prince, the evil ogre sorcerer, Lucifer, threatens to bestow darkness on the land if he is not arranged to marry Rosa in three days. So now it's up to Pero to get Pierre and Rosa together and restore balance to the kingdom. What may sound like a pretty simple premise is actually a lot more complicated in the execution, mainly in regards to all the obstacles the leads get themselves into. Pero has to constantly outrun three bumbling cats from his village trying to kill him, Pierre has to come out of his shell in order to prove his genuine self to Rosa, and even some former mouse thieves do whatever they can to help out our heroes on their missions to let the human boy and girl fall in love. With so much going on, it may seem overwhelming at first, but never once does it lose too much focus to the point of forgetting all that's centered around the mission of two inseparable friends.
Admittedly, the film does often clash tonally when it goes from a rather serious conflict into a more comically goofy chase scene, or going from a more laid back song sequence into a cartoony animal slapstick romp. Fortunately, those moments usually only happen when they need to, and the film does gradually become more and more about Pero and Pierre working together to save the day. A notable highlight would have to be the climax sequences simultaneously directed by Otsuka and Miyazaki, which take place atop castle parapets in very dynamic angles and a suspenseful goose chase in preventing Lucifer from keeping Rosa as his own. While many sequences involving Pero fighting against his enemies and the mice are entertaining in their own right, this climax offers the type of thrills and bounds that Miyazaki would later explore further in his directorial debut, The Castle of Cagliostro. In addition, the musical numbers are also very catchy and even heartwarming to listen to on their own, as rather than stopping the film dead in its tracks, they play up the momentum more and more.
In fact, momentum is the perfect word that encapsulates The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots, as the whole movie is a delightful thrill ride from start to finish, and a very lightheartedly humorous one at that. If you're not familiar with much of the earlier work from Toei or you'd like to see a previous swashbuckling take on the boot wearing cat prior to the Shrek franchise, then this is a definite must watch for anyone. Considering the film would go on to have a couple of sequels and be a famed icon for an already well regarded foreign animation studio, one can tell where such a hysterical movie made such an impact.
