The first Shrek film? Good. The second Shrek film? Very good. The third? Not so good. The fourth? Good, but not as good as the first one. As for the first Puss in Boots film, I haven’t seen that yet, so I’ll reserve judgement.
All the films in the Shrek quartet (look! I did a rhyme! Well, a half-rhyme. Kind of) are fun, child-friendly affairs that, like the best examples we can see in films such as Toy Story, manage to straddle that fine narrative line that appeals to both younger audiences and adults. While Puss in Boots: The Last Wish manages to achieve this feat, its thematic focus nonetheless leans more on the adult side as we witness the titular feline experience a crisis of conscience when he, uh, dies. Whoa there. That’s not a spoiler. It’s just a key part of the plot that makes him reconsider his life choices. Or, at least, the previous eight lives he lost, with only one now remaining.
Departing to a local drinking establishment, he has a chance encounter with a scary presence referred to only as The Wolf, who happens to be one of the creepiest baddies in animated cinema for a while thanks to his minimal dialogue and a scary whistle motif. A whistle that is potentially the scariest whistle since Bernard Herrmann’s ‘Twisted Nerve’ that is synched by Elle Driver in Kill Bill Vol 1, and before that, the child murderer’s eerie whistle of ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ in Fritz Lang’s M. Like F. W. Murnau’s eponymous vampire in Nosferatu, his brief appearances make the antagonist, who is simply but expertly designed with cold white fur and bright red eyes, all the more intimidating. It was also interesting to read the Western undertones in the wolf’s characterisation, particularly with his mysterious title, so it was nice to discover that The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly was a key influence in the film’s narrative.
Beyond the ever-reliable voice work from Antonio Banderas, the supporting cast is particularly impressive, and rather starry too. Florence Pugh is brilliant as always, voicing Goldilocks, the charismatic and forthright leader of the three bears, with mama bear given some particularly emotive charge from Olivia Colman, as only Olivia Coleman can. Spirited verve is also provided by Harvey Guillén as hyperactive therapy dog Perrito, although it’s difficult not to draw comparisons between Up’s talking pooch Doug. In a similar fashion, John Mulaney commits in his role as secondary big bad “Big” Jack Horner, but again, it’s hard not to associate his bulky character design with recent, superior animation designs such as Kingpin in Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse.
Which is not to downplay The Last Wish’s overall brilliant, fluid animation style. In a world of The Mitchells and the Machines and Arcane, it’s a challenge to compete in a world of novel and creative animation styles, but it’s safe to say that Puss stands on his own two feet, particularly in the film’s striking opening scene. Animation technologies have come on in leaps and bounds since the release of Shrek back in 2001 (damn I feel old), and puss speeding across the screen as he battles a sleeping giant that he is responsible for awaking is a joy to behold. If you want another fun fact, the opening scene of Puss’s bravura performance in front of his excited audience apparently drew inspiration from Mick Jagger. The more you know, eh?
With its dynamic animation, fun characters and dedicated voice cast, The Last Wish is an ameowzing treat for all the family. No, I’m not getting my coat. I’m leaving it right on for all to see. Adios amigos.