Antonio Banderas is back in another installment of Puss in Boots, this one taking place following 2010’s Shrek Forever After. Banderas is joined by Salma Hayek, Florence Pugh, Harvey Guillen and John Mulaney among others.
Puss in Boots finds himself on a quest for “the wishing star” in order to hit the reset button on his nine lives which he used to become the fearless, legendary hero he’s known for. He inadvertently picks up some “friends” along the way and they make their way into the Dark Forest in search of the star.
The story is surprisingly well written for a family animated comedy, the characters are likeable and the performances are stellar. Each character has their moment to shine and have their backstory told in a fun yet concise way. The side characters don’t confuse the main plot but, rather, compliment it.
Per usual, the studio decided to go with notable actors to voice the characters instead of voice actors which has become a huge problem. That’s not to say they did a poor job but, Banderas and Hayek are legacy choices enough, Universal didn’t need to bring in Pugh, Mulaney, et al. to make this film great.
The best animated family comedies deliver worthwhile content to both kids and adults. Last Wish does that, striking a great blend of comedy, heart, fun and charm that should be on every family’s watch list.
JKG SCORE: 7.5
Untitled Film Project 