By Diego Campbell Advertising for the new Puss in Boots movie labels it as “A New Story from the Fairy Tales of Shrek.” Shrek himself is a meme on the internet that people will recognize; so, it makes sense that Dreamworks would tie this movie to the Shrek wagon right off the bat. But it is a huge mistake to think that “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is nothing more than a little spin off. It is a beautiful adventure story that grapples with mortality, found family, and the value of life. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t underestimate the newest movie about everyone’s favorite fearless feline hero. Fair warning, spoilers ahead.
The Animation “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” uses a style of animation similar to the incredibly successful “Spider-Man-Into the Spider Verse” movie. This isn’t the first time Dreamworks has done this, seeing as how “The Bad Guys,” a movie they released earlier this year, uses a similar aesthetic. “The Last Wish” utilizes this style in fantastic ways, such as using vibrant colors for fight scenes like the Giant Battle in the beginning or the Wishing Star Free-for-All near the end. The characters movements can go from fluid motions to cut moments-in-time. Little details like subtitles appearing when an action happens, such as when a door is broken down by a giant bear, also give the scene a fun, but minor, flair. It’s these little details that help give “The Last Wish" so much life, and give viewers hope for whatever other movies Dreamworks throws at us in the future. The Story and Its Characters “The Last Wish” follows the adventures of Puss in Boots, a larger-than-life legendary hero who just managed to lose his eighth life out of nine to a bell. He is forced to hang up his cape and boots and thinks that he is doomed to live in a retirement home filled with dirty cats and gross food. But even on his last legs, Puss still manages to meet a crazy cast of characters that give him the adventure of a lifetime: a race to the legendary Wishing Star, which will grant anyone one wish. The journey leads him to friends, new and old, relentless and terrifying villains, and a magic forest where the landscape changes in accordance with whoever holds the magic map. The story is excellent, and its underlying themes are beautifully not forced in your face. But before I can tell you about those; however, we must address the characters. Puss in Boots himself is a joy to watch. His carefree, heroic demeanor makes for some incredible fights and witty lines. But at the same time, he’s struggling to come to terms with the fact that he’s on his last life. That forces him to grow as a character and makes him feel emotions and fears that he never really felt before. His friends are also great. Puss meets a therapy dog in retirement, who’s filled with innocence and loyalty. He is the comedy relief and has some genuinely funny scenes; but he also serves purpose to the plot by helping Puss through the magic forest, multiple villain encounters, and even a panic attack. Although unnamed for most of the movie, he becomes a valued friend of Puss’ and is given the name “Perito,” an action that feels earned and right. Puss also meets a blast from his past in Kitty Softpaws, an equally skilled cat burglar who serves as a love interest with trust issues. She was great at keeping Puss on his toes and helped him to realize how great his life could be with people by his side. It’s not easy for a movie to juggle multiple villains into its story. However, “the Last Wish” manages to throw not one, not two, but three villains into the mix, and balances them all out so that we aren’t given too much or too little screen time with one character. Goldilocks and the Three Bears are turned into a crime family who are looking ahead to bigger and better things. Even so, they are a genuine family filled with banter and lighthearted moments. Even as villains, you can’t help but root for these four characters and hope that things will turn out just right for them. Big Jack Horner, based on the nursery rhyme of Little Jack Horner, is a kingpin of magical artifacts. His one mission is to use the last wish to become the ruler of all magic (all because he was upstaged by Pinocchio one time). Jack Horner is a comically threatening villain with no regard for anyone but himself, not even his own henchmen. He even has a few scenes with a talking bug (who is clearly based on Jiminy Cricket) to show how irredeemably evil he is. His arsenal of magical weapons makes him a deadly opponent, but he is in no way as dangerous as the final villain. Shortly after losing his eighth life, Puss in Boots goes to a bar, unconvinced that he should retire. It’s there that he meets a white wolf, a seemingly creepy bounty hunter who makes it clear that he wants Puss in Boots dead. The wolf manages to strike fear into Puss by overpowering him in combat with astonishing speed, strength, and skill. Puss spends the majority of the movie running away from this wolf, who consistently tracks down and stalks him. It’s because of this villain that Puss retires, but then later goes on the quest to reach the wishing star and wish for his lives back. Every time the wolf appears, he changes the tone of the scene with his haunting whistle and moon-shaped sickles. Midway through the movie, the wolf reveals himself to be Death incarnate, which explains his supernatural speed and strength. He hates how Puss has wasted his eight lives, and is so sure that this arrogant feline will burn through his last one that he’s coming to collect now. This turns an already terrifying villain into a much more bone-chilling antagonist without changing a single thing about him. Themes “The Last Wish” plays with the delicate theme of mortality. Everyone dies; no one lives forever. It’s a hard topic to plug into a kids movie. It’s also even harder for Puss in Boots to digest, which is why it’s the perfect theme. The whole movie revolves around characters who are desperately trying to reach the Wishing Star and wish for the one thing they imagine will make their lives better. Goldilocks wants to use it to wish for a human family, Softpaws wants to wish for someone she can trust, and Puss wants to wish for more lives. But Goldilocks realizes her bear family is all the family she needs (delivering a good dose of found family into the mix). And Softpaws realizes that she can trust Puss, if he were to throw away his ego. But in Puss’s case, he needs a little extra help before he can realize he has to enjoy the life he’s got. The Wolf that hunts Puss down is literal death itself; this couldn’t be a better villain for the arrogant Puss in Boots, who laughs in the face of death. He has lived life unafraid of the consequences because he’s got eight more chances if things go wrong. But now that he’s on his last life, it takes Death itself stalking him for him to realize he has to protect his remaining lifeline at all costs. Puss is desperate to get the last wish so he can go back to being a fearless hero; but thanks to his encounters with Perito and Kitty, he sees another side to life, the one he had put away in order to become a legend: A life of companionship, romance, and friendship. When Puss faces off against Death for the final time, he doesn’t run away or fight frantically to wish for his eight lives back: he stands his ground and fights to protect the life he has left. A perfect climax for a movie about found family, mortality, and the indescribable value of life. I went to see “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" with a few friends a few days before New Year's. Suffice to say, we had no idea what we were in for when we walked into the theater. “The Last Wish” was a hilarious, colorful, and mature story with amazing characters and themes. There is so much more to say about the film, like how fantastic the world building is, or how cool Death really is, but this article has been running a little long as it is. In short, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” was phenomenal: 10/10.
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