Over the years there have been some unforgettable voices in animation, tones that perfectly match the characters. Sometimes it's as though the voice actor was born for the role. Jack Black's Po, Eddie Murphy's Donkey, Tom Hanks' Woody and Robin Williams' Genie come to mind. But none can compare to the pairing of Antonio Banderas' Latin accent in the title role of Puss in Boots.
'Sometimes it's hard to tell the two of them apart,' says Puss in Boots director Chris Miller. 'But one thing's for sure, one could not exist without the other, because Antonio brings such passion to the role.
'This tiny little creature should have, you would think, a squeaky voice - but out of his mouth comes this deep sound. There's some real humour created in the juxtaposition of the two. Here's this great actor with a massive voice, and he's voicing this cute, furry animal.'
The spin-off prequel to Shrek throws the dolly-eyed feline musketeer into the spotlight, the hero of his own film. Puss in Boots tells Puss' story years before his encounter with Shrek and Donkey. Puss is an outlaw on the run, with a bounty on his head.
Out of money and in need of a job, Puss learns of some magic beans that can grow into a beanstalk to reach a castle in the sky. Up there is an ancient treasure - a goose that lays golden eggs. The only problem: outlaw couple Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris) have the beans.
Bent on stealing the beans, Puss encounters former friend but now foe Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) and his accomplice, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), who have been coveting the beans for ages.