‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ was released in theaters nationwide on Dec. 21, 2022. The film, directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, follows the story of Puss, a talking cat who is known for his immense bravery and risky adventures.

Puss, voiced by Antonio Banderas, hangs onto his ninth life after dying recklessly eight times. His inattentive behavior has ranged from death by lifting heavy weights to jumping off towers after believing cats always land on both feet. His new vulnerability leaves him no choice but to retire as a house cat at Mama Luna’s Cat Rescue, a cat shelter run by an old lady.

While spending time at the shelter, Puss missed his old life and soon became forgotten as “the legend.” His relaxing retirement at the cat shelter was cut short when bounty hunters continued to chase him, forcing Puss to encounter new companions who helped him with his mission to get his other eight lives back. In order to do this, he must go after his wish. Along the way, he bumps into old friends with the same mission as him. Puss starts to work with Kitty Softpaws, voiced by Salma Hayek and Perrito, voiced by Harvey Guillen.

Softpaws, who was in the first movie, ‘Puss in Boots,’ and is portrayed as an ambitious cat who is a potential love interest of Puss. Perrito, is a homeless therapy dog who befriends Puss and Kitty in order to help them find The Wishing Star that provides them with their most desired wishes at the end of the map. The three face obstacles throughout this journey such as Goldilocks, Jack Horner and the character Death. While learning to value his life, Puss continues to fight for treasure with his friends, creating suspense that leaves audience members hooked to figure out who will get the last wish in the end.

‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ is a sequel to ‘Puss in Boots’ released on Oct. 28, 2011 and ‘Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos’ released on Feb. 24, 2012. ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ released in 2022 has gained $200 million in the box office and has a rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even though the film is rated PG and has been heavily advertised to a younger audience, there has been a successful turnout of teens and adults as well.

I would not have expected this movie to be as great as it was. The number of references to other fairytale characters intrigued me and made me want to piece together the origins of certain characters. I expected the film to be a silly children’s movie, but in reality I was surprised with the combination of adventure, comedy and romance that created an engaging story.

The build up of this movie and plot was very put together and characters very well drawn. The animation style has changed compared to other movies, including small details in the characters that makes them almost realistic. Compared to Dreamworks’s past movies, the character movements and voice acting capture the action theme of the movie perfectly.

While ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ is still available to watch in theaters until March 2023, several streaming platforms such as Apple TV, Vudu and Amazon Prime Video have the movie to watch from the comfort of your own home. This movie is a must for those who like adventurous movies with a thrill and a bit of comedic relief to keep the audience’s reactions balanced.

To anyone that will miss Puss, his character will not disappear as long as the Shrek Universe exists. Dreamworks movies tend to make many references and surely they will reference the legend himself in their upcoming movies. This rollercoaster of emotions captured in this entertaining, plot-filled movie is amazing and definitely recommended to all viewers. Make sure to get tickets to see ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ before it is too late.