VOA标准英语2011--The Cat is Back in 'Puss In Boots'

The Cat is Back in 'Puss In Boots'

 

A furry¹ feline² from the "Shrek" films now has his own animated³ adventure in the fairy tale comedy "Puss In Boots."

This orange tabby cuts a dashing figure, from his wide-brimmed hat to his rugged⁴ leather boots, with his deadly sword ever at the ready.

Since his first appearance in the 2004 hit "Shrek 2," audiences have wanted to know more about this "Puss in Boots." Where did he come from? How did he become such a great fighter? Does he have a girlfriend?"

She is Kitty Softpaws, a sly feline every bit as daring as the hero. Salma Hayek is the voice of Kitty and Antonio Banderas once again creates Puss.

"It is almost embarrassing to say this, but it's easy. It is just fun," Banderas says. "You don't feel that you are spending as much money as you do when you are working on a traditional movie with everybody rushing you because there are 200 people there. It's a lot of fun."

Director Chris Miller⁵ has been part of the creative team behind the "Shrek" films from the beginning. He credits Banderas with making Puss worthy⁶ of his own movie.

Antonio Banderas gives voice to the furry feline in "Puss in Boots."

"We started with a great character: bold, dynamic, colorful, romantic, larger than life. Everything just sort of springs off from the character that Antonio created. The look of the film is a reflection of his character."

Comic actor Zach Galifianakis costars as the voice of the film's villain⁷, Humpty Dumpty, and is quick to defend the egg who sat on a wall and had a great fall.

"I think Humpty Dumpty is a little bit all over the place and he is a little emotional and greedy and a little vindictive," he says. "He is also trying to have a friendship, legitimate⁸ maybe, but his greed gets the best of him. I think down deep in his yolk⁹, he's an okay guy."

Tweaking traditional fairy tale characters is part of the fun in the "Shrek" films. The original "Puss in Boots" came from French literature, but with Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek as the lead voices, the heroes become Hispanic and Banderas believes that sends a good message to young audiences.

"When I first came to America to do "The Mambo Kings" 21 years ago, somebody on the set said to me 'If you stay here, basically you are going to play the bad guy in movies.' In these 21 years, everything changed very much," Banderas says. "In a way, it is a reflection of what is happening in society, so we are actually very proud that our characters are Latinos and I think it is good for diversity and cultural interaction. This movie is going to be seen by kids, and they are going to watch the movie and see that the heroes have strong accents and this is good."

Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, known for horror and suspense¹⁰ thrillers¹¹, is an executive producer on "Puss in Boots," giving the film an edge as well as that Latin flavor.

1 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。

2 feline   

adj.猫科的

参考例句：

• As a result,humans have learned to respect feline independence.结果是人们已经学会尊重猫的独立性。
• The awakening was almost feline in its stealthiness.这种醒觉，简直和猫的脚步一样地轻悄。

3 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

4 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

5 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

6 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

7 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

8 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

9 yolk   

n.蛋黄，卵黄

参考例句：

• This dish would be more delicious with some yolk powder.加点蛋黄粉，这道菜就会更好吃。
• Egg yolk serves as the emulsifying agent in salad dressing.在色拉调味时，蛋黄能作为乳化剂。

10 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

11 thrillers   

n.紧张刺激的故事( thriller的名词复数 )；戏剧；令人感到兴奋的事；（电影）惊悚片

参考例句：

• He has written seven thrillers, and clearly enjoys intellectual pursuits. 他已经写了7本惊悚小说，显然很喜欢这样的智力活动。 来自辞典例句
• Most Americans prefer to read fast-moving adventure stories that we call "thrillers". 大部分美国人喜欢看我们称之为"惊险小说"的情节多变的冒险故事。 来自辞典例句