Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves (2018 DreamWorks animated film)

Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves is a upcoming 2018 American 3D computer-animated action comedy adventure film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is the sixth installment of Shrek film series and a sequel to the 2011 film, Puss in Boots.

The film is directed by Bob Persichetti and it's released in September 16, 2018. Unlike the first film, this is not a prequel to the Shrek film series, and actually is set after the events of Shrek Forever After, since Donkey appears in a major role in this film, and the Dronkeys appears as teenagers.

Cast
Shrek, Fiona, their children Farkle, Fergus and Felicia (as teenagers), Dragon, Pinocchio, Gingy, Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, the Three Blind Mice, Queen Lillian, Artie and Doris appears attending Puss and Kitty's wedding, but unlike Donkey and the Dronkeys, not of them have one line at all in this film. In the scene Puss, Kitty and Carlo are at Donkey's house, Donkey says that Dragon is sleeping.
 * Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots, an swordscat and the main protagonist. In this film, having thoughts about his past, he realizes that the real reason why he was sent to San Ricardo was because me needed to take care of everyone. Although he is initially easily enraged by his long-lost and recent-found brother Carlo to the point of screaming even in front of others (which notably disgusted both Kitty and Donkey), in the end, he manages to warm up to his brother, and treats him considerably better.
 * Michael Peña as Carlo, Puss' long lost 1 week older brother and the deuteragonist. Despite him being older than Puss, he acts like younger and is extremely childish, which initially annoys Puss. He is optimistic, fierce, determined, friendly, insecure, clumsy, naïve, funny, yet brave and heroic, and his dream is too become a good swordsman like his parents and his brother. His childlike, naïve and insecure behavior makes him quickly bonds with Donkey, whom Carlo takes an instant liking upon meeting him. He is also extremely sensitive, even crying in one scene that Puss becomes too harsh to him. Carlo is also the one who defeats and kills El Breato in the end, screaming in a brief trauma, and he is extremely reluctant and disapproving of killing, but he did so as he realized it was the only way. Jacob Batalon voices a young Carlo.
 * Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws, Puss' girlfriend and the tritagonist. In the end, she marries Puss and they adopt the Three Diablos. Although she was annoyed by Carlos' behavior at first much like Puss, she was far more patient and kinder to him than Puss, and visibly disgusted Puss' initial attitude towards him. In this film, she reveals that she has a big attachment to children, as she quickly bonds with the Three Diablos, whom she and Puss adopt in the mid-credits scene, and also with the Dronkeys, Donkey's children, even playing with them in one scene and getting emotionally touched when they call her "Aunt Kitty". Throughout the movie, she also forms a partnership with Donkey that eventually turns into a close and good friendship and like Carlo, and unlike most of the characters, she doesn't get annoyed by Donkey in the film at all.
 * Eddie Murphy as Donkey, a talking donkey, Puss' friend and the secondary tritagonist. In this film, he appears first saving Puss, Carlo and Kitty from an explosion caused by El Breato and takes them to his house for safety, where he presents them to his dronkeys now teenagers and fully talking. Throughout the movie, he forms a partnership with Kitty that eventually turns into a close and good friendship. He also bonds with Carlo, who takes an instant liking towards Donkey upon meeting him, making Donkey grow fond of him quickly. Unlike in the previous films, Donkey and Puss does not show any rivalry with each other, not having one argue all, though Donkey was visibly disgusted by Puss' initial attitude towards Carlo (just like Kitty). Donkey joins the trio in their journey to find Ali Baba's Treasure before El Breato, despite Puss' initial protests as he cares for his friend's safety, but he quickly accepts, due to the great deal of faith Puss has on him, acknowledging his helpfulness. In the end, he attends Puss and Kitty's wedding.
 * Benjamin Bratt as El Breato, the main antagonist and the leader of the 40 Thieves. He is a violent, heartless, vicious, arrogant, evil, aloof, calm, stoic, confident, cynical, nonchalant, sarcastic, ruthless, piteless and remorseless swordsman mercenary that wants to find and get Ali Baba's Treasure, take over Mexico and destroy all Spanish speaking places in the world as revenge for the bullying he received from Spanish people when he was a kid. Breato has a long story of rivalry with Camilita and Fernando, Puss and Carlo's parents, because they always spoiled his plans, and so he decided to kill Puss and Carlo as well. Despite his short-lived rivalry with Puss due to Breato's death in the end, Breato is by far the greatest enemy Puss has ever faced, and visibly the enemy Puss hated the most from all enemies he has ever faced in all his life (mainly because El Breato was believed to have killed Puss' biological parents), making El Breato effectively Puss' arch-nemesis. Breato's second arch-nemesis is Carlo, who is also his defeater and killer in the end.
