Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Parent Guide

The legendary Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) has a problem; he’s used up eight of his nine lives. Now faced with his own mortality, and with a bounty hunter, Wolf (Wagner Moura), on his tail, Puss decides to retire to a cat rescue home to live out the rest of his days without adventure or risk. But when he’s given an opportunity to find the magical Wishing Star and wish for more lives, he jumps at the chance. Along with his old pal, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), and a wannabe therapy dog, Perro (Harvey Guillen), Puss sets out for the ultimate prize, but he’s not the only one who wants that Wish.

You know what kids today need? Stories about aging men grappling with their identity and facing their own mortality. No? Well, that’s what you’re getting with this Puss in Boots sequel. Yet, somehow, it really works. The themes around mortality are combined with messages about trust, friendship, optimism, and appreciating what you have, which results in a multi-layered story that is sure to resonate with both children and adults. There’s also a good balance of humor and heartfelt moments, which is hard to find in modern screenwriting.

DreamWorks has a very distinct house style of animation, both in 2D and 3D. One of the best aspects of this production is that it puts its own spin on that 3D style, by moving away from photorealism and into a more painterly, almost comic book style. The action scenes are for more interesting than in the previous Shrek franchise productions, and the colorful and fantastical settings are beautifully rendered. I do think DreamWorks could have leaned further into this style, but I suppose they didn’t want to vary too much from its predecessors.

Though I enjoyed the movie overall, I do think it’s going to skew to a slightly older audience than the first Puss in Boots film. The tone is darker, the themes slightly more mature, and some of the villains are relatively scary. The level of violence is also higher than expected, with background characters dying in various ways on screen, and Puss’s various deaths being shown. It still fits into its PG rating, but I would warn parents of very young children to be cautious, especially if you’re basing your expectations off of the Shrek films, which are far more lighthearted in their cartoon violence. That said, for older children and adults, I recommend this movie for a fun and surprisingly profound story about cherishing your life and the people in it.