On May 19th, 2004, Dreamworks Animation released Shrek 2 (2004), a sequel to the Oscar-winning Shrek (2001). Expanding the “Shrek-iverse,” the film featured a new character, Puss in Boots the cat, based on the Italian Fairy Tale of the same name, and voiced by Oscar-nominee Antonio Banderas. The fearless feline was beloved by audiences, and was featured in the next two “Shrek” sequels Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek Forever After (2010). The year after “Shrek Forever After,” the character was given a spin-off movie of his own, Puss in Boots (2011), which scored a Best Animated Feature Oscar Nod just like the first two “Shrek” films. 11 years later, Dreamworks released a sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022). Here are my thoughts:
Puss in Boots discovers that he used up eight of his nine lives. He doctor recommends he retire, but despite being older, Puss doesn’t want to. Later, he’s reunited with Kitty Softpaws, his love interest from the first film, and they discover there is a magical star that can grant any wish. So, they decide to go on another adventure in search of that star. Little do they know that other fairy tale characters, i.e. Goldilocks and The Three Bears and Little Jack Horner, are also after it and with questionable intentions.
The “Shrek” films and the first “Puss in Boots,” all told stories that poked fun at fairy tale characters, but in a non-offensive way. “The Last Wish,” continues that tradition, though I personally found its sense of humor to be much more clever than the previous “Puss in Boots.” In addition to humor the main message of this movie is to never let age keep you from having life’s adventures and doing what you love.
Antonio Banderas and Oscar-Nominee Salma Hayek both return to voice Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws. The voice cast also features John Mulaney as Jack Horner. Oscar-Nominee Florence Pugh, Oscar-Winner Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, and Samson Kayo, respectively voice Goldilocks and The Three Bears. The film was co-directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado. Crawford previously directed Dreamworks’ The Croods: A New Age (2020) while Mercado makes his film directing debut, having previously directed the Nickelodeon series Harvey Breaks (2015-2017) and the direct-to-video short Dear Diary: World’s First Pranks (2021). The film was also co-written by Tommy Swerdlow who wrote Illumination’s The Grinch (2018), Tom Wheeler who wrote the first “Puss in Boots,” and Paul Fisher who wrote “The Croods: A New Age.”
The film also boasts a beautiful visual style, inspired by Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Production Designer, Nate Wragg, intentionally patterned “Last Wish,” after “Spider-Man,” to give it a Moore “storybook look,” and it really contributes to the viewer experience.
Overall, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” is a fun and entertaining movie. It reaches out to older audience members with a strong message about aging well and it’s an improvement on the first film with a more engaging story, while maintaining the clever humor of the Shrek universe.
