Puss in Boots (1922 film)

Production

The film was produced at the Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City, Missouri. Although supposedly based on Perrault's tale, the short bears little resemblance to any literary version. Disney likely did not aim to retell a familiar story, instead creating a distinct version. The film relies on visual gags, anarchic humor, and a chase finale, typical of 1920s Disney shorts. This contrasts with the more didactic, morality-focused fairy-tale shorts of the 1930s. The primitive drawings were produced by a small staff including Walt Disney, Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising, Ub Iwerks, Carman Maxwell, Lorrey Tague, and Otto Walliman. The frequent gags and unconventional plots give the film a carnival-like mood.

Plot

The hero Jack, a young commoner, loves Susie, the king's daughter, and the feeling is mutual. Jack's black cat Julius loves James, the king's white dog and chauffeur. The king objects to both relationships and throws Jack and Julius out of the palace. They go to a movie theater and watch a film starring Rodolph Vaselino as a bullfighter.

Inspired, Julius devises a plan for Jack to win the princess, but first asks for a pair of boots as payment. They stage a bullfighting spectacle with Jack disguised as a masked bullfighter. Julius originally planned to use a hypnotic machine to control the bull, but the fight becomes a physical struggle. Jack wins, and the king offers his daughter's hand to the masked bullfighter.

When the king discovers the commoner behind the mask, he is enraged. Jack, Susie, Julius, and James escape in the royal automobile as the king chases on foot. The film ends with the car speeding away.

Analysis

Compared to the traditional tale, the focus shifts from the cunning cat to the master. The hero is a commoner but not a peasant, and he is not stupid; he is a young man seeking victory at all costs. By running away with the king's virgin daughter, the hero deprives the king of his most valued possession. Jack Zipes suggests an underlying Oedipus complex theme, as the young boy defeats and humiliates the father figure.

The film has a democratic theme in its treatment of the monarch, whose power is undermined by a commoner's personal revolt, likely derived from American republicanism. Technology plays a significant role: a film inspires Julius's plot, a hypnotic machine helps defeat the bull, and an automobile enables the escape. These devices place the setting in the 20th century, suggesting a triumph of modernity over antiquated traditions. A final departure from the traditional fairy tale is the open ending, as the short concludes without a wedding or characters moving into a castle.