 * Maria Canals Berrara and Miguel Ferrer as Camilita and Fernando, respectively, Puss and Carlo's birth-parents. The reason why they had to abandon is that he could be safe from El Breato, who captured them and Carlo in Puss' birth day, but they were able to save Puss, though they could not even name him in time. However, they were able to free Carlo from their cage and sent him on the mission to find his one week younger brother so they can fight Breato together. They were believed by everyone (including Carlo) to be dead most of the film, until in the end, brief moments before the final battle, Puss and Carlo, along with Kitty and Donkey, discovers that they are alive and reunites with them. In the end, after the battle, they apologize to their sons for keeping the truth from them and later, they attend their son's wedding.
 * Paul Giamatti as Captain Fish, the secondary antagonist, and a pirate captain fish, who first appears attacking a home where cats and people celebrate, until he is stopped by Puss, Carlo, Kitty and Donkey when they try to get Dr. Crooked's formula back. His goal in the film is to get revenge on cats and humans for eating his kind, but to do this, he needs Crooked's formula to become stronger and more powerful. Despite his size, he is very skilled in swordsmanship, being able to handle a hand-to-hand fight combat with Kitty, and though she acknowledges him a formidable opponent, she manages to defeat and eat him.
 * Cheech Marin as Mad Dog Bingo, the tertiary antagonist who hires Captain Fish and Guppy to take out Puss, Carlo, Kitty and Donkey. In the end, he is tied up and gagged by Donkey with help from the Dronkeys and the Three Diablos.
 * Andy Richter as Guppy, the quaternary antagonist and Fish's first mate. However, unlike Breato, Fish and Bingo, Guppy reforms in the end, join to the good side and becomes the new captain of Fish's crew after he is eaten by Kitty. In the end, he is seen attending Puss and Kitty's wedding.
 * Nicholas Cage as Dr. Crooked, a scientist who has a problem with his disability and asks Puss, Carlo, Kitty and Donkey to get his formula back from Captain Fish and in return he gives them a map to get to the Ali Baba's Treasure Cave, as well as several objects they may need to use during their journey. He reappers at the final battle, where he helps Puss, and later he is seen attending Puss and Kitty's wedding.
 * Sadie Sandler, Tyler James Williams and Josh Gad as Perla, Gonzalo and Sir Tomato "Timmy" Montenegro the Third, respectively, also known as the Three Diablos, a trio of swordscats, Princess Alessandra Belagomba's personal guards. Each has its own personality: Perla is smart, independent, strong, confident and somewhat bossy, but good-hearted and a true leader, Gonzalo is short-tempered, grouchy, responsible, focused, mature, serious and easily angered, yet good-hearted and selfless, and Timmy is dim-witted, nos very smart, polite and big-hearted. In this film, they return as teenagers and fully talking, and appears regularly helping Puss and his friends on their journey. They reappear in the final battle teaming up with the Dronkeys and Donkey to beat down Mad Dog Bingo. They appear later attending to Puss and Kitty's wedding and, after the ceremony, they are officially adopted by Puss and Kitty as their children.
 * Charlotte Newhouse as Princess Alessandra Belagomba, an old friend of Puss who appears regularly in the film helping him and his friends on their journey. She reappears in the final battle where she, along with Imelda, indirectly participates, and afterwards, she attends Puss and Kitty's wedding.
 * Constance Marie as Imelda, Puss' adoptive mother and owner of the San Ricardo orphanage and the one who gives Carlo Puss' location and name. In the end, she appears in the final battle where she, along with Princess Alessandra, indirectly participates, and afterwards, she attends Puss and Kitty's wedding.
 * Evan Peters, Tony Revolori, Julian Dennison, Brianna Hildebrand and Shiori Kutsuna as Bananas, Parfait, Peanut, Coco and Debbie, respectively, Donkey and Dragon's children, known as the Dronkeys. In this film, they are teenagers and fully talking. Each has his own personality: Bananas is brooding, headstrong and stubborn, yet still heroic, good-hearted, selfless and by far the bravest of the Dronkeys, Parfait is rude, making a mess of his own space and completely obsessed with playing video games, but still has a good heart, Peanut being more talkative, hyperactive, sensitive, cowardly and not very smart (much like his father), Coco being more narcissistic, vain, bossy, stubborn and somewhat selfish, but still good-hearted, and Debbie being the smartest and very gentle, sweet and polite, yet quite clumsy. They appear when Donkey takes Puss, Kitty and Carlo to his house, where they are presented to Kitty and Carlo. They only appear later in the final battle teaming up with Donkey and the Three Diablos to beat down Mad Dog Bingo. They appear later attending to Puss and Kitty's wedding, where they meets their paternal great-grandmother Jackie.
 * Nicole Kidman as Jackie, Donkey's long-lost maternal grandmother, and owners a farm. She shelters her grandson, Puss, Kitty and Carlo in her farm for a brief days after they fall into a waterfall along their way to Ali Baba's Treasure Cave. In the end, she appears attending to Puss and Kitty's wedding, where she is presented to her great-grandchildren, the Dronkeys.
 * Guillermo del Toro as Comandante, the commander of San Ricardo soldiers that wants to arrest Puss due to a past misunderstanding. However, in the final battle, he teams up with Puss and his friends to defeat El Breato, Captain Fish, Mad Dog Bingo, Guppy and the 40 Thieves. Afterwards he and his mother attends Puss and Kitty's wedding, demonstrating that his hatred towards the cat is gone or at least decreased a little.

