A decade is a long time to wait for a sequel. Especially when that first movie was well-received (at least by critics, fans were admittedly more mixed), made a bunch of money at the box office, and received a nomination for Best Animated Feature. I’m talking, of course, about 2011’s Puss in Boots, the first feature length spin-off of DreamWork’s Shrek franchise. I appreciate studios taking some time to come out with a sequel; I don’t need something every other year. But a decade? Well, then it better be worth the wait. And whatever the creative team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish were doing in the decade between then and now worked. Because The Last Wish is nothing short of terrific.
Everyone’s favorite swashbuckling feline, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) has lived a hard life. And not hard as in difficult, necessarily. But hard as in adventurous, exciting, dangerous. But that comes at a cost. After being accidentally killed by a falling bell, Puss learns he has used 8 of his 9 lives. Knowing he had extra lives to spare is what allowed him to live so fearlessly. But he now faces an existential crisis: his next death is permanent. This changes Puss. He becomes more subdued, nervous, not willing to live the “life on the edge” that made him such a legend in the first place.
But that changes after he learns of a supposed Wishing Star that will grant its holder one wish. Puss has to set these newfound fears aside and set off on yet another grand adventure. However, he faces competition for the star – of course. Goldilocks and the Three Bears crime family, “Big” Jack Horner (John Mulaney), and old lover and rival Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) are all hot on the trail as well. Puss and Kitty team up, along with new friend Perrito, an aspiring therapy dog. But Puss isn’t fully back to his old ways. Hunting him down is the bounty hunter Big Bad Wolf. He trails Puss throughout the movie, showing up periodically in menacing fashion, putting fear into the formerly fearless feline. It’s a lot to contend with for someone who’s down to his last life.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish strikes a near perfect balance of appealing to both young and adult audiences. The central message is a valuable one for people of all ages. Kids need to learn that you need to make the most of the life you have, and plenty of adults need a reminder of that fact. And The Last Wish doesn’t present this message in a gloomy, depressing way. It does so by showing and reminding the audience how much good there is to be found in life. Fun and adventure and friendship and love. You can’t fully enjoy all life has to offer if you flinch every time you turn a corner.
And with Puss learning all this in their search for the map, he starts to see and understand why his friends – and even enemies – want this Last Wish. It sets up a strong emotional investment in the ultimate fate of this wish. How it ultimately plays out isn’t necessarily a surprise, but it wasn’t obvious. It’s to the movie’s credit that that it sets up several logical outcomes that all would have been properly set up throughout the movie. I liked the direction it went, but it wasn’t the only option that would have been satisfying.
In addition to the great messaging and themes, The Last Wish is simply fun. It’s an absolute blast from minute one. The animation is dynamic, engaging, and creative, reminding audiences of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The voice cast is also top notch, with returning cast members Banderas and Hayek predictably in top form. John Mulaney is perfectly cast as the villain Horner. One of my favorite stand up comedians, his voice is also tailor-made for voice-over acting. Florence Pugh as Goldilocks, Olivia Colman and Ray Winstone as Mama and Papa Bear are huge gets, and help bring to life a surprisingly nuanced group of foils for Puss and the gang.
And adding to the fun of it all is the humor. You would expect a movie set in the Shrek universe to be funny, and The Last Wish is no exception. It’s one of the funniest movies of the year, with a rapid joke clip and an almost perfect hit rate. Like the themes, the humor is mostly of a “for all ages” variety. There are a few moments where the adults in the audience are clearly being targeted (and those actually are a couple of the funniest bits), but mostly it’s humor that everyone can enjoy. And as someone who isn’t particularly good at crafting jokes (ie, can’t do it), it’s extremely impressive that the movie so consistently hits us with jokes that both 10 year olds and their 40 year old parents will find funny.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a great combination of mature themes presented for all ages, beautiful and engaging animation, with no shortage of humor and adventure. It’s not just the best animated movie this year, it’s one of the best movies of the year, plain and simple.
Score: 89/100
