Matt Fowler found Banderas "perfectly suitable as Puss", and Todd McCarthy called his performance "spirited and knowing". James Mottram praised "Banderas's charm" as well. Graham Young felt that Banderas's performance improved Shrek 2, resembling his acting in The Mask of Zorro, and Chrissy Iley described Puss as "a feline spoof of [Banderas's] Zorro character". Donna Bowater of The Telegraph called Banderas's performance "famous". Jeff Otto said that Banderas "lends a fantastic energy to the character", making viewers "wish for more of him". Alan Jones of Radio Times also enjoyed Banderas's voice acting. According to an Empire reviewer, Puss was "voiced to perfection by Banderas". In the book titled Stars in World Cinema: Screen Icons and Star Systems Across Cultures, the authors wrote that the "European roots" of the fairy tale "Puss in Boots" were "revived through the presence of Banderas". They stated that while Banderas's "on-screen persona" had been based on "his sensuality and body image", he then exchanged this representation for the image of "an animated ginger cat". The writers also commented that Puss's voice "was intended to speak to the audience's [internalized] views regarding accent and regional profile"; they said it was "vital" for Puss "not to belong to the dominant cultural group" despite being "adopted into that group". In his book titled The Animated Movie Guide, author Jerry Beck wrote that Banderas voiced Puss with "a Castilian accent" in the Latin American version and with "an Andalusian accent" in the Spanish version; he mentioned that both accents sounded "funny" to their respective target audiences. Entertainment Weeklys Maureen Lee Lenker said that Puss had become a "fan favorite" after his first appearance in the Shrek franchise, mostly because of Banderas's "smooth Spanish accent"; the "tie-in" with Banderas was stated to "largely" contribute to Puss's popularity. Merchandise Merchandise based on the character has been released, including plush toys. The company Funko has launched vinyl figures depicting Puss. McDonald's toys inspired by Puss have also been produced. Pez candy dispensers based on Puss have been created as well. Backpacks that portray Puss on their print have been released, and articles of clothing inspired by him have also been produced. A Monopoly game based on Puss and other Shrek characters has been invented. References Shrek characters Male characters in animated films Film characters introduced in 2004 Animated characters introduced in 2004 Anthropomorphic cats Fictional fencers Fictional Spanish people Fictional bounty hunters