When I went to see “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”, I was honestly expecting a very forgettable, bland, cookie-cutter kids movie. As a film snob, I am not able to enjoy movies for what they are, and have overly high expectations for most large scale films.
The first couple of minutes had already impressed me. The solid voice acting and the smooth animation style had me hooked. It starts with a musical number that has very fast paced action that had a pretty catchy vibe. The song reoccurs in the movie several times but has a different meaning each time.
At this point, I was expecting anything. Then, *minor spoiler warning however this happens within the first ten minutes of the movie* a major plot twist happens in the very beginning. Puss dies. However, he is brought back to life (because of the joke of how cats have nine lives) but he is down to his last life, meaning, if he dies again, he is permanently dead.
A character is introduced after this, The Big Bad Wolf. He acts as a sort-of main antagonist (however there are several in the movie) and scares Puss into fearing death. The voice actor is also the same person who plays Pablo Escobar in the “Narcos” series (Wagner Moura).
The cast is great, and each VA gives a great performance, and you can tell that they had a lot of fun being a part of this. John Mulaney as Jack Horner and Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws do an especially good job.
By the end of the movie, I was astonished by how well everything played out, and what an amazing experience it was to see. Yes, it’s a kids movie, and sometimes the morals can be pretty bland. That being said, there are still some intense scenes and themes throughout the movie that makes it a much more mature experience.
If you want something fun to do with your friends or family, I highly recommend seeing “Puss in Boots” in theaters.