Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is the best animated film of the year

Universal Pictures

The latest DreamWorks Animation film, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, is a continuation of the Shrek franchise. Many fans of the films have been demanding a sequel to the 2011 Puss in Boots film. There were several times that I thought we weren’t going to get a sequel. DreamWorks pumped out some mediocre animated films in the mid-2010s, which made me believe they were moving away from the Shrek franchise.

The Puss in Boots sequel focuses on our hero, voiced by Antonio Banderas, who is down to his last life. Against his wishes, he starts his ninth life as a domesticated pet cat. Puss learns of a wishing star and sets out on an adventure to find it and restore his nine lives. Other fairy tale characters like Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Florence Pugh as Goldilocks, Olivia Colman as Mamma Bear and Ray Winstone as Papa Bear) and Little Jack Horner (John Mulaney) are all after the wishing star as well for their own personal gain.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is flat out the best animated film of 2022. What easily could have been another average film for DreamWorks Animation turned out to be one of the most deeply personal animated films I have seen in years. The Last Wish perfectly explores Puss as a character and takes him in a path we haven’t seen before. Living as a domesticated pet cat is harder than it looks for Puss. It adds for some humor in the beginning, but we clearly see how it affects Puss and his adventures. The film doesn’t focus too much on him living in a home with other pet cats, but it sets up the importance of the wishing star.

Throughout the film, many layers are given to Puss to make him feel like a new character. In previous films, Puss would have jumped into the action with no hesitation. He has to think about the situation he is in and if he dies, it is all over for him. There is a scene in the film where he has an anxiety attack, which makes the portrayal of Puss more realistic than ever. He often reflects on what he has right in front of him rather than what he wants from the wishing star. We see a deep transition for this character who becomes more aware to his surroundings and the characters around him.

The wishing star isn’t only affecting Puss in terms of that reflection as it also changes Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It paints them as the villains of the story but the progression for the characters turns them into misunderstood characters. Most characters start to realize what they already have and it showcases the importance of friends, family, and love.

Tagging alongside Puss in his journey is a therapy dog (Harvey Guillen) and Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek). Softpaws returns from the first film whereas the therapy dog is a new character. Softpaws easily jumps back into the film and the conflict that she and Puss has feels done before but adds depth to their relationship. Perrito, the therapy dog, adds comfort and chaos to the film. He helps Puss in times of need but also can act as a wild card to make his character feel unpredictable. He has the highlight of the film in terms of the comedy as there are often adult related cursing jokes (bleeped out obviously) that I found to be hilarious! I also appreciate when an animated film can plug in adult jokes to keep parents entertained.

The animation style, similar to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Bad Guys, focuses more on a painterly design. I love this style of animation as it feels new and creates a fairy tale feel to it. While it looks different than the previous Shrek films, it was easy to adjust to the new style of animation for the film.

There is so much potential for a continuation of the Shrek franchise. With how the film ended, it can explore a reunion of Puss and Shrek. I hope DreamWorks Animation realizes how beloved these characters are and offers more spin-offs and sequels down the road. Just don’t wait over 10 years to do it!

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has a run time of 1 hour 40 minutes, and is rated PG for action/violence, rude humor/language, and some scary moments.