In an unexpected move following the 11 year gap since the last movie, fan-favorite Spanish swashbuckling animated film Puss in Boots has finally received a sequel.  On December 20, 2022, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, with a runtime of a refreshing 102 minutes, released in theaters and on streaming services. The movie was produced by Mark Swift and directed by Joel Crawford. With Antonio Banderas returning as the titular character, Salma Hayek Pinault returning as his partner-in-crime Kitty Softpaws, and a variety of new faces to the franchise, The Last Wish has garnered a hair less than $300 million dollars on a $90 million dollar budget (as of January 26, 2023). But did the quality of the movie merit such success? Let’s find out.

The movie begins with Puss saving a Spanish town from a giant but unfortunately losing the eighth of his nine cat lives in the process. He is forced to retire and goes to live in a home for stray cats. However, bored with this lifestyle, he learns of a map to a magical star that can grant exactly one wish. With his new companion Perrito (Harvey Guillén), Puss journeys to find the magic star that can grant him replenished lives so he can continue his legend.

I would like to say one thing immediately: this movie is fantastic. For any minor fault it may have had, it immediately made it up with two more great things. I walked out of the theater feeling confident that this was the best animated film of the year. There are so many different little things that made it great that it’s hard to list them all. But I’ll try.

The first, most obvious thing that made the movie stand out from others was the animation style. I couldn’t tell you the name of the style, but it made the movie look like it was straight out of a comic book. It was something super unique and a nice break from the same animation style we’ve been experiencing for the last 20 years.

Next, the characters, but especially the voices behind the characters, made the story come alive. If you look up videos of the voice actors in the studio, you can tell that they are absolutely into it and enjoying it. This really showed in the movie with voices capable of expressing both real happiness and sadness. One character I especially enjoyed was Big Jack Horner, voiced by John Mulaney. Jack serves as a primary antagonist in the movie and has so many great moments. His character is unapologetically evil, and instead of trying to force sympathy for him, the movie embraces his evilness. Most animated villains have been villains “with a good reason” or twist villains recently, but Big Jack was a breath of fresh air.

The themes expressed in the movie also qualified this movie as something entertaining but also rather deep. In the end (spoiler alert) nobody ends up getting the magic wish, as they have all (except for Big Jack) learned that they are happy with how their lives are. The movie shows this is multiple different characters and in different ways. It’s most prominent in Puss, who has the most to gain or lose out of the wish. He realizes that he will only be happy living his life to the fullest with his loved ones instead of not appreciating his lives. It’s a really touching moral that reminds us all that, while our time here is limited, we have the freedom to choose to spend it doing what really matters most.

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is a movie that I could see people of all ages watching and enjoying. Its blend of standard animation practice and unique features makes it a movie that stands out from the rest but doesn’t alienate any audiences. The passion and love so clearly put into this movie are something not recently seen in animated film but sorely needed. With great visuals, characters, and themes, this movie will be known as one of the best animated films of the year, if not the decade.