Every second of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has nostalgia for the marketable charms in mind. Antonio Banderas’ vocal strengths remind audiences that Puss in Boots is still as relevant and charming as ever. That is quite hopeful, but pretty dependent on the love of Shrek 2, because nobody truly remembers the original, standalone feature. Perhaps that is the last wish mentioned in the title, for people to head back to the original feature and remember it. More likely than that is for the wish to be a favourite, fearless hero, as one of many garish musical numbers note. Nostalgia is the key to unlocking a quality door, but how much of the love for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is based on that desire to relive easier times?
There is clearly something to be said for the quality of animation in this, from the star that shoots out of the sky and fires out a Netflix-like intro colour scheme and the slight comic qualities to those flares of the finishing touch. Let us not get carried away, though. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a very visual comedy and much of it relies on very bright, colourful moments. Kung Fu Panda did the same. There is similar originality to the Banderas-led piece, which has such broad scope, unique designs and character to it. “Big” Jack Horner (John Mulaney) is horrifying. That blend of sleek animation charms and the choppier, comic and visually resplendent designs is a fine enough blend, it adds much to the depth found in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Evolving that animation from something with vague, classical painting-type flourishes, is wonderful. Mortality is dealt with comically and comfortably. Joel Crawford has never been a bad director; he was simply stuck with bad features. The Croods: A New Age featured the articulate flair, that scope. Florence Pugh’s portrayal of Goldilocks and her pairing with Ray Winstone, Olivia Colman and Samson Kayo is not just inspired casting but filled with proper dedication to the fairy tale lore that the Shrek series and beyond has always maintained. Horner, Goldilocks and all those great classics are brought to life with stunning visuals, charming writing and quality, consistent comedy. It balances the sincerity of the dark mortality with the humour inherent to the series that has been rightly lauded by old fans and newcomers alike.
Nostalgia is still a core to work from throughout this, but Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has some excellent qualities to it that work completely independently of that. Of course, the animation is stunning, thankfully animated form has taken a step up in the last few years. But Puss in Boots: The Last Wish does not rest on its laurels. It utilises a fair nostalgia for a character that people are excited by from their youth, and presents them with a tale that will match up with what they are now experiencing, or may be close to. At times it plays briefly with the formation of The Seventh Seal, the meeting of death and the responsibility of facing it, but it is still a fun and exciting feature.
