Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a 2022 American computer-animated adventure 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 in the Shrek franchise, the film was directed by Joel Crawford and co-directed by Januel Mercado. Based on the character from Shrek 2 (2004) and inspired by the eponymous fairy tale, the film's screenplay was written by Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow, with a story by Swerdlow and Tom Wheeler (the latter of whom wrote the 2011 film). The voice cast of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish includes Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek Pinault reprising their respective roles as the titular character and Kitty Softpaws, and are joined by Harvey Guillén, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Samson Kayo, John Mulaney, Wagner Moura, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Anthony Mendez, who voice new characters introduced in the film. Set after Shrek Forever After (2010), the film follows Puss in Boots as he journeys to find the mystical Last Wish for the Wishing Star by teaming up with Kitty and Perrito (Guillén) to restore the first eight of his nine lives, by wishing on the mystical Last Wishing Star. They must race against Goldilocks and her Three Bears Crime Family (Pugh, Winstone, Colman, and Kayo), and "Big" Jack Horner (Mulaney), who all desire the star; Puss must also avoid a mysterious hooded wolf (Moura), who plots to kill him.

Plans for a sequel to Puss in Boots began in November 2012, when executive producer Guillermo del Toro shared plans to take the titular character on an adventure to a "very exotic locale", and also stated a couple of drafts for the screenplay were completed. Work on a sequel began in April 2014, according to Banderas. The film's title was announced as Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves in June 2014. After being stuck in development hell, the project was revived in November 2018, with Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri confirmed to be an executive producer. It was announced that the film would be helmed by Bob Persichetti, the head of story of the first film and one of the three directors of Sony Pictures Animation's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), in February 2019. Crawford was later announced as the new director in March 2021, along with Mercado. The majority of the new cast members, along with Pinault's return, were announced in March 2022. The story drew inspiration from Spaghetti Western films, with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) being cited as a particular influence. As with DreamWorks' previous film The Bad Guys (2022), the film has a stylized animation style, 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, rather than utilizing the realistic visual style of every previous installment of the Shrek franchise.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish premiered at Lincoln Center in New York City on December 13, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 21, 2022, after being delayed due to restructuring at DreamWorks. The film received positive reviews from critics, praising its animation, themes, voice acting, humor, and portrayal of Death. Many reviewers considered it superior to its predecessor, as well as one of the best films in the Shrek franchise. It was also a commercial success, grossing over $475 million worldwide on a production budget of $90 million, 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.