FILM #29
OF 39
95TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2023 OSCARS CHALLENGE
“Puss In Boots: The Last Wish”
FEBRUARY 25, 2023
4K ULTRA HD
DAY 33
OF 48
Best ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Joel Crawford and Mark Swift
The titular Zorro-like animated character Puss in Boots is back in “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish.” First introduced in “Shrek 2” (2004), the feline voiced by Antonio Banderas finds himself staring down his last of nine lives. Having laughed in the face of death his entire existence, Puss faces death himself, a hooded wolf wielding twin sickles. Afraid for the first time in his life, he runs into hiding until the legend of a Wishing Star that grants any wish to whoever finds it. Racing the likes of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, “Big” Jack Horner, and his old colleague Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), Puss must come to terms with what’s truly important.
The updated animation style of “The Last Wish” is its biggest draw. During the action sequences, the film employs the much-lauded comic print style that “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” made famous. However, the overall aesthetic is pleasing to the eye. Florence Pugh voicing Goldilocks and Olivia Colman and Ray Winstone’s Mama and Papa Bear bring the ensemble cast to another level, adding pathos to side characters that make the entire venture more meaningful. John Mulaney also adds an element of comedy only he can bring, voicing the true villain of the piece in Horner. And Harvey Guillén as Perrito is the true hidden gem. His soft-spoken nature and unabashed sincerity create an entirely new dynamic to explore when combined with the cynical Puss and Kitty.
“Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” doesn’t revolutionize animation. However, it’s an enjoyable installment in the Dreamworks pantheon that proves their creative minds aren’t just phoning it in and are still actively trying to make a quality product.
PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS
Joel Crawford
| First-time nominee |
Mark Swift
| First-time nominee |
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.
Directed by Joel Crawford
Dreamworks + Universal Pictures
December 21, 2022
102 minutes
ACCOLADES
BAFTA Awards — Best Animated Feature Film (Nominee)
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards — Best Animated Feature Film (Nominee)
American Cinema Editors Awards — Best Edited Animated Feature (Nominee)
Annie Awards — Storyboarding in an Animated Feature [Winner]
Annie Awards — Editing in an Animated Feature (Nominee)
Annie Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Annie Awards — Character Design in an Animated Feature (Nominee)
Annie Awards — Production Design on an Animated Feature (Nominee)
Chicago Indie Critics Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Columbus Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Critics Choice Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Denver Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
DiscussingFilm Critics Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
GALECA: Society of LGBTQ Ent. Critics Awards — Animated Film (Nominee)
Georgia Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Gold Derby Awards — Animated Feature (Nominee)
Golden Globe Awards — Best Motion Picture – Animated (Nominee)
Greater Western NY Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Hollywood Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Houston Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Image (NAACP) Awards — Outstanding Animated Motion Picture (Nominee)
Intl Online Cinema Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Latino Ent. Journalists Ass. Film Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards — Best Animated Feature [Winner]
Music City Film Critics’ Ass. Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
Online Ass. of Female Film Critics Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Online Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Producers Guild of America Awards — Animated Motion Pictures (Nominee)
Portland Critics Ass. Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Film (Nominee)
San Fran. Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
2. “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”
3. “Turning Red”
4. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
5. “The Sea Beast”
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”
2. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
3. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
4. “Turning Red”
5. “The Sea Beast”
