I Finally Watched Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

We’re living in a 3D animation renaissance. Once, all 3D animated films were basically just trying to be Pixar. Now, however, we’re seeing tons of new films exploring whole new styles. The result has been some of the most visually striking animated movies we’ve seen in decades!

Into the Spiderverse. The Bad Guys. Coming soon, we’ve got Across the Spiderverse and a new animated Ninja Turtles movie. And of course, there’s Puss in Boots: the Last Wish.

Unfortunately, I’m a bit late to the party, as per usual. So pretty much everything that could be said about this movie has been said. It’s praises have been sung as far and as high as one could imagine. Just about everyone agrees that it’s a masterpiece.

So, going into it, I only had one question: is it actually that good? And right at the opening scene, I knew the answer was going to be yes.

After eight lifetimes of reckless adventure, Puss in Boots is down to his ninth and final life. Before he has a chance to spend it as he did all his others, he’s attacked by the one thing he always swore he’d never be afraid of: Death. Just when he thinks his adventuring days are over, however, he catches wind of a map that could lead him to a wishing star, which could give him all his lives back. But with Goldilocks and the three Bears, Big Jack Horner and his baker’s dozen, and Death himself standing in his way, will Puss be able to get his wish?

I love the plot of this movie! It’s a simple and thrilling adventure driven by surprisingly complex and interesting characters and powerful emotional drama, all with a message that is equally effective for children and adults! It’s a masterfully written, wildly entertaining film!

All of the characters are a delight in every scene. Puss, Kitty, and Perrito have an incredibly fun dynamic; it’s basically like two bickering parents and their optimistic kid trying to save their marriage. Goldilocks and the Three Bears make for excellent antagonists; they’re a surprisingly wholesome take on the original fairy tale and they make for more sympathetic villains.

Less sympathetic is the film’s primary antagonist: Death. What more is there to be said about him that hasn’t been said already? This dude is genuinely scary in every scene he’s in! It’s been ages since I’ve seen an animated villain this intimidating!

Oh, and then there’s Jack Horner. He’s evil. Just pure evil. And I love him.

One thing that really took me by surprise was how mature this kid’s movie is. This movie has a higher body count than some horror movies! There’s even cursing! Some of it is even uncensored! It doesn’t pull it’s punches whatsoever!

Look, after watching every single god damn Illumination movie, it’s really refreshing to watch an animated movie that doesn’t treat me like I’m a baby.

Now, let’s talk about them visuals. People have sung their praises of the animation ever since it first came out, and it’s easy to see why. In terms of style, this movie is drop dead gorgeous! It’s bright, colorful, has fantastic shot composition and cinematography, and coolest use of varying frame rates that I’ve seen since ‘Into the Spiderverse!’

Then there’s the music. Holy shit, dude, this OST is a god damn banger! Whenever the strings kick in, you know you’re in for a good time! And if the chorus jumps in? It gave me chills, dudes!

Finally, we have the voice actors. Every single member of the cast brought their A game to this movie! Antonio Banderas kills it as Puss, masterfully capturing the character’s cool confidence as well as his vulnerable terror. Harvey Guillen is fantastic as Perrito, delivering a genuinely cute and wholesome performance. Then there’s Wagner Moura as Death; holy hell, dudes, this man’s voice makes an already menacing character even more terrifying!

Also, John Mullaney as Jack Horner is just perfect. I mean, he’s just doing his normal voice. But hey. If it works, it works.

‘Puss in Boots: the Last Wish’ is every bit as good as people make it out to be. It nails it in every regard! The writing, the performances, the sound, the animation, it nails them all! If you haven’t seen this yet, you absolutely need to fix that! This is one of the best animated movies of the last decade!

Man, Dreamworks has been killing it recently. First Bad Guys, now this. Hopefully they’ll keep this momentum up. If they do, they could absolutely become Hollywood’s new king of animation.

Not that Hollywood would respect that. “Here’s your paper crown for you little kid movies, now get out.” Pretentious pricks.