“I would like to make a movie to tell children ‘it’s good to be alive,’” -Hayao Miyazaki

Those words belong to one of the greatest animation directors the world has ever known and speak to the enduring power of the medium as a whole. Animation can simulate the emotional vibrancy of life better than almost any other kind of motion picture, for it’s built upon a series of images magnifying the euphoria of what it means to be alive. Of course, some animated films understand the capabilities of the artform more than others. Miles’ leap of faith in Into the Spider-Verse certainly does more to invoke the raw feelings of existence than anything Illumination has ever done. 

Very few filmmakers take full advantage of the medium’s true artistic capabilities, eschewing experimentation in favor of replicating life’s modernites through photorealistic imagery. Thankfully, such sentiment does not apply to Dreamworks’ long delayed Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. A lavishly crafted spectacle, The Last Wish translates the value of life into the kind of eye-popping adventure only possible in the world of animation. 

A beloved, egocentric feline outlaw, Puss’s heroic exploits have garnered him quite the reputation over the years. Many celebrate him as a living legend, a cat who laughs in the face of death. Puss himself is happy to buy into his own mythos, only to discover that his reckless adventuring has cost him eight of his nine lives. With the knowledge that he is now on his last life, Puss retires his sword and turns to the life of a banal house cat. That is, until he learns of the mythic wishing star, a powerful artifact that can grant anyone one wish. 

Seeing his chance to get his lives back, Puss ventures into the Dark Forest in search of this fallen star. Of course, Puss’s quest for renewed vitality pits him against a plethora of enemies; some of which include Goldilocks and her tight-knit crime family of three bears, the feared mobster Jack Horner, and a mysterious wolf with a murderous vendetta against the boastful feline.  

The Last Wish certainly has a lot of moving parts, following multiple protagonists throughout its sprawling narrative. Yet the story is always easy to follow, moving at a breathless pace and rarely bogged down by unnecessary exposition. None of the characters feel like they are competing for screen time, with each of their own personal conflicts contributing to the work’s greater themes regarding the value of life. Puss himself only realizes what it means to be alive when he’s faced with the threat of death. 

Without a greater perspective on his own mortality, Puss is content to put himself in meaningless jeopardy for empty applause. Without the safety net of his other lives, Puss finds himself slowing down and appreciating the beauty of the life he’s living. His friends, family, and community add greater value to the world around him, far more than his fanfare ever did. The animation exists in service to this thesis, providing a luscious visual landscape that further illustrates the film’s lively motifs. 

Taking inspiration from both Into The Spider-Verse and storybooks, Director Joel Crawford presents The Last Wish with a unique, painterly aesthetic. Favoring vibrancy over realism, the movie’s imagery leaps off the screen, a mesmerizing collage of densely layered candy-colored pastels. Such a bold visual aesthetic is perfectly fitting given the movie’s themes regarding the importance of one’s mortality. With its bright colors and stylized kinetic energy, few films capture the raw energy of life quite like The Last Wish. 

Of course, never let it be said that this film is a stuffy, pretentious meditation on what it means to be alive. On the contrary, The Last Wish is a gorgeously animated romp, delivering ample thrills and laughs across its runtime. Crawford’s energized direction lends itself greatly to the action sequences, choreographing his characters with nothing short of balletic grace. All of the action has a palpable sense of scale, with sweeping camera movement to help establish the scope of the battlefield. And when you’re not holding your breath during mind-bending action scenes, you’re guaranteed to be laughing yourself silly thanks to the film’s keen wit. 

The Last Wish is one of the funniest films of the year, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The screenplay sizzles with snappy dialogue and is packed with several ingenious visual gags, many of which are bolstered by razor sharp editing courtesy of James Ryan. Each joke is cut and paced for maximum comedic impact, ensuring that the comedy never weighs down the narrative. Every laugh is perfectly timed, never overstaying its welcome or detracting from the story’s emotional pathos. 

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is a triumph of animation. Taking full advantage of the medium’s artistic capabilities, Joel Crawford has crafted a film that is exciting, funny, and most importantly, teaming with life. With a stellar script and eye-popping mise en scene, you’re not likely to find a movie more alive than The Last Wish, animated or otherwise.