Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

by Aprille Hanson-Spivey

Photo: DreamWorks/Universal Pictures

Director: Joel Crawford & Januel Mercado 
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek & Harvey Guillen 
Rated: PG
Runtime: 1 hour & 40 minutes

Yes, there are countless superheroes loved by millions, but they just can’t compare to the cat, the myth and the legend that is Puss in Boots. Whether he’s lapping up his milk at the bar, yelling out “Holy Frijoles,” giving us his signature pitiful kitten eyes or serenading his adoring fans with his bandolón, this kitty from the DreamWorks “Shrek” universe is as addictive as catnip. 

In the second major Puss in Boots featured movie, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” we see our valiant kit-cat Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) face down his own mortality as he uses up his eighth life, leaving him with just one. Since he’s always laughed in the face of death, it’s unnerving when a red-eyed wolf (Wagner Moura) shows up to kill him. Though Puss tries, he gets scared when he’s no match for the wolf. He puffs up his cat hairs and runs away, like a, well, scaredy cat. Groan if you must, but there are so many odes to cats in this film, it’s pretty much the ultimate cartoon for cat lovers. He becomes a dreaded house cat to Mama Luna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), who is a crazy cat lady hoarder. He eats from a trough of cat food, uses a litter box and buries his boots, hat, cape and dignity. But he’s soon found by the local “crime family” of Papa, Mama, Baby Bear and Goldilocks – Ray Winstone, Olivia Colman, Samson Kayo and Florence Pugh – complete with thick mob-boss accents. They want him to help them steal the map from the movie’s villain Jack Horner (John Mulaney) to access the Last Wish from a fallen star located in the dark enchanted forest. He manages to evade them when they bust in and wreak havoc, only to be given the idea to steal the map himself to get that Last Wish, wishing for more lives. 

He begrudgingly is followed by Perrito (Harvey Guillen), the adorable little abandoned chihuahua who was posing as a cat at Mama Luna’s. I know Puss is the star of the show, along with his former lover Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), a badass cat in her own right, but man does Perrito steal the entire movie. He is hilarious in his obliviousness and completely trusting nature – so basically, he’s a dog with one brain cell and none to spare. Perrito explaining how he was chucked in a river and left to die – he doesn’t realize it, he thought they were playing – is horrifying, but also hysterical as Puss and Kitty watch horrified because everyone else realizes how messed up that is except for sweet little Perrito. 

Puss learns through his adventure with Perrito and Kitty how he’s really lived selfishly and vows to live this one life he has left better than all the rest. It’s a sweet story about redemption and being happy right where you are. Goldilocks learns this lesson too, initially wanting a human family, but realizing how much love she has for her bear family. The only one who doesn’t learn? Jack Horner wants all the powers of magic in the world. His character is unredeemable and gross. Honestly, even the look of him freaked me out, so kudos to the cartoonist for making him so cringy. The only reason I enjoyed seeing Horner on screen was because of the “Ethical Bug” on his shoulder, voiced by Kevin McCann doing his best Jimmy Stewart impression. Clearly a rip-off of Disney’s Jiminy Cricket, it was perfect and hilarious to have his “conscience” have the voice of the legendary Stewart. 

‘Last Wish’ was a hit for kids, with continuous action, beautiful colors and cute characters and a treat for adults who got subtle adult jokes and cat humor. It’s everything we’ve come to expect from the “Shrek” universe. And hopefully, there’s more to come – with the end of the movie showing Puss on a trip to visit his “friends” in Far Far Away. If it’s either another “Shrek” movie or ‘Puss’ movie, it will be another hit with fans.