Product Info

Studio

Dreamworks Animation

Director

Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado

Genre

Adventure, Animation, Comedy

Rated

PG

Theatrical Release Date (NA)

Dec 21, 2022

Film Length

1h 40min

Purchase From

Since his debut in 2004 as a side character in Shrek 2, Dreamworks’ Puss in Boots character has proven popular among audiences. He has had spin-off films and a six-season series on Netflix. His latest film, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, mixes comical and serious events, but its constantly changing animation styles feels too much.

When You Wish Upon a Star

The feline hero has his work cut out for him when he realizes that he has already used up eight of his nine lives. With the threat of a bounty hunter, the Big Bad Wolf, after his life, Puss in Boots retires to the countryside as a lap cat. Unfortunately, it’s not a very grand existence, since he has to live among a houseful of cats that share food and a litterbox.

Fortunately for Puss, this lifestyle changes when Goldi (aka Goldilocks) and the three bears barge into Puss’s retirement home looking for him to help them find the wishing star. Upon hearing about the folk story being real, Puss and his new dog “friend,” Perro, set off to find the wishing star before Goldilocks and another threat, Jack Horner, can. That’s not all. Those who watched the previous Puss in Boots films will meet Kitty Softpaws once again. Softpaws was once a love interest of Puss, but things went sour prior to The Last Wish. Her fate of staying clear from Puss doesn’t pan out, though, since the two work together, along with Perro, to find the wishing star.

Although the movie introduces four characters struggling for power, with each wanting their wish granted, the film balances their spotlight and backstory quite well. If you’ve heard the fairytales for Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Jack Horner, you have the basic understanding of their backstory. The Last Wish adds more depth to them. Jack Honer’s dark side is an interesting case and those who enjoy Easter eggs will see a lot of them, such as the poison apples from Snow White. Jiminy Cricket tags along with Jack as his conscience and has some amusing scenes along the way. Jack’s private army of the Baker’s Dozen was a nice, laughable touch too.

At first, for Goldilocks and the three bears, it seemed like Goldi enslaved the three bears for her evildoing, but actually it’s a mutual relationship where the bears and Goldi are working together for the common goal of getting to the wishing star first.

Puss in Boots and Perro’s own adventure together has lots of comical moments but also many heartwarming scenes. One that stands out is when the Big Bad Wolf is after Puss. Puss is still frightened of his stalker, so he runs away, leaving his friends behind. When Perro finds him and comforts him, Puss realizes he did not savor his many lives, foolishly wasting them for fun instead. It works well because the filmmakers gave enough time for audiences to be invested in the characters and their relationship.

With a runtime of just under two hours (1hr 40min), there’s enough time to get to know the characters and get through the story without many of the scenes feeling bloated. Well done!

Borrowing Styles

When the movie’s trailers first came out, it seemed like the Spider-Verse style animation was the direction the film was going. After watching 15 minutes of the film, that wasn’t the case.

The Last Wish’s animation goes back and forth between two styles. The film is mostly done in the traditional 3D animation the audience has been used to seeing in the franchise for the last decade. The second style used is much like the one seen in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: 12 frames per second (fps), flat, but with vibrant colors. This new style appears in key moments and in fighting scenes, and it’s neat that the filmmakers are trying something new. However, it’s honestly a little too much. The film could have done without it, since the fight scenes are already using enough creative angles and transitions to make them fun to watch. Nice try.

The film’s soundtrack is very upbeat with low and heavy tones for those dramatic turns of events. With Puss and Softpaws having Spanish accents, it is of no surprise that Spanish-inspired music is used during their spotlight.

The Final Life

Puss in Boots: The Final Wish is an enjoyable film that manages to land on its feet comfortably. Its secondary animation style is an interesting creative attempt, but it’s not needed in this adventure. Our favorite fearless tabby as he is is more than enough. Long live Puss in Boots!

An early screening available for this review.