I love that Discotek puts out anime releases that most modern anime distributors wouldn't. Toei Animation's "The Wonderful World of Puss N' Boots," the original film featuring their mascot character Pero, is one example. Toei originally produced three different movies with Pero, and as of this writing, Discotek also released the third movie... but not the second? In any case, the third movie, "Puss N' Boots - Around The World" is a loose retelling of Jules Vernes' "Around The World In 80 Days," with Pero taking the role of Phileas Fogg. It's a personal favourite story of mine, so I was looking forward to this one. The story sets up Pero as a waiter in a local restaurant, still hiding from the cat-guard-trio from the Cat Kingdom for being kind to mice. Lord Grummon (a large pig, named "Lord Rumblehog" in the English dub), the local rich aristocrat and bully, comes in for a meal, grumpily mocking the newspaper editor at a different table for claiming it's now possible to travel around the wrold in under a year. To stick up for the victims, Pero claims he could make the trip in as little as 80 days. Rumblehog doesn't like being made a fool of, so he offers a gamble for Pero to attempt the trip: if he wins, he gets all of Rumblehog's riches, but if he loses, Pero becomes Rumblehog's slave and servant. Without hesitation, Pero agrees, and his loyal friends agree to join him. So they set off, right on cue for the cat-guards to find him and give chase around the world. Meanwhile, a suspicious wolf under Rumblehog's employ tries to sabotage the journey. I have a few gripes about this movie. One, the old English dub for this one gives Pero the name "Pussty." Not Pero or Puss, and not even Puss.B. (which would make more sense). It sounds awkward and follows throughout the film. Another issue is that Pero's loyal friends, a clumsy hippo, a small father mouse and his rambunctious child mouse, decide to join Pero on the adventure, to which he agrees without hesitation. However, they have virtually no skills or strengths, and seemingly every delay that occurs in the journey is caused BY THEM... it feels like Pero could have made the trip in half the time had he decided to go alone. Another hole in the plot is that the gang uses whatever vehicles they have at their disposal, starting with a motorcar... then building a submarine themselves in a matter of days... then a small airplane. If Phileas Fogg had access to an airplane, the full trip would have taken less than 8 days, not 80! Having access to all this ruins the excitement of the original story. Not to mention they try to take a shortcut through the North Pole at one point, which is surely against the rules of the bet. This is all to say the story isn't as tight or sensible as Pero's first movie. It also lacks the wit and cunning Pero originally displayed, with only his charm and optimism remaining. On the other hand, as a kids movie, the film is arguably more fun this time around. It's a globe-trotting adventure with diverse locations, and at barely an hour long, it doesn't spend too much time at any of them, aside from the Arctic near the end. The chase scenes are good fun, thanks in part to the Wolf, a mad inventor capable of producing giant robots. The final showdown of Pero trying to get to the top of the clocktower is itself a great sequence, perhaps inspiring Disney's "The Great Mouse Detective" a decade later. If you're willing to not take the plot too seriously, the light-hearted fun of the adventure makes up for it. 
Production values are similar to "The Wonderful World," in that they are old and don't hold a candle to modern anime, or any Disney films from the same era. The Bluray quality from Discotek is very good though, allowing you to appreciate it at its best. I like that there aren't any human characters this time, and the diversity in animal characters to take their place is much more interesting. Some of the animation sequences, particularly the Wolf's robots, are quite ambitious for their time. Despite having a different English cast in the dub, Pero sounds similar enough to carry over, but being an old dub (and changing Pero's name without reason) makes the Japanese dub an obvious choice to choose. "Puss 'N Boots - Around The World" is a good and harmless film for young kids, and shows off why Pero is such a charming and lovable hero. The plot has a lot to complain about, but this movie wasn't meant for an audience that would pay such close attention. If you can ignore that, the adventure is fun enough to enjoy.