Twelve years after his first movie, and 19 years after the character’s original debut in “Shrek 2,” Puss in Boots returns to the big screen in “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” 

One thing I have always loved about the Shrek franchise was the seamless incorporation of fairy tale elements into the plot. 

When “Puss in Boots” was released in 2012, I went to see it with my third grade class. I remember not loving it too much, honestly. I don’t think I’ve seen it since. 

This was no hindrance to my experience with the sequel. In a word, it was amazing. 

Something I’ve really appreciated lately with Dreamworks is the stylistic choices the studio is making. While I feel that Disney has moved towards semi-realism in its animation, “The Last Wish” simply does not. In a movement style reminiscent of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “The Last Wish” is dynamic and super visually interesting. The textures on fur and hair are just plain fun and far from realistic. 

Watching the trailers, I thought the jumpiness shown would give me a headache. However, the animation is actually really smooth, with choppiness reserved for fighting scenes and the like. It was a nice touch that only made the smoothness even better. 

Looking at this version of Puss, all cute and fuzzy-looking, I was genuinely shocked when my friend showed me how Puss looked in the original Shrek movies. I had completely forgotten his weird little handlebar mustache, and I’m so grateful that Dreamworks dropped this in these newer movies. I was overcome with the intense urge to give Puss a huge hug and a kiss on the forehead several times throughout the movie. 

Visuals aside, the story was captivating and fun. Children’s movies have really been knocking it out of the park in recent years, but this film is definitely one of my favorite animated films to date. 

The story was sweet and heart-warming while also having its funny moments. I loved the return of Kitty Softpaws from the first film and I also loved the addition of new characters, especially the weird little dog. The main enemy of the film was honestly pretty scary, and combined with an awesome, chilling score, I was spooked several times throughout the film.

Overall, “The Last Wish” is a great watch, with wonderful characters, visuals and music, and an ending that gave me literal goosebumps.