Production
In November 2012, executive producer Guillermo del Toro said that they already did a couple of script for a sequel, and that the director Chris Miller wants to take Puss on an adventure to exotic places.

In April 2014, Antonio Banderas, the voice of Puss, said that the work on the sequel had just begun.

In June 2014, the movie was titled Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves and was scheduled to be released on November 2, 2018.

Two months later, it was moved to September 16, 2018. In that same time, Banderas said in an interview that Shrek may appear in the film, but in November 6, 2016, they decided to put Donkey instead of Shrek due to the popularity of the character.

Also, in the same month Bob Persichetti of Spider-Verse aided to the direction of the film.

The first trailer was released in November 29, 2017 and the movie released in November 2, 2018.

Release
Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves is released mundially in November 6, 2018.

Box office
The film grossed $336,361,222 in North America and $1,024,900,000 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $1,360,261,122, against a budget of $160 million.

Critical response
At the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 375 reviews, with an average rating of 8,25/10.

Trivia

 * Unlike in previous Shrek installments, here Puss and Donkey's rivalry is completely absent with the two not having any bicker or argument through the whole movie, and they actually have a far closer relationship and friendship than in previous films. Their rivalry, however, is back in Shrek 5, which is a direct sequel to Puss in Boots 2. However, their rivalry is more friendly, being now more a play than a real rivalry between the two.
 * Shrek, Fiona, The Ogre Triplets, Lillian, Artie, Dragon, Pinocchio, Gingy, Wolf, Piggies and Blind Mice appear attending to Puss and Kitty's wedding, but unlike Donkey and Dronkeys, none of them have even one line in the film. Golden Goose, The Terror and Humpty Dumpty makes silent cameos attending Puss' wedding.
 * The Comandante that wanted to arrest Puss in the first film attends to Puss' wedding, demonstrating that his hatred towards the cat is gone or at least decreased a little.