The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots Blu-ray Movie Review

The Wonderful World of Puss N’ Boots is an entirely delightful and utterly charming action-adventure anime classic. Created by Charles Perrault, The Wonderful World of Puss N’ Boots is produced by Hiroshi Ōkawa (Flying Phantom Ship, Horus - Prince of the Sun). Featuring production by Toei Animation (Animal Treasure Island, Digimon Adventure), the film is a high-spirited adventure with plenty of excitement for audiences of all ages. Distributed by Toei Company, Ltd., The Wonderful World of Puss N’ Boots is an essential classic for anime fans who appreciate old-school adventure.

Pero (Susumu Ishikawa) is no ordinary cat! In fact, Pero is a swashbuckling adventurer and explorer – a cat with a sword in hand and a thirst for action! The musketeer cat is now on the run from dangerous foes. The crime? Pero was saving the lives of innocent mice who were going to be killed. Pero is no ordinary cat, indeed.

As Pero is chased down by three police cats, Pero continues to avoid the dastardly cats and fight for the freedom of mice. Along the journey, Pero meets the boy Pierre (Toshiko Fujita). Convincing Pierre to leave behind a life of mistreatment by his family, Pero brings Pierre on the adventures too.

The cat and boy hear some major news: the king of the land wants to find a nice suitor to become the husband of his beautiful daughter, Princess Rose (Rumi Sakakibara). Could Pierre find a chance at love? Meanwhile, the villainous Lucifer decides the suitor news means it’s the perfect time to swoop in and kidnap Princess Rose and have her all for himself – taking out the competition. Pero and Pierre must rescue the princess from the evil Lucifer and continue the fight – for mice and for freedom!

The characters are an integral part of the animated journey. This is one of the key things that makes The Wonderful World of Puss N’ Boots such a charming anime classic. Pero is at the heart of the tale. The cat has a sense for swashbuckling adventure – and the journey is one that puts the cat through a lot of epic moments of dashing excitement.

The mice need a hero and Pero is determined to help the mice to survive the wrath of the other kitty-cats (who want the mice for nefarious reasons). As the tale unfolds, Pero seems even cooler as a feline hero as the other characters enter the story – and the rest of the cast of characters add to the fun, too. Pierre is an adventurous young boy and his determination to help adds some whimsy to the action as he joins Pero in the fight to protect Princess Rose. Princess Rose adds to the film too – charming and kind.

The animation is one of the essential ingredients of the production. The animation in The Wonderful World of Puss N’ Boots is a joy and a lot of fun. The art style is such a joy and it adds so much to the experience. Under the art direction of Isamu Tsuchida (Animal Treasure Island, Taro the Dragon Boy) and Mataji Urata (Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, Horus - Prince of the Sun), the team created something special.

The animation direction by Yasuji Mori (The Adventures of the Little Prince, Animal Treasure Island) is a special thing to behold, too. The animators on The Wonderful World of Puss N’ Boots manage to provide plenty of whimsy and charm to the classic film. The filmmaking is all the more magical as a result – the old-school hand-drawn animation providing a sense of wonderment to the experience. The artistry in the film is exceptional and surpasses all expectations.

The score composed by Seiichirō Uno (Fables of the Green Forest, Jack and the Witch) is one of the great highlights of The Wonderful World of Puss N’ Boots and its sense of adventure. The score to the anime adds a lot to the filmmaking and to the epic journey the characters go on in the tale. Uno is a talented composer and the music will bring a smile to audiences. The score is a good backdrop to the action in the film and it helps to enhance the sense of adventure on display. As Pero battles it out with the evil villain Lucifer, the music helps to enhance the back-and-forth and adds to the charm of the film.

Written by Hisashi Inoue (Moomin, Pyunpyunmaru) and Morihisa Yamamoto (Fables from Hans Christian Andersen, Goku no Daibōken), The Wonderful World of Puss N’ Boots is a well-written tale and one that inspires a sense of whimsy in the audience. The script is a constant joy and there is so much wonder to the script and its sense of pace and character. The characters are well developed for a adventure film and the lead hero is a charming kitty with a quest for heroics.

Directed by Kimio Yabuki (Space Family Carlvinson, Swan Lake), The Wonderful World of Puss N’ Boots is enormously entertaining and a must-see for fans of classic anime. Yabuki is a gifted filmmaker and one who understands the pulse of adventurous storytelling. The Wonderful World of Puss N’ Boots finds imagination in the kitty-cat hero and the journey to fight for the freedom of mice. The film flows remarkably well – the pace is excellent – and the end result is a classic that deserves to be seen, celebrated, and remembered. The Wonderful World of Puss N’ Boots will win the hearts of audiences with a great tale, told well, and with superb filmmaking.

The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, The Wonderful World of Puss N' Boots is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. A remarkable high-definition presentation is provided on the release. The transfer is excellent and it showcases the vibrancy of the animation.

The background animation and detailed line art look great on the release. The transfer looks beautifully filmic and there is a lot to appreciate about the presentation on the release. The transfer is also quite clean and there aren't many instances of print wear on the scan. Discotek Media is doing great work preserving classic anime and this is a quality release.

The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English uncompressed PCM 2.0 and Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio sounded great on the release – the clarity and detail present on the release made a big impression. The score sounded especially great throughout the feature-film. The sound design is well highlighted and there is a lot to appreciate. Outstanding for a classic anime, the encoding capably preserves the soundstage of the film.

The subtitles provided on the original Japanese language version are excellent, too. The subtitles are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors. Discotek provides a quality encoding and the release benefits from the lossless audio encoding (providing audio enthusiasts with the best possible audio presentation). Streaming video services continue to only offer lossy (non-lossless) audio encoding, showcasing one of the many reasons physical media remains superior to streaming platforms.

The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover featuring unique key artwork different from the artwork highlighted underneath the slipcover. This is one of the best design elements Discotek Media offers with some releases as it creates a "dual cover art" effect and it adds an extra nice touch to the packaging. A well-designed slip and cover art.

Original Trailer (SD, 3:04)

The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Wonderful World of Puss N' Boots is a magical and heartwarming gem. The anime adventure is a must-see for fans of hand-drawn animation and well-told adventure classics. The filmmaking is a joy: showcasing the fantastic animation and impressive skills of the entire production team. The Blu-ray release provides an excellent video and audio presentation. The release also comes with a beautiful o-card slipcover featuring unique art (different from the art underneath the slipcover). The slipcover also adds to the collectability of the release. A nice gem of a film with a great edition – it will look great both in hand and on the shelf. Highly recommended.