How does one defeat Death without cheating it? 11 years after the release of Puss in Boots, DreamWorks launched Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Puss has used eight of his nine cat lives and is now on a journey to use the last wish in order to retain his previous lives. Along the way, he battles two other characters vying for the wish all while battling Death.
The film opens with Puss celebrating a party with the governor but quickly having to battle a giant. While Puss defeats the giant, he loses his eigth cat life and all that remains is his ninth. Puss beat the giant with ease but his recklessness caused him to lose another life. When suggested by the doctor that he retire, Puss laughs him off because it would hurt the legend of who he is.
He then meets a grey wolf substantially taller than him at a cantina who defeats him just as easily as he beats the giant. After never being touched by a blade, the wolf slashes Puss making him feel mortal and enroll in retirement. It’s a great contrast to make Puss seem on top of the world and within minutes, shown there are greater foes alive.
While bored in retirement, Puss overhears Goldilocks and the three bears talking to the owner of the retirement home speak about a shooting star which can grant a wish to whoever is holding a particular map. We’re then introduced to Big Jack Horner who is scheduled to get the map but Puss has other plans. Tired of his boring life, he goes to steal the map to make his wish and regain all of his lives.
He’s joined, unwillingly, by a dog he met at the retirement home named Perrito and meets Kitty Softpaws while stealing the map. The three drive off on horseback while being shot at with fiery arrows but they escape. All charcters are now on a chase for the last wish.
Normally with so many characters being introduced in the first 30 minutes, the audience loses interest in some of them or not enough is told about them. But never once is the viewer out of the loop and everyone has a reason to want the map.
Puss wants his nine lives back so his legacy can continue to live on. Kitty wants a loyal partner to trust for her future endeavors. Big Jack Horner wants the map so he can wish for all of the magic in the world. And Goldilocks wants the wish so she can be reunited with her human family. It’s engaging and remarkable that the writing staff could keep so many characters involved. But this was one of two stories happening in the movie.
The other involves the grey wolf that forced Puss into retirement early in the movie. This wolf turns out to be Death. Yes, the literal Death. Death despises those that continue to cheat life and is furious with how Puss has carelessly used his previous eight lives. He now wants to kill Puss for not appreciating his gift of life which results in Puss running from the threat of Death throughout the movie.
Death may be one of the best villains created in the animated cinema universe. A good villain is not merely evil for the fun of it, they have a specific intention. Hating that Puss continues to cheat him, he believes it is now time to teach him a lesson. Even his lack of presence intimidates Puss because he’s aware he could appear at any time. I think the writers perfected Death and the only complaint would be that he did not receive more screen time.
And all of this has gone without even mentioning the animation. The animation of this movie had definitely taken influence from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and looked amazing because of it. Scratchy handdrawn lines, frame stretching and the light gently reflecting off of Puss’ body are only a small fragment of the amazing animation greatness used in the movie. The creativity and time showed in their final product as it should raise the ceiling for what an acceptable animation film is currently. The team took full advantage of the resources given to them and it paid off.
You don’t need to have watched Shrek or the original Puss in Boots to apprecite this movie. The character development, empathizing with character’s struggles and beautiful artistic creations make this movie one of the best of the year. Whether it’s something that you would want to take the kids to or watch on your own this Saturday night, I’d highly recommend this movie for all to watch.
Release Date: December 21, 2022
Voice Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillen, Florence Pugh, Olivia Coleman, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo, John Mulaney, Wagner Moura, Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Director: Joel Crawford
Distributor: DreamWorks Animation LLC
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Adventure
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1hr 40 min
Official Website: https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/puss-in-boots-the-last-wish
Social Media Pages:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/PussInBoots
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3915174/
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puss_in_Boots:_The_Last_Wish
Andrew Hartley | Writing Contributor
B.A | Journalism | SJSU
Andrew is a junior at San Jose State University who majors in journalism. Being able to platform other people’s experiences and stories intrigues him. Outside of school, he works as a shoe consultant and always tries expanding his Lego collection. He and his cat, Macaroni, watch all movies and TV shows together and are self-proclaimed geeks. When not watching whatever movie is trending, he enjoys sports, sneakers and playing board games. He is a self proclaimed Swiftie and thinks the best show on Netflix is ‘Community’. He is joyous to be a part of the staff and hopes to bring a little humor to his writing. Twitter: @andrewhart1ey | View My Articles
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