For items specific to the 2011 DreamWorks Animation film, see here.
The Fairy Tale by Charles Perrault
- Adaptation Displacement: Due to the popularity of that version of the character, plenty of younger audiences are surprised to find out that Puss in Boots is an actual fairytale and was not an invention of the Shrek films. Even those who are aware of the fairy tale, but haven't read it, assume the literary Puss is also a swashbuckling Action Hero like his DreamWorks counterpart rather than the Chessmaster Sidekick he actually is.
- Designated Hero: Puss himself, as he lies to the king that the miller’s son is the Marquis of Carabas, he tricks an ogre into shapeshifting into different animals, so he could eat him, and then steals the castle away from him. In the end, Puss is rewarded as the prime minister. Newer adaptations tone his behavior down, and make the ogre more antagonistic, so that Puss comes off as more sympathetic.
- I Am Not Shazam: "Puss in Boots" is merely the title of the story, not the cat's name, as he isn't actually given one in the narrative. This confusion likely spawns from the popular DreamWorks Animation incarnation of the character, where that is his name.
- Magnificent Bastard: The titular character is a suave and shrewd pet cat of a miller. When the miller's youngest son inherits the cat, the cat promises his new master riches if he gave the cat a pair of boots. The cat then makes occasional visits to the local king, paying him tribute in his master's name with animals the cat had hunted. Having his master masquerade as a noble, the cat proceeds to make sure that his lie holds up. He gets rid of his master's old clothes, lying to the king that they had been stolen while he was bathing. He then clears the countryside of its peasants, claiming it has his master's land. Finally, he comes across a castle owned by a shape-shifting ogre. Stoking the ogre's ego, the cat tricks the ogre into transforming into a mouse, where the cat takes the opportunity to eat the defenceless ogre. Claiming the castle as his master's, the cat succeeds in impressing the king. The king gives the master his daughter's hand in marriage, while elevating the cat as a lord. The cat, now having grown bored, then spends his time chasing mice for his amusement.
