Fun fact: Antonio Banderas, the actor voicing Puss, is the one that gave the idea for the movie after experiencing a heart attack. He survived, and while he was in the hospital it dawned to him to make a movie about Puss learning to value his own life.
@@tofuurii Method Acting is the actor feeling/experiencing the same emotions the character does to be able to perform better. Antonio Banderas LIVED the same crisis with his own mortality that Puss experiences in The Last Wish.
It would be amazing to see a horror movie in animation and I mean really scary. The closest we have would be Coraline (that movie scared me so much as a kid) There are so many possibilities!
What I love about Death is that he's more concerned with life than what he embodies. He doesn't hate Puss for having 9 lives, he just thinks that's stupid and annoying, but Death hates him for how he never put any value to any of them. If he had just had a little respect for how precious life is, Death would never have payed him any mind. I think that's a fascinating take on an embodiment of death.
I doubt this will be a point in the following movies, but I like it as a thought. What if the world is going to need a hero? Puss as he was in the beginning of the last Wish would have died out of carelessness before doing what the hero needed to do. Death has Puss either shape up, or another hero takes his place, which for some reason is inconvenient for Death. This is a Fairy Tale universe after all, where such things could happen. As I said, just a thought, but I would be very impressed if they put that into a following movie. And if not, it is fine as it is.
Exactly, because life looses it’s purpose without death, but death also looses it’s weight if someone doesn’t appreciate life for what it is… a precious gift
An interesting thing to note is that Death stopped showing up once Puss settled down to live his life as “Pickles”. It was only until he started adventuring as Puss in Boots again that Death resumed the chase
When you have a bad relationship with your mortality, it feels like death is chasing you. When you are at peace with your mortality, it feels like you are just strolling to death at your own pace
Something I really liked is how Kitty seems to define herself by her past. Perrito wholeheartedly lives in the present, and Puss is so focused on his legend, his future, that he disregards the present and past. I dont know if anyone else has seen these themes or if Im just imagining things :)
One thing that I love about Death is how infrequent he appears in the film. His appearances are spaced so perfectly that you get caught up in the film's glorious animation and story and completely forget about him. Then he appears and your heart drops. He's not a forgettable villain at all, but you just get so caught up in the moment that you only remember he's in the film when he appears again, making each appearance just as scary as the last. Truly one of the best villains of all time...
@@lasercraft32 better yet, death shows up when Puss is either alone in his head or when he reflects about his legacy/the wish. It effectively shows that his anxiety and mortality is always on his mind.
this movie did 3 villain archetypes perfectly: Horner, the heartless monster. Goldie, the sympathetic you root for. and Death, the unstoppable force of nature.
Maybe that's what made them feel balanced. I had just assumed that they were really well distinguished, but implementing those base antagonist profiles you mentioned must've done a lot more from a writing perspective. Great call!
@@scoobydoo7275 she was the sympathetic villian. That's her whole arc. It's supposed to be predictable. They have every villian archetype here. The unstoppable, the down-right evil, and the understandable. Killing Goldie off wouldn't make any narrative sense. Killing Jack Horner off makes narrative sense.
(Except that next door we see CGI quality, pay and work conditions in rapid decline. This sentiment, interpreted in industry, means 'crack the whip harder', rather than 'you hired all this talent, where'd all the mediocrity come from?'. Credit due: at least we're regularly bored enough to savour a masterpiece)
The fact that a Spider-man animated movie by Sony (who made the emoji movie) , a league of legends show and a puss in boots movie have some of the best animation in recent years and absolutely amazing characters is just unbelievable
Just goes to show that we should stop crediting the work of the amazing people working on these movies to their soul-less corporate overlords. I also guess that even those lizard people are capable of seeing when a team seems solid enough that they deserve funding, they wouldn't be making money at all otherwise after all.
Worse, Chris Meledandri who created minions and illumination and is the overseer of all illumination films was the one that brought back puss in boots 2 from development hell AND was an executive producer in the film. Lol.
@@seratope boss baby was not a bruh moment for DreamWorks lol. It was crazy popular and made tons of money for them. They got a sequel, an Oscar, a spinoff show, etc.
