Honestly, nobody expected a sequel coming eleven years late to be this good. When DreamWorks announced Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, the collective internet basically shrugged. We figured it was a standard cash grab, another mid-tier animation to keep the kids busy for ninety minutes while the adults checked their phones. We were wrong. Very wrong. This movie didn't just move the needle; it broke the speedometer for what modern animation can actually achieve when it stops trying to copy Disney's homework.
It’s rare. You don't often see a "kids' movie" tackle the visceral, paralyzing fear of death with the nuance of a Bergman film, yet here we are. The story follows our favorite ginger feline, voiced with that familiar, velvety bravado by Antonio Banderas, as he realizes he is down to the very last of his nine lives.
He’s scared.
That’s the hook. The legend who used to laugh in the face of danger is suddenly checking his pulse. It’s a tonal shift that shouldn't work in the Shrek universe, but it does because the stakes feel terrifyingly real.
Why the animation in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish changed everything
If you look at the visuals, you’ll notice they don't look like the original 2011 film. That’s intentional. After the massive success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the industry realized that audiences were tired of the "plastic," hyper-realistic look that had dominated since the early 2000s. Director Joel Crawford and co-director Januel Mercado went for a "painterly" style. It looks like an illustration come to life.
When the action heats up, the frame rate actually drops. It creates this choppy, hand-drawn energy that makes every sword clash feel impactful. It’s a stylistic choice that serves the narrative. The world feels more like a fairy tale book than a tech demo. This shift allowed the team to play with color in ways DreamWorks hadn't touched before. Notice the use of red whenever the Wolf appears. It’s aggressive. It bleeds into the frame.
The Wolf is the best villain in modern animation
We need to talk about the Big Bad Wolf. Or rather, Death. Voiced by Wagner Moura, this character is easily the most intimidating antagonist in the entire Shrek franchise—maybe in all of DreamWorks history. He isn't some mustache-twirling villain who wants to take over the world or steal a kingdom. He just wants Puss. Specifically, he wants to claim that final life because he finds Puss’s arrogance regarding his previous deaths "insulting."
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His introduction in the bar is a masterclass in tension. The whistling. The two sickles. The way the hair on Puss's back literally stands up—a detail the animators labored over to show genuine feline fear.
- He doesn't have a tragic backstory.
- He doesn't have a musical number.
- He is simply an inevitability.
Most animated films shy away from the concept of mortality. They use metaphors. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish looks you in the eye and tells you that you are going to die, and that is exactly why life is worth living. It’s heavy stuff for a movie featuring a talking donkey-dragon hybrid in its extended universe, but it’s handled with such grace that it never feels depressing. It feels honest.
Breaking down the "Panic Attack" scene
There is a moment in the forest where Puss has a full-blown panic attack. It’s one of the most talked-about scenes in recent cinema for a reason. Most movies would have played this for laughs—the "funny cat" getting dizzy. Instead, the movie goes quiet. The colors desaturate. The sound design narrows down to Puss’s heavy, ragged breathing.
Then comes Perrito.
The therapy dog—literally—who just rests his head on Puss. No dialogue. No "it's going to be okay" platitudes. Just presence. This scene has been cited by mental health professionals as one of the most accurate depictions of a panic attack and grounding techniques ever put on screen. It gives the movie a soul. It moves the characters from being icons on a cereal box to feeling like actual people (well, animals) with internal lives.
Goldi and the Three Bears: A different kind of family
While Puss is busy having an existential crisis, we get a subplot with Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears (Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, and Samson Kayo). This could have been filler. Usually, in these movies, the secondary villains are just there to provide obstacles.
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But they aren't villains. They’re just a family looking for a "just right" life.
The chemistry between these actors is incredible. They recorded a lot of their lines together, which is rare in animation. You can hear the overlapping bickering and the genuine affection. When Goldi realizes she already has what she’s looking for, it mirrors Puss’s journey perfectly. They are all chasing "The Last Wish" to fix their lives, only to realize the "fix" is standing right next to them. It’s a bit cliché when you write it down, but the execution is so gritty and British-crime-drama-inspired that it feels fresh.
Jack Horner and the rejection of the "Redemption Arc"
I love that Jack Horner is just a jerk. In an era where every villain needs a "misunderstood" backstory or a reason why they’re actually a victim of society, Jack Horner (John Mulaney) is a breath of fresh air. He’s a billionaire with a magical hoard who wants all the magic in the world for himself.
He is unapologetically evil.
Mulaney’s delivery is hilarious because he plays Jack like a frustrated middle-manager who happens to have a "Phoenix Nest" and a "Magical Umbrella." By making Jack a total sociopath, the movie balances out the darkness of the Wolf. You need that levity. You need a villain you can just root against without feeling morally conflicted.
The technical legacy of the film
When we look back at the 2020s, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will be remembered as the moment the "Shrek-style" formula evolved. It proved that you can have the pop-culture jokes and the wacky sidekicks, but you need a core of sincerity to survive the test of time.
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The film was a massive "sleeper hit." It didn't break records on its opening weekend. People caught on through word of mouth. They realized it wasn't just for kids. It stayed in the top ten at the box office for months because people kept going back. That’s the sign of a movie that resonates on a human level, not just a marketing one.
Actionable takeaways for film fans and creators
If you’re a fan of the medium or someone looking to understand why this film worked where others failed, keep these points in mind:
- Watch the background. The "Wishing Star" map changes based on who is holding it. It’s a brilliant piece of visual storytelling that represents the character's internal state.
- Listen to the silence. Notice how the film uses quiet moments to build tension before the Wolf appears. Sound—or the lack thereof—is a character in this movie.
- Compare the styles. Go back and watch five minutes of the first Puss in Boots and then five minutes of The Last Wish. The difference in frame rate and texture shows how much the industry has shifted away from realism toward "expressive" animation.
- Analyze the ending. The final confrontation isn't a fistfight. It's an admission of vulnerability. That is why it’s satisfying.
The film ends with a very clear nod to the future. As Puss, Kitty Softpaws, and Perrito steal a boat and head toward Far Far Away, the "Shrek" theme starts to swell. It’s a promise. But more importantly, it shows that Puss is finally ready to live his life—his one life—with the people he loves. It’s a perfect ending to a nearly perfect movie.
If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading and find a screen. If you have, go back and watch the Wolf’s scenes again. You'll notice he’s in the background of almost every major "death" Puss has at the beginning of the movie. He was always there. And that’s the kind of detail that makes this a masterpiece.
Next Steps for the Ultimate Experience:
- Seek out the "The Trident" short film included on the physical release for more lore on Puss’s previous lives.
- Watch The Bad Guys (2022) to see how DreamWorks experimented with this new animation style right before perfecting it here.
- Pay attention to the soundtrack by Heitor Pereira, which blends Spaghetti Western whistles with high-stakes orchestral arrangements to emphasize the "Legend" vs "Reality" theme.