Shrek is a widely known and beloved name, and the Shrek franchise is huge and expansive, with a more than decent amount of sequels and spinoffs. Puss in Boots was one of those spinoffs, and although it was well regarded and well liked, it certainly wasn’t remarkable. The spinoff was announced to have a sequel in the works in 2014, but the development of the movie went off the rails and a sequel seemed to be never arriving. However, in late 2022, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish arrived, and has made millions and been acclaimed by critics and casual fans alike. 

The first Puss in Boots movie expanded upon the character of Puss introduced in the second Shrek movie. It was a fun, exciting, action packed film, and the cocky but lovable character of Puss in Boots was a childhood favorite character for many, myself included. The character of Kitty Softpaws was also introduced in the movie. Kitty was a wonderful love interest (and partner in crime) to Puss, because she wasn’t the soft and hyper-feminine damsel in distress common in so many fairytale setting stories. Instead, she was a masked, mysterious, and seductive cat, with impressive fighting skills, nearly as much as Puss himself. When Kitty, Puss, and a much more sinister and criminal Humpty Dumpty then the one we know go on a mission together, Kitty has to betray Humpty and his nefarious plan with her against Puss because of her feelings for him. 

In this sequel to the former Puss in Boots movie, Puss is introduced immediately as the famed and fearless hero we all know and love, taking down a massive giant but unfortunately losing a life to it. Although he wants to walk this off, we soon find out that he is on his last life due to the incident. Although he is advised to retire, he refuses to until he is stalked by a menacing and powerful wolf in his favorite bar, and is almost killed. He runs to the retirement home, fearless no longer. But soon enough, after meeting a bubbly chihuahua at the home and realizing he can wish his lives back with the wishing star, he sets out on yet another adventure, setting his retirement aside. Early into his journey, he is reunited with Kitty Softpaws herself, and it is revealed to both Perrito the chihuahua and the audience that Puss and Kitty almost got married, but Puss left her at the altar. Puss, Kitty, and Perrito compete with a more rugged and older Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and a heartless, rich Jack for the map that leads to the famed Wishing Star. But along his journey, Puss continues to be stalked by the wolf, who we find out is Death himself, and the chase ends with a battle of epic proportions at the Wishing Star. 

The animation is beautiful and captivating. It was done in a similar style of Spiderman Into The Spiderverse, in which animators utilized 3D models and worked on top of them in 2D animation. The fight scenes had clear time, care, and effort put into them, and the hard work pays off to exemplify stunning and fast-paced action. The models have clearly greatly improved from the previous movie. Additionally, the plot is well faced and both easy and exciting to follow. The humor is well done too, with the perfect balance between silly jokes a younger audience can appreciate and more subtle, mature jokes as well. The story deals with a darker plot than many childrens movies, with Puss facing his own morality, but the tone is bright and fun excluding the fear and anxiety inducing scenes. 

To conclude, this film is definitely worth the time of children, parents, and older audiences excluding children alike. The film has a lot of time, care, and artistic talent put into it, and is arguably one of Dreamworks’ best films. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish deserves the plenty of support, praise, and good reviews it is receiving.