Is Puss In Boots: The Last Wish The Best Yet From Shrek's Universe?

When it comes to animated movies, it might be tough to find one more beloved than ‘Shrek.’ The franchise first hit the big screen in 2001 and has spawned several spin-offs and sequels in the years since, with Puss in Boots really getting his time to shine in the limelight. As one of the most beloved characters from it all, it might be little wonder that Puss has not one but two movies under his belt.

The adventure movie ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ is the most recent installment in it all, hitting the big screen at the end of 2022 and still dominating the headlines in the weeks since. Is ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish the best yet from ‘Shrek’s universe? It very well might be - and it could be the continuation we’ve needed for so many years.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish sees the star down on his luck

Puss in Boots, aka the cat with nine lives and the cunning to make it out of each situation he faces, has long been the brave addition and comedy that so many of us love from the ‘Shrek’ franchise. Sadly, the movie follows a darker part of his life, as Puss learns that he’s onto his final life and won’t come back if anything happens to him again. Although he initially heads to a cat retirement home, it’s not long before Puss learns about The Last Wish star that could be the thing he needs to get his paws back on his nine lives and return to a life of adventure with his friends. Of course, Puss can’t go it alone, teaming back up with Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek) and Perro (voiced by Harvey Guillén), who have to take on the likes of Jack Horner (voiced by John Mulaney) and Goldilocks (voiced by Florence Pugh,) Mama Bear (voiced by Olivia Colman,) Papa Bear (voiced by Ray Winston,) and Baby Bear (voiced by Samson Kayo) to get to the star.

The animation of the movie is unlike anything we’ve seen from Shrek

Being an animated movie doesn’t mean that ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ has failed to adapt. Sure, ‘Shrek’ and the many sequels gave us plenty of memorable moments, but the latest installment in the universe sees it take on a changing animation style that pushes things to new levels. The animation uses incredible visuals inspired by the 2018 superhero movie ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ to add stunning layers to the story, really coming to life in any fight or action scenes. The best bit? It helps to keep the older audience who have fallen for Puss over the years hooked as they get to see everything new unfold within the franchise.

The themes of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish take a deeper turn

Focusing on his battles with a looming end sees Puss take on much darker themes in ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.’ After all, he spends most of the story running away from the Big Bad Wolf (voiced by Wagner Moura), who just so happens to be there to collect this cat’s soul. Still, that’s far from the only darker story we see unfold in ‘The Last Wish.’ Although the supporting characters don’t get as much time to shine in the limelight, we also see Goldielocks grapple with the idea of finding her real family instead of her life with the bears, and Puss having to learn how to let Kitty and Perro into his life. Then there’s Perro’s backstory that might see a tear or two roll down your face when you learn about how he found his sweater.

Could a new Shrek movie be on the way?

While ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ is an incredible standout movie on its own, many have been left wondering if a new ‘Shrek’ could be on the way - and it’s not entirely out of the question. The end of ‘The Last Wish’ sees Puss and his friends steal a boat to visit “some old friends,” with eagle-eyed viewers spotting shimmerings of Far Far Away on the horizon. Of course, this might be the biggest hint that Shrek is set to return to our screens. Still, there is no news that ‘Shrek 5’ is on the way. For a time, it looked like the film would hit the big screen in 2019 before delays saw rumors spread that it would be out before the end of 2022, right when ‘The Last Wish’ dropped. While there is no talk of ‘Shrek 5’ being in production, there’s nothing to say that the movie won’t eventually come one day.

Is ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ the best yet from ‘Shrek’s universe? The jury is still out, but plenty have certainly argued that it could be up there with the best. After all, it took mere weeks for the film to receive an Oscar nomination - and they aren’t easy to achieve.