This review will contain spoilers. Proceed with caution!
Ten years after the original film debuted, the long-awaited sequel was finally released in December 2022. Audiences rushed to theaters right before Christmas to finally enjoy a continuation of the famous story, basking in all of its animated glory. Anthropomorphic creatures dawned screens all across the world to teach us about the importance of family, whether it be the one you’re born into or not. No, I’m not talking about Avatar: The Way of Water. I’m talking about the underdog film of the year: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish shocked film critics by receiving a 95% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, almost 20% more than the latest Avatar sequel. Don’t get me wrong, the original Avatar movie and its sequel deserve respect for how groundbreaking the CGI and performance capture were for the animation world, and both movies were still box-office hits. However, I still find it pretty amusing how an unsuspecting Shrek franchise film somehow found a way to overshadow arguably the most anticipated animated film of this decade.
What warranted this rating and high praise? I ventured out to my local AMC on a random Monday night to find out. My friend and I took our seats in the middle of the theater, surrounded by an audience of mainly toddlers and young children accompanied by their parents. The little boy in the row behind us occasionally ran around his empty lane with his little brother shouting out his new favorite word “No!” anytime a commercial would come on. We ate our licorice as the lights dimmed, basking in the glory that is the Nicole Kidman AMC ad.
An hour and a half later, I finally understood the hype. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has to be my favorite animated film I’ve seen in the past year. The style of animation reminded me of a comic book, much like Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, with its fascinating use of color and mystical mise-en-scene. The cat puns were clever and well-thought-out, and the comedic timing made this movie absolutely hilarious. Its story of Puss’s struggle with anxiety and his fear of death was so mature, with a personified death character instilling so much fear in me that I was even considering how I could be watching a kid’s movie right now.
A stand-out character to me was Perrito, a scruffy, chihuahua-like dog that Puss befriends during his time at a crazy cat woman’s home. Perrito embodies happiness and acceptance in a way that made me tear up multiple times. He teaches Puss and Kitty Softpaws (Puss’s rival and partner), about the importance of living in the moment and helps calm Puss down after what I believe to be the most accurate depiction of a panic attack in cinema. Perrito also had the saddest backstory, making his demeanor all the more endearing and personable.
The parents in my theater all mumbled their appreciation for the film, their now half-asleep children crashing from their sugar highs. My friend and I made our way back to the car, reveling in the delight that was this movie. As far as animated movies go, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish definitely landed on its feet and deserves the hype.