Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoel Crawford
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced byMark Swift
Starring
CinematographyChris Stover
Edited byJames Ryan
Music byHeitor Pereira
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • November 25, 2022 (2022-11-25) (Lincoln Center)
  • December 21, 2022 (2022-12-21) (United States)
Running time
102 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$90–110 million[2][3]
Box office$485.3 million[4][5]

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a 2022 American animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The sequel to the spin-off film Puss in Boots (2011) and the sixth installment of the Shrek film series, the film was directed by Joel Crawford, co-directed by Januel Mercado (in his feature directorial debut), and written by Paul Fisher, Tommy Swerdlow, and Tom Wheeler. Based on the character introduced in Shrek 2 (2004) and inspired by the fairy tale of the same name, the voice cast includes Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek reprising their respective roles as the titular character and Kitty Softpaws, with new additions to the cast including Harvey Guillén, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo, John Mulaney, and Wagner Moura. The story follows Puss in Boots, who teams up with Kitty Softpaws and Perrito to find the Last Wish of the fallen Wishing Star to restore eight of his nine lives. They race against other fairy tale characters seeking the same treasure, while a sinister wolf hunts Puss himself.

Plans for a sequel to Puss in Boots began in November 2012 but languished in development hell until it was revived in November 2018, with Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri confirmed as an executive producer. It was announced in February 2019 that the film would be helmed by Bob Persichetti, head of story of the first film and co-director of Sony Pictures Animation's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). However, Crawford signed on and replaced Persichetti as director in March 2021, along with Mercado. The story draws inspiration from Spaghetti Western films, with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) cited as a particular influence. The film's style is inspired by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. With new technology, the team was able to give the film a painterly style to resemble a fairy-tale story, diverging from the visual style of previous installments in the Shrek franchise.

Following delays due to a restructuring at DreamWorks, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish premiered at Lincoln Center in New York City on November 25, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 21. It received acclaim from critics for its animation, story, humor, mature themes, and vocal performances. It was also a box office success, grossing over $485 million worldwide on a production budget of $90–110 million and becoming the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2022. At the 95th Academy Awards it was nominated for Best Animated Feature, as well as receiving nominations at the Golden Globes, Critics' Choice Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.

  1. ^ "Puss In Boots: The Last Wish". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Avatar 2 to Dominate at Christmas Over Babylon and Puss in Boots Sequel". Variety. December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference DeadlineProfit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish". The Numbers. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  5. ^ "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.