Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 28, 2023

It seems like, years ago, sequels were made hot on the heels of a successful film, but the en vogue approach these days seems to be to wait for quite a while for the sequel to roll around. That is certainly true of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, the 2022 sequel to 2011's Puss in Boots. Fortunately, the franchise does not exist in cat years, because this sequel is every bit as spunky and lively as its predecessor, building a solid story within a great art style that sees the world come to life with excitement, purpose, and visual flair alike. With core cast members returning to voice and new characters that are sure to be remembered by the time the third film hopefully claws its way into theaters, one can definitely say that the long wait was worth it.

It’s been a life of grand adventure for Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas), who has experienced all there is to experience – including death. He has died eight times now, to be exact, which means he’s down to a single life left. After a particularly crushing penultimate death, his doctor offers him some sage advice: retire rather than risk his last life on adventure. That’s sour milk to Puss’ ears, but when he finds himself frightened by an encounter with a black-hooded wolf, he finally comes to realize that maybe the good doctor is right. He buries is adventure gear and buries his past. He moves ahead in his last life by moving in with a cat lady, Mama Luna. It would seem that Puss’ past life has truly been put behind him, but when he discovers that Jack Horner (voiced by John Mulaney) is searching for a magical wishing star, he moves to pursuit and inadvertently finds himself teamed up with his ex-fiancé Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek) and a dog named Perrito (voiced by Harvey Guillén) for one final adventure with potentially life-changing opportunities.

The film's unique animation style, which has been described by its creators as a "painterly storybook style," may be momentarily jarring in a cinema world of expectations for increasingly photorealistic and, frankly, characterless digital animation styles (cutting edge though they may be), but it takes little time to not merely adjust but appreciate both the creative artistry evident in, and the narrative congruence at work through, the animation. Indeed, the visual style creates a living storybook with artwork that doesn't look like it was made in a computer, or at least fully in the computer, but rather was crated lovingly by hand. The companion voice work is wonderful, too, with Banderas leading the charge and not missing a beat in the decade-long hiatus between films. The familiar vocals instantly draw the audience into the world and, with a blend of new and returning actors on tap, there's a sense of seamless vocal camaraderie and chemistry as the characters are voiced not to cliche but rather to authentic cadence that perfectly match the film's tone and story.

The story is rich and layered, even if the main plot point is very linear and rote. It is in how the film builds content around the adventure, and digs into its characters' centers, where it finds its worth. The drama and narrative ebbs and flows play well within the animated constructs and voice work but, beyond that, there's a sense of legitimate characterization and purpose to the journey which ultimately sheds light on a myriad of topics, including friendship and the real value of life, especially when there is only but one to live. It's all very well done.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish purrs on the UHD format. The image looks great, though many of the UHD's distinguishing characteristics are more a product of the HDR color grading and less the 2160p resolution. The HDR grading certainly offers a deeper overall color spectrum. The image is a little less bright overall, extending from ambient lighting impact to Puss' orange fur. Still, the overall color spectrum offers more dynamic contrast, superior vividness to punchy colors (especially Puss' green eyes), and black levels which are a bit deeper than the Blu-ray can offer. Texturally, changes and gains are a little more modest in terms of obvious differences with the Blu-ray. Cloe-ups reveal fur to be more easily defined and more readily identified at the single strand level, though some level of textural "clumping" is part of the inherent look, and charm, of the "storybook" animation style. Still, where there is extra detail to be found, the UHD offers more intricacy and textural finesse than does its 1080p Blu-ray counterpart. Various character models are certainly highlights for this improvement, but equally as important are the finer point upgrades that the UHD offers for clothes and environments. The higher resolution and the HDR grading make for improvements over the Blu-ray, but more incremental rather than redefining upgrades. The UHD is solid, but compared to the Blu-ray the differences are minor than spectacular, which speaks more highly of the Blu-ray than it does negatively of the UHD.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish arrives on Blu-ray with a vigorous and very enjoyable Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The presentation is full and lively. It's active through every available channel, including the top speakers, which are admittedly used more in support rather than with discreteness. Still, the sense of envelopment and precision is very enjoyable throughout the film, obvious, of course, mostly in action scenes where the track does well to draw the listener into the scenes with precision placement and authority. Bass is never shy about belting out prominent low-end content. It's nicely balanced, offering depth without failing to offer detail to match. Musical clarity is excellent, as is its spacing and surround engagement. The track further folds in plenty of richly defined atmospheric effects for proper immersion into the quieter scenes and locales, which help create the sense of a fully defined and detailed world from the film's first moments to its final shots. Dialogue is clear and center positioned for the duration. It is well prioritized even in pitch action.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish contains a plethora of bonus features. A Blu-ray copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• The Trident (2160p, 4:01): A mini-movie campfire story of one of Puss' eight deaths.
• Deleted Scenes (2160p, 7:57 total runtime): Included are Potty Break, Love and Death, and Wall O'Snakes. Also included is the typical directors' introduction.
• A Cast of Characters (2160p, 13:24 total runtime): Quick analyses of characters and the voice actors who portray them. Included are Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws, Perrito, Goldilocks and the Bears, Jack Horner, and Wolf.
• In the Beginning (2160p, 9:12): Cast and crew talk up the original Shrek and Puss in Boots films that introduced the character and helped propel this film. It also looks at how this film is an evolution from the first, the visual "painterly storybook style," digital construction, music and sound design, and more.
• Jack Horner's Line-O-Rama (2160p, 1:44): Juxtaposing John Mulaney's voice performance with shots from the film.
• Lyric Video (2160p, 3:01): "Fearless Hero."
• How to Draw the Purrfect Pawtrait (2160p, 11:53 total runtime): Directors Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado demonstrate how to draw Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws, and Perrito.
• How to Make a Paper Perrito (2160p, 7:14): A fun craft project for the whole family, with instructions by Puss in Boots himself.
• Kitty Cam (2160p, 14:28): Images of real-life cats at play, and it's much better than similar, dedicated content like this.
• Audio Commentary: Director Joel Crawford, Co-Director Januel P. Mercado, Producer Mark Swift, Editor James Ryan, and Head of Story John Gilbert offer their thoughts on the film.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even if the future comes again slowly, the future is bright for Puss in Boots and the surrounding storybook worlds that exist within its universe. A sequel to this, and a new Shrek film in this style and with this level of story and character excellence, would both be most welcome. Universal's UHD is full of life, offering satisfying 2160p/HDR picture and fine Atmos audio paired with a healthy allotment of bonus content. Highly recommended!