Puss In Boots: The Last Wish 4K UHD Review

3.5 Stars An amiable follow up to the first Puss In Boots.

In Puss In Boots: The Last Wish we see Puss In Boots reunited with Kitty Softpaws and new friends in a quest in the fairytale world of Shrek.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Released: 21 Dec 2022

Rated: PG

Runtime: 102 min

Director: Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillén

Writer(s): Paul Fisher, Tommy Swerdlow, Tom Wheeler

Plot: When Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll and he has burned through eight of his nine lives, he launches an epic journey to restore them by finding the mythical Last Wish.

IMDB rating: 7.9

MetaScore: 73

Disc Information

Studio: DreamWorks Animation

Distributed By: Universal

Video Resolution: 2160p HEVC w/HDR

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Audio: Dolby Atmos, Spanish 7.1 DD+:Spanish 7.1 DD+, French 5.1 DD

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Rating: PG

Run Time: 1 Hr. 42 Min.

Package Includes: UHD, Blu-ray, Digital Copy

Case Type: Amaray

Disc Type: UHD

Region: All

Release Date: 02/28/2023

MSRP: $34.98

The Production: 3.5/5

In Puss In Boots: The Last Wish(2022), the feline hero(Antonio Banderas) is reunited with his love and companion, Kitty Softpaws(Salma Hayek) in a quest to acquire the Wishing Star, a mystical artifact that may save Puss from living on borrowed time, since he has now expended 8 of his 9 lives.

Puss and Kitty are joined by a new friend, Perrito(Harvey Guillen), a Chihuahua masquerading as a cat. Along the way, they come up against the Goldilocks(Florence Pugh) and the Bears Crime Family, which includes Mama Bear(Olivia Colman), Papa Bear(Ray Winstone), and Baby Bear(Samson Kayo), as well as the Wolf(Wagner Moura) and Jack Horner(John Mulaney).

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is the follow up to Puss In Boots(2011), a spinoff from the Shrek films. This film introduces a slightly different animation style from the previous franchise entries, which may be partially attributable to the evolution over time of animation styles, but also a deliberate stylistic choice. Bob Persichetti(Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse) was initially selected to direct this film before Joel Crawford(The Croods: A New Age) took over in production. Persichetti left but the aesthetic stayed, so the animation resembles storybook illustrations a little more than the polished designs of the earlier Shrek films. (Does animation style evolve in a circle, from minimalism to high detail and then back to minimalism? Is animation moving away from CGI and back towards hand illustration?)

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is an amiable and fun confection that lets us revisit the characters in a new adventure. The film does not attempt to inject a lot of topical current references into the story, which arguably makes it more timeless, even if it is not an instant classic. The issue of mortality for Puss In Boots in living the last of his 9 lives in the best way possible adds a small dimension to the proceedings, even though the survival of these characters is never really in doubt, whether they have nine lives or one. If you enjoy the Shrek and Puss In Boots franchise, you will find much to enjoy in 102 minutes spent in this world.

Video: 5/5

3D Rating: NA

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish appears on 4K UHD in its original 2.39:1 theatrical aspect ratio. The visuals are grain-free with vibrant colors and great fine detail that has not been scrubbed away. Blacks are solid but allow for very nice shadow detail in the darker portions of the film.

Audio: 4/5

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is presented on 4K disc by default in English Atmos audio. The audio is immersive but no especially showy in the way of directional cues. The audio here is without any apparent flaws but without seeming exceptional, either. The percussive audio portions have punch, and the dialogue is always audible where it needs to tell the story.

Special Features: 4.5/5

Special features on the 4K disc include all of the following:

The Trident(4:01): Puss in Boots tells a campfire story about one of his 9 lives in this entertaining original short.

Deleted Scenes(7:57): Director Joel Crawford and co-director Januel P. Mercado provide an introduction for three deleted scenes entitled “Potty Break”, “Love and Death”, and “Wall O’Snakes” which may be selected individually or with a “Play All” selection. These scenes were never fully animated so they are presented in storyboard format with recorded audio.

Characters(13:24): Chapters entitled Puss In Boots, Kitty Softpaws, Perrito, Goldilocks and the Bears, Jack Horner, and Wolf may be selected individually or with a “Play All” selection. These are brief featurettes hosted by director Joel Crawford which discuss the characters and highlight the voices behind the characters.

In The Beginning(9:12): Cast and crew discuss this film in the context of the earlier films in this franchise.

Jack Horner’s Line-O-Rama(1:44): John Mullaney is highlighted in his lively line readings for little(?) Jack Horner.

“Fearless Hero” lyrical video(3:01): The song presented by Puss In Boots within the film is presented in music video format with the song lyrics on the screen.

How To Draw The Purffect Pawtrait(11:53): Director Joel Crawford and co-director Januel P. Mercado make a fun presentation on how to draw characters from the film. There are separate chapters for Puss In Boots, Kitty Softpaws, and Perrito which may be selected individually or with a “Play All” selection.

How To Make A Paper Perrito(7:14): Director Joel Crawford demonstrates an arts and crafts project that can be done for the kids (or adults) at home.

Cat Cam(14:28): This is exactly how it sounds. Videos of cats with calming music; it is all of the relaxation and serenity of a spa day. Give it a try. It might change your life.

Feature length commentary by director Joel Crawford, co-director Januel P. Mercado, producer Mark Swift, editor James Ryan, and head of story Heidi Jo Gilbert.

Also included is a blu-ray of the film and a paper insert with validation code for digital copy of the film on the Movies Anywhere app.

Lest I forget, this collector’s edition includes a slipcover with an exquisite silver banner on the front cover, which is set off nicely against an orange banner fading to yellow.

Overall: 3.5/5

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is a pleasing and fun follow-up to the 2011 original, which was itself a spinoff of the Shrek franchise. The video and audio presentation on 4K disc are terrific. The special features are fun, and offer a little something for everyone, including a new animated short, feature length commentary, deleted scenes, and even arts and crafts projects for the kids at home. The only thing really missing here is a 3D disc, which would really make the feature film pop in its visual presentation. Since the Australians are still releasing 3D goodies for Dreamworks films, I look forward to an international 3D blu-ray in the future. (Please feel free to offer your thoughts in this thread if you would buy this film on 3D blu-ray.) Until that comes to pass, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish on 4K disc is the best way to see and enjoy this film.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ra…

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Timothy E

Timothy has worked background in theatrical features and television, just for the fun of it, in films directed by Peter Segal and Christopher Nolan. His favorite film star is Bugs Bunny, and Timothy has discovered that most of the problems in life can be solved successfully (strangely enough) by asking “What would Bugs Bunny do?” Timothy has been involved with the Home Theater Forum since 2007 and has reported from Comic Con, interviewed Bruce Campbell and Danny Trejo, and reviewed classic animation and new theatrical releases on disc.

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Mar 15, 2023

#2 of 3

Malcolm R

Senior HTF Member

...and Baby Bear(Samson Kayo), as well as the Wolf(Samson Kayo)...

I think the Wolf's voice was Wagner Moura. Never heard of him, but he has a great voice.

Mar 15, 2023

#3 of 3

Jake Lipson

Premium

Senior HTF Member

It is worth noting that The Trident short does NOT feature Antonio Banderas or Salma Hayek in their film roles. They are very clearly soundalikes, which really stuck out when watching the short after the main feature. I'm sure this was DreamWorks trying to pinch pennies on a bonus feature, but they really should have just gone for it. Banderas did voice Puss in The Three Diablos short which was included on the Blu-ray of the first film, which makes it even weirder that they wouldn't for this one.

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