One of the characters in the movie Shrek was Puss in Boots, a character that dates back to 16th-century Italy. Puss got his own spin-off movie, and then a few more, and now Netflix has launched a novel format of choose-your-own adventure-style storytelling. A clip of the video plays and then the character asks the viewer whether to (e.g.) follow the princess or challenge the villain. The viewer clicks the answer they want and the story proceeds.
If a choice ends badly for the hero (the cat), the story bumps back to the previous choice and the view can try again without any of the frustration that sometimes comes with interactive fiction.
I wasn’t a big fan of Shrek, but I found the Puss in Boots character appealing – a dashing, cocky rogue who actually isn’t all that strong or able is a good metaphor for many children – and we all were laughing out loud at some of the dialogue in Puss in Book. And my kids really liked the format of choosing how the story changed. ‘Agency’ is one of those themes we parents frequently discuss, and being able to direct the story is fun for kids, especially those who can’t read yet.
This kind of format is not entirely new (remember ‘Clue’ from the ’80s?) but watching videos on the tablet, like we do, makes this format much more practical.
I hope Netflix does more with this medium.