Released in December of 2022, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was the sequel to the 2011 Puss in Boots movie that no one expected; it was a surprisingly delightful watch with a deep story. Like the first movie, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish follows the story of its namesake tabby, Puss. He confronts the fact that he cannot be everyone’s favorite, fearless hero anymore after losing his eighth life fighting a giant. The movie opens with the fight against this giant. The art style of the scene combined with several different perspectives of the fight made it a sequence impossible to look away from. Another memorable scene is when Puss reviews his seven other deaths, which depict ridiculous stunts and dangerous actions he carelessly tried. I recall that the sheer absurdity of each death made the movie theatre burst out laughing.

This comedy was quickly replaced by horror as the movie’s main antagonist, Death, in the shape of a giant wolf, revealed that he wanted to take Puss’s last life because he felt that Puss would waste it as he had done before. Puss initially thought Death was a bounty hunter until they fought. Throughout Puss’s multiple lives, he had never encountered an enemy he could not take down in a short joust. Still, Death overpowered him in a matter of a minute, eventually prompting Puss to retire. Even though this movie is animated, Death’s signature whistle before he appeared onscreen sent shivers down my spine. Whenever Death confronted Puss, I was genuinely afraid of what would happen.

Puss stayed in retirement for a very long time, as evidenced by the growth of his beard. However, when Death showed up to take his life again, Puss, along with a sweet puppy he met named Perrito (played by Harvey Guillen), decided to try and find a magical star that could grant anyone a wish. During his adventure to find the map to the lead and the star itself, Puss ran into friends and foes alike. Kitty Softpaws, voiced by Salma Hayek, knew Puss from their previous lives of crime and joined him on the adventure. On the other hand, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, along with Jack Horner, tried to stop the cats and dogs from wishing upon the star so they could fulfill their dreams. I often found it difficult to root for any one character in this movie because it was so full of lovable and relatable characters that improved the experience.

By the time the characters had nearly found the star and the movie was almost over, I did not want it to end. This movie had stunning graphics that prevented me from blinking out of fear of missing a beautiful scene, but it also had a fantastic plot with a satisfying ending. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish shows that even children’s movies can discuss complex topics, like the fear of death, without becoming too serious or mature. I hope that future movies follow suit and create incredible films like this.