May 11, 2023

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” (2022), directed by Joel Crawford, is the sixth feature-length film in the “Shrek” franchise and the sequel to the spinoff “Puss in Boots” (2011). The cast includes Antonio Banderas, who some viewers know as the father from the “Spy Kids” series, as Puss in Boots. Salma Hayek stars as Kitty Soft Paws and John Mulaney, also known as Spider-Ham from “Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse,” voices Jack Horner. 

As the story goes, a wishing star fell to Earth long ago, creating a dark forest. The star has the power to grant one wish. Puss in Boots has gotten used to his semi-immortality while fighting fairytale monsters. He has gone on many adventures but this time he is up against the real fear of death. Puss in Boots is on his ninth life, so he seeks out the wishing star to wish for another nine lives…but will death catch up to him before then?

One positive element of this film is that viewers do not need to watch the first film in the series in order to understand the second. This film takes the characters and puts them in a completely different adventure. Usually, this would be a double-edged sword but it works because Puss in Boots’ character development was already well-established in the first film. 

Also, viewers should be aware that this is the most recent story in the “Shrek” franchise timeline, taking place after “Shrek Forever After.” So by this point, Puss in Boots has been on many adventures.

“The Last Wish” is just as innovative as “Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse” with its art and animation. Most current animated films have similarly overdone CGI (“Minions,” “Onward,” “Strange World,” “Raya and the Last Dragon,” and “Turning Red,” just to name a few). When “Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse” was released in 2018 it was a breath of fresh air. The film established a new standard with breathtaking animation techniques—one of which was never done before: Miles (the main character) was animated at a slower frame rate than his mentor Peter B. Parker. This showed that Miles was quite literally not as smooth with his powers as Peter was. 

Ever since “Into the Spider-Verse” came out, audiences have waited for another film that challenges the standards of modern animation. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” is that film. It features the “Into the Spider-Verse” style by animating characters at modified frame rates in action scenes. This technique makes characters look as if they are moving faster (or slower) than they actually are and makes the audience feel more engaged in combat scenes. Japanese animation uses a similar technique in which a punch or kick is slowed down right before it lands so the viewer feels the impact more viscerally. 

“The Last Wish” uses two storytelling techniques correctly. The first is “show, don’t tell.” For example, Puss goes through visual change and grows out his beard. His friends often help him but he doesn’t want to face the fact that he’s getting old and needs the assistance. He doesn’t want to believe that he cannot do everything by himself.

The second is “Chekhov’s Gun”: If any significant object draws attention in Act 1, it must be “fired” by Act 3. Jack Horner is an excellent example of this technique. Every fairytale object that Horner puts in his bag ends up being used later on in the plot, just as everything Puss in Boots gains or loses also makes a return. 

With The Big Bad Wolf, “The Last Wish” shows that it is still possible to create an entertaining villain. Most recent Disney films are missing substance with their villains (some have no real villain at all). The lack of a true villain hurts a film, and the “twist” villain concept (present in almost every Disney and Pixar film since “Toy Story 3”) has gotten old. 

“The Last Wish” tackles its themes just as well: appreciating what you have, trusting others and understanding that death could always be just around the corner. The film executes its lessons perfectly, not once but three times as each character learns these morals in their own way. Every theme introduced in the film has an equal amount of screen time, and there are no loose ends.