Arriving over a decade after the original stand-alone story, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish continues with the innate charm of the title character and adds a wider-reaching story to the mix. It also includes new versions of several childhood fairytale favourites.
Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the three bears are joined by an over-the-top version of Jack Horner (John Mulaney) who adds both comic appeal and a sense of menace. Antonio Banderas returns as Puss as does Salma Hayek as love interest Kitty Softpaws. They are joined by a new character called Perro voiced by Harvey Guillén.
The story revolves around Puss using up eight of his nine lives and being chased by death, this time personified by a truly scary version of The Big Bad Wolf (Wagner Moura). This leads to an epic journey to find the Wishing Star to ask for more lives. Along the way, there are some easy-to-digest life lessons.
Greatly expanding the swashbuckling feline’s universe, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish helps to put even more distance between him and the big green one. There is excitement and a real sense of peril, one that might even be a bit intense for the youngest members of the audience. The film is presented with an unusual-looking style of animation that adds to its uniqueness and appeal.
Rob Hudson
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