Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was recently released in theaters, and it’s been a long-awaited sequel of one of the most popular DreamWorks Animation movies. It’s been ten years since Puss first appeared on the big screen with his solo act, voiced by the legendary Antonio Banderas, and the sequel is just as amazing.
It’s no surprise that Puss in Boots, although targeted at children, isn’t a children’s movie, and there’s a lot to uncover in terms of how it ended. Subjects like Death, arrogance, and no appreciation for the life given are prevalent throughout the 101 minutes of the movie so let’s explain the ending of Puss in Boots: The Last wish in a bit more detail with a poetic twist. Fair warning, there are a lot of spoilers.
Quick Summary
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish follows the story of a legend, an outlaw, a cat with his boots, cape, belt, and sword on, Puss. Puss is on his last life after his 8th Death where he was killed by a bell falling from the sleeping giant that wracked havoc just seconds before Puss slew it.
Puss, after meeting a bounty hunter who is after his head, for the first time experiences fear since the bounty hunter drew blood which had never happened before. Puss decides it’s time for the legend to die and settles into his new life as a house cat in a cat sanctuary, meeting a nameless dog Perrito during that time.
A few days, months, or weeks later, we’re introduced to 4 characters from another fairy tale, Papa bear, Mama bear, Baby bear, and Goldilocks, that have come to hire Puss to steal a map from little but turned-big Jack Horner. This leads to the wish that’ll be granted to the one who finds it deep in the magical dark forest.
Puss hides away and comes to an idea; he’ll steal the map himself and grant himself a wish to get all of his nine lives back. Perrito follows along, and in the process of stealing the map, he meets up with Kitty, that also decides to try and steal it. The three embark on an adventure together, reach the dark forest, and now have to navigate through the mystery that it is. While trying to navigate through it, it’s revealed that Kitty and Puss have some beef, they were supposed to get married, but Puss bailed because he felt fear for the first time in his life.
The map looks at your heart and sets up a path in three acts that’ll have you struggling with your greatest fears and darkest desires. Of course, Jack Horner, Goldilocks, and the gang have come to fight to get the map and the wish. In the meantime, it’s also revealed that the bounty hunter is also there, but his name is Death, and he is the real deal.
The Ending
All participants of the quest have reached the final destination, the star that grants the wish, and all that is left to do is to read the nursery rhyme seen on the map, and the wish will be granted. The only one that didn’t wish for anything and was happy with the life he was given was Perrito, the dog. At the same time, Goldilocks wanted a new human family, Jack wanted to control all the magic in the world, and Kitty wanted someone she could finally trust. Death was just there to hunt down Puss.
Perrito seems to be pivotal in helping all of them realize, except for Jack Horner, that yesterday is gone, tomorrow’s a mystery, and today is a blessing. Perrito had a difficult life, he was thrown away in a river in a sock filled with rocks, but he kept a positive attitude throughout his one life.
Deep Dive into the Meaning
Goldilocks starts to appreciate her family, Kitty starts to see that she doesn’t need the wish to trust someone and that the problem was in her all along, and Puss realizes that there is no legend left to chase, no lives left to waste and that this one last life should be spent appreciating it, chasing adventures once more but with others by his side, guided by fear, but embracing it.
Puss was arrogant in his past lives, but those lives are now legends, only meant to be retold, not meant to be relived. He repeated the same mistakes eight times and was still the arrogant, self-absorbed cat he was before. He never grew, he never looked back, and he was only ever there for the love of himself. He never feared Death; he laughed at its face and realized he had led eight lonely lives.
Alas, he lets go and gets a newfound respect for the present life he has, he fights Death, and Death quickly realizes that he isn’t the same arrogant cat anymore; he is finally the cat death always wanted him to be. They’ll meet again, but this time when the time is right. The wish is torn apart because everyone counted their blessings and felt that everything was always just right.
The Far Far Away
There are no end credit scenes, but Puss, Kitty, and Perrito are now a gang, embarking on adventures together. After stealing a boat, they embark on their latest adventure, which might foreshadow Shrek’s return since Puss and the gang is heading Far Away. Where Shrek, Fiona, the kids, Donkey, and the dragon live.
It has been 12 years since the last Shrek movie, and Shrek 5 has been in the works for around six years now. The script is done, and the idea is there, but there have been a lot of pushbacks that delayed it. The movie has big shoes to fill, so it’s no wonder they want to get it just right, so it’s best to delay than release something that isn’t as good.
Until Shrek returns, we can enjoy Puss in Boots and dream about what the latest movie could look like. If the new animation in Puss in Boots is any sign, it might just be that Shrek will get the redesign as well. I don’t think Shrek should get a redesign, but it would be great if they would keep the new anime-like fighting animation from Puss in Boots in there.
