Honestly, nobody expected a sequel to a decade-old spin-off to be one of the best animated movies of the 2020s. When DreamWorks first announced The Last Wish, it felt like a standard cash grab. We were wrong. It turns out that the puss in boots cast wasn't just there to collect a paycheck; they delivered performances that actually made people cry over a CGI cat.
The magic isn't just in the flashy "spider-verse" style animation. It’s in the voices. Antonio Banderas didn't just show up to say the lines; he brought a vulnerability to Puss that we haven't seen since the character debuted in Shrek 2 back in 2004. He’s older now. His voice is raspier. It fits a cat facing his final life perfectly.
The Returns: Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek Pinault
Antonio Banderas is Puss. It's impossible to imagine anyone else doing it. He’s been playing this character for over twenty years, which is wild when you think about it. In this outing, he had to balance the usual swashbuckling ego with genuine, shivering panic attacks. That’s a hard pivot. Most voice actors would ham it up, but Banderas keeps it grounded. He makes the fear of death feel real, even when he’s wearing tiny leather boots.
Then you’ve got Salma Hayek Pinault as Kitty Softpaws.
Their chemistry is the backbone of the movie. It’s funny because they’ve worked together so many times in live-action—think Desperado or Frida—that their banter feels lived-in. In The Last Wish, Kitty is the cynical foil to Puss’s drama. Hayek plays her with this dry, guarded wit that slowly melts away. It’s not just "the love interest" role; she’s the one actually driving the emotional stakes for most of the second act.
The Newcomers Stealing the Show
If you haven't seen the movie yet, you might be surprised by how stacked the supporting puss in boots cast is. It’s a weirdly prestigious group for a movie about a talking donkey's best friend.
Harvey Guillén as Perrito
Harvey Guillén is basically the heart of the film. If you know him from What We Do in the Shadows, you know he’s a master of the "sweet but slightly pathetic" vibe. As Perrito, the therapy dog who thinks he’s a cat, he provides the optimism that prevents the movie from getting too dark. He’s the comic relief, but he also has the most heartbreaking backstory in the entire Shrek universe.
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Florence Pugh and the Bears
Florence Pugh plays Goldilocks, and she’s joined by Ray Winstone (Papa Bear), Olivia Colman (Mama Bear), and Samson Kayo (Baby Bear). This isn't the Goldilocks from your nursery rhymes. They’re a Cockney crime family.
Pugh brings a grit to Goldi that makes her feel like a character out of a Guy Ritchie movie. She’s searching for a "just right" family, ignoring the fact that she already has one in the bears. Olivia Colman, an Oscar winner, voicing a bear might seem like overkill, but she brings this hilarious, overbearing warmth to the role that makes the group's dynamic feel authentic.
The Villains We Didn't Know We Needed
A hero is only as good as the guy trying to kill him. This movie gave us two.
First, there’s Big Jack Horner, voiced by John Mulaney. Mulaney is known for his specific brand of neurotic, high-pitched stand-up, and he uses it here to play a literal psychopath. Jack Horner is a "magic collector" who is irredeemably evil. There’s no tragic backstory. There’s no redemption arc. He’s just a jerk with a bottomless bag of magical loot. It’s a refreshing change from the "misunderstood villain" trope we see in every Disney movie lately.
Then... there’s the Wolf.
Wagner Moura (the guy who played Pablo Escobar in Narcos) voices the Wolf, also known as Death. If you watched this movie and felt a chill down your spine every time you heard that whistle, thank Moura. His performance is terrifying. It’s not a "kids' movie" villain performance; it’s a slasher film performance. He speaks with a slow, deliberate cadence that makes Puss—and the audience—feel completely hunted.
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Why the Casting Matters for the Future of Shrek
There’s a lot of talk about Shrek 5. Everyone wants to know if the old gang is coming back. Looking at the success of the puss in boots cast, it’s clear that DreamWorks has figured out the formula. You don't just hire big names; you hire big names who can actually act behind a mic.
The industry shifted for a while toward hiring TikTok stars or whatever celebrity was trending that week. This movie proved that seasoned actors like Wagner Moura and Olivia Colman add layers of subtext that younger or less experienced performers might miss. The nuance in the "Death" whistle or the way Salma Hayek softens her tone during the cave scene—those are the things that make a movie rewatchable.
The Technical Side of the Performance
Recording for animation is a lonely job. Usually, the actors aren't even in the same room. Banderas has mentioned in interviews that he often records his lines in a booth alone, reacting to nothing.
This makes the chemistry between Puss and Kitty even more impressive. They are reacting to timing and cues provided by the director (Joel Crawford), yet it sounds like they are standing two inches apart. That requires a specific kind of spatial awareness in the voice. You have to "hear" the room the character is standing in.
Spotting the Cameos and Smaller Roles
Aside from the main stars, there are some fun voices tucked away in the credits:
- John Berman: Provided additional voices and helped ground the world.
- Da'Vine Joy Randolph: She plays Mama Luna, the cat lady. She’s an incredible actress who recently won an Oscar for The Holdovers, and she brings a huge amount of personality to her brief screen time.
- Anthony Mendez: You might recognize him as the narrator from Jane the Virgin; he shows up as the doctor who tells Puss he’s down to his last life.
How to Appreciate the Voice Acting More
If you want to really "get" why this cast worked, try watching the movie with your eyes closed for five minutes. Seriously. Listen to the way Wagner Moura rolls his 'R's or the way John Mulaney’s voice cracks when he’s being particularly bratty.
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The puss in boots cast succeeded because they didn't treat it like a cartoon. They treated it like a high-stakes drama that just happened to feature a cat in a hat.
What to Watch Next
If you’re a fan of this specific cast, you should dive into their other work to see the range:
- Wagner Moura in Narcos: To see how he uses that same menacing voice in a live-action setting.
- Florence Pugh in Fighting with My Family: She uses a similar British "tough girl" energy there.
- Antonio Banderas in Pain and Glory: This is his best dramatic work, showing the same vulnerability he brought to Puss.
Moving Forward with the Franchise
The ending of the film pretty much confirms we’re headed back to Far Far Away. The next step for fans is to keep an eye on the casting announcements for the upcoming Shrek projects. The high bar set by this ensemble means the pressure is on for Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz to match that same level of emotional depth if and when they return.
Watch the behind-the-scenes "making of" featurettes on the Blu-ray or streaming services. Seeing Antonio Banderas physically act out the sword fights while standing still in a recording booth is a masterclass in voice work. It changes how you see the movie.
Actionable Insight: If you're interested in voice acting or just want to understand the craft better, look up the "side-by-side" videos of the actors in the booth for The Last Wish. Pay attention to how much they use their entire bodies to get the right sound, even though they aren't on camera. It’s the physical movement that gives the puss in boots cast their distinct, energetic sound.