At some point whilst watching The Last Wish, I realised there was a previous Puss in Boots movie that I hadn’t seen.
It doesn’t matter. In fact, it doesn’t even matter if you haven’t seen a Shrek film. Everything you need to know is here.
There being no barrier to entry is good, because Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is one of the best animated films I’ve seen in the last few years. Perhaps since 2019’s Klaus. I thought I’d be taking my girls along on a half-term cinema trip which would be “just fine”. We’d have some sweets but the film would be fairly forgettable.
It’s a straight up gorgeous film, which leans into the medium and makes the most of it. Animation doesn’t need to be realistic. Detailed yes, but if you’re animating, the only limit is imagination. The Last Wish fully embraces this idea, switching between styles to suit the scene. Action scenes are bonkers, using a similar ‘stepped animation’ technique to Into the Spider-verse (no bad thing), whilst calmer scenes look almost painted, like a fairytale book.
There’s some adult themes, and a surprising amount of language. But it’s all so charming! Banderas is full of gusto, but one character in particular is breathtaking in both voice and style. A tinge of darkness and finality lifts the rest of the film.
The Last Wish blew apart my expectations, so check it out if you can.
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