Honestly, nobody expected a sequel to a 2011 spinoff to be this good. When Puss in Boots: The Last Wish dropped in late 2022 and dominated the early 2023 box office, it caught everyone off guard. It wasn't just another cash-grab animation. It was something else entirely.
The movie follows our favorite feline swashbuckler, voiced by the incomparable Antonio Banderas, as he realizes he's down to his very last life. Having burned through eight lives with reckless abandon, Puss is forced to face something he's never feared before: his own mortality. It's dark. It's funny. It's visually stunning in a way that makes the original Shrek movies look like ancient relics.
The Visual Revolution of Puss in Boots 2023
You've probably noticed the animation looks different. It's not that hyper-realistic, plastic look we got used to in the 2010s. Following the trail blazed by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, director Joel Crawford and his team at DreamWorks opted for a "painterly" style.
The action sequences feel like they're jumping out of a storybook.
When Puss fights the giant in the opening scene, the frame rate drops during heavy hits. This is a deliberate technique called "animating on twos," and it gives the motion a tactile, hand-drawn energy. It makes the impact feel real. It's messy. It's vibrant. It’s a far cry from the polished, somewhat sterile look of the first Puss in Boots film.
Why the Villain is Terrifyingly Good
Let’s talk about the Wolf. voiced by Wagner Moura. He’s not just a bad guy. He’s Death. Straight up.
Most kids' movies pull their punches when it comes to the "Big Bad," but Puss in Boots: The Last Wish goes for the throat. The Wolf’s introduction—the whistling, the glowing red eyes, the twin sickles—is genuinely chilling. He represents an existential threat that Puss can’t just charm or sword-fight his way out of.
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The sound design here is doing a lot of heavy lifting. That whistle? It's a haunting melody that lingers long after the scene ends. It signals to the audience, and to Puss, that the party is over.
There's no trickery here. No secret twin. No "misunderstood" backstory. He is an inevitable force of nature. This level of stakes is exactly why the movie resonated with adults just as much as kids. It addresses the anxiety of growing older and the fear of the end, which is a pretty heavy lift for a movie about a cat in tiny leather boots.
Themes That Hit Way Too Hard
The writing team, including Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow, didn't play it safe. They explored panic attacks and anxiety in a way that felt authentic.
In one of the most talked-about scenes, Puss suffers a full-blown panic attack in the woods. He’s overwhelmed, hyperventilating, and completely vulnerable. And then there's Perrito—the therapy dog we all need. He doesn't offer "fix-it" advice or tell Puss to "man up." He just sits there. He lets Puss rest his head on him.
It’s a masterclass in depicting emotional support.
The Contrast of Characters
The movie thrives on its ensemble. You’ve got Kitty Softpaws, who provides the cynical, grounded counterpoint to Puss’s ego. Salma Hayek Pinault brings a weary but sharp energy to the role. Then you have the Three Bears Crime Family and Goldilocks (Florence Pugh).
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Instead of a traditional villain arc, Goldilocks is searching for a "just right" family, only to realize she’s had one all along. It’s a subversion of the fairy tale that feels earned.
- Puss: Driven by ego, then by fear, finally by appreciation.
- Kitty: Driven by a lack of trust, searching for a partner who won't leave.
- Goldi: Looking for biological perfection while ignoring the love of the bears.
- Jack Horner: A complete sociopath with no redeeming qualities (and honestly, it's refreshing to have a villain who is just purely, unapologetically evil).
The Technical Brilliance Behind the Scenes
DreamWorks utilized a proprietary toolset to achieve this specific look. They moved away from the standard ray-tracing techniques that define most modern CGI. Instead, they used "Premo," their animation software, to allow artists to manipulate the characters almost like puppets in a 3D space, but with 2D-style expressive lines.
The backgrounds are often simplified. They look like watercolor paintings. This isn't laziness—it's art direction. By simplifying the environment, the eyes are drawn to the characters and the kinetic energy of the movement.
This approach was also a smart business move. While Disney and Pixar have seen some diminishing returns with their massive-budget, high-detail features, The Last Wish showed that a distinct, stylized aesthetic can win over both critics and the box office. The movie ended up grossing over $480 million worldwide against a budget of roughly $90 million. That's a massive win in the post-pandemic cinema landscape.
Why Puss in Boots 2023 Still Matters Today
It's been a few years since the release, but the impact is still felt. This film saved the Shrek franchise from irrelevance. Before this, Shrek had become a meme—a punchline about the early 2000s.
The Last Wish proved there is still gas in the tank. It set the stage for Shrek 5 and showed that audiences are hungry for stories that respect their intelligence. People want more than just pop-culture references and fart jokes. They want characters who grow.
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The movie’s "Dark Soul" is its secret weapon. It doesn't shy away from the fact that life is finite. By the time Puss reaches the Wishing Star, he realizes that his nine lives weren't special because he could keep coming back—they were special because of the people (and cats) he spent them with.
Actionable Steps for Animation Fans and Creators
If you’re a fan of the genre or an aspiring creator, there are a few things you can take away from the success of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
First, study the "on twos" animation style. Watch the fight scenes in slow motion. Notice how the smears and lines are used to convey speed. It’s a great lesson in how to use technical limitations as a creative strength.
Second, look at the character design of Jack Horner compared to the Wolf. Jack is round, pink, and cluttered with "magic" junk. The Wolf is lean, grey, and carries only two blades. The visual design tells you everything you need to know about their roles in the story before they even speak.
Finally, appreciate the pacing. The movie clocks in at 102 minutes. It doesn't overstay its welcome. It moves from beat to beat with a relentless energy that mirrors Puss’s own desperation.
The legacy of Puss in Boots 2023 is that it proved "family movies" can be high art. It didn't just meet expectations; it shattered them by being honest about fear, death, and what it means to actually live a single, meaningful life.
To truly appreciate the artistry, go back and watch the original 2011 film right before The Last Wish. The jump in quality isn't just a technical upgrade; it’s a total shift in philosophy. The first movie is a fun adventure; the second is a cinematic achievement. If you haven't seen it yet, or haven't revisited it lately, do yourself a favor and watch it on the biggest screen you can find. The colors alone are worth the price of admission.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Knowledge
- Analyze the color scripts: Search for the official DreamWorks art books or digital galleries to see how the color palette shifts from the warm, vibrant tones of the village to the cold, oppressive blues and greys when the Wolf appears.
- Compare frame rates: Watch the "Giant of Del Mar" sequence and contrast it with the scenes in the "Black Bear Woods" to see how the animators varied the frame rate to emphasize different emotional states.
- Explore the "Painterly" trend: Research other films that use non-photorealistic rendering (NPR), such as The Bad Guys or Arcane, to understand the broader shift in the animation industry toward more stylized visuals.