“Pick it up”. Such a simple, yet powerful line from both Death and Boots. Love how the bell tolls eight times during the battle with the giant, representing the eight lives Puss wasted away. Not to mention Death was there watching the battle go on! Another thing to note: After the final fight scene between Puss and Death, Death's whistle not only matches the key of the song in the background, but it is also higher than what we heard throughout the movie! Most likely symbolic of the mutual respect between Puss and Lobo, plus Puss' new found appreciation of life. Pretty cool. (For the music nerds: Changes from the key of G to the key of A at the end of the movie.)
omg I saw somewhere that death was watching in the background of the fight btw puss and the giant but I never realized that the bell tolled 8 times! the little details in this movie keep on surprising me, I love it! 😊
Thank you for stating what key. I almost immediately went on a search after realizing you were right, before reading the rest of your comment and seeing I didnt have to. So thank you
Also, a few seconds before Puss gets crushed by the bell, the moment he steps back on frame to offer an encore, you can hear the start of Death's whistle. It blends in with the crowd's cheers and whoops upon first viewing, but if you listen for it...
another thing i really liked is how perro was written. usually those happy, optimistic characters annoy me to no end. and i fully expected perro to be that character. shockingly, he wasnt. i enjoyed his character and that hardly ever happens. i went into this movie mostly as a joke with my friend but we came out close to tears. it was incredible.
The sheer tragedy of his back story just hit differently. I do not think he would have been an effective character without it. It changes the entire audiences view on him. The story of the sock is where the point where he goes from annoying side character to a mainstay
@@goldenhate6649 I'm not sure honestly His character is great without the backstory. To me, his appreciation of the present moment and focus on the positive worked really even without the sock He held his "therapist" persona really well, both as a joke and when it mattered The "I don't believe you" - "it's fine, as long as you believe in yourself" made me laugh, but it was also a great serious line because of how taken aback Kitty was from it. It worked well with her character because she's looking for someone to trust and has never heard this kind of basic encouragement before. Obviously calming Puss' panic attack, but with such care In a way, he worked as the other mentor for Puss. Death was a mentor in kicking yourself up and improving through work and determination to stop running; Perrito was a mentor in accepting your emotions, past, learning to communicate and move forward; and to see the beauty in the moments. Two complementary ways of teaching the same thing. For example directly after the panic attack, when he said it's fine to be afraid; and later got Puss to talk to Kitty about bailing the wedding. Overall being super caring for Kitty and Puss and the most emotionally mature character of the universe All of this would have worked without the sock. His backstory helped in taking him seriously when he spoke of enjoying the present moment, because he of all people didn't let himself be dragged and ruined by his past. But I think the character worked well regardless and the "UnWanted" poster kinda already did that to an extent, long before we knew about his actual past!
@@Gaming2DMX isn't that something that was critizised in the beginning of this video? sticking to one art style? Admittedly, styles can support plenty of stories, but shouldn't each story warrant the question whether or not it benefits from an existing or new style?
What makes the movie so all encompassing is that it manages to have a force of nature villain in death, a sympathetic villain in Goldilocks and a pure evil delight in Jack
Persona 5 felt like it tried to do the same thing with, Jaldabaoth, Shido and… the Black Mask Persona user (Because of Royal being recently released on Xbox gamepass, Switch, etc. I’m trying not to spoil that one.) But only really 2 of them were good. And I still can’t decide who the second one is between Shido and Jaldabaoth. And then there was also kinda the same thing in Sonic Adventure 2 with Team Dark where Shadow was definitely that force of nature, being the Ultime Lifeform and all, Rouge being the more sympathetic one out of the three, at least in my eyes as she had learned about Project Shadow and all that happened while Shadow has no idea and being forced to blow up the island of the people she works for without any chance of fighting back against Shadow and Eggman without just being fucking shot by Eggman’s gun, and Eggman just being delightfully vile and just straight up blowing up the FUCKING MOON AND THREATENING TO POP SOME LEAD INTO AMY’S FUCKING HEAD.
they did incredibly well for having multiple antagonists at once without it feeling too crowded or tacked on, the well regarded toby maguire spiderman series tried to do this with spiderman 3 and failed showing just how hard it is to pull off
Death Wolf was a stylistic triumph, but I also like that Jack Horner was an irredeemable villain. No sob back story (being outperformed by a puppet does not count), no plot twist. In that way, he was an old-school villain. And those are increasingly rare.
Jack is literally a parody of all those bad villains you are supposed to sympathise with because of some cheap backstory. He literally said himself that he had a loving family, he was rich, etc. and is just an entitled fuck in general who thinks he deserves even more. That's just... amazing.
@@helion_ut Same we had in Phineas & Ferb Movie. There we meet Duffenschmirtz from alternative dimension who is an antonym of Duffenschmirtz. He is just a spoiled kid who could always get what he wanted. Oh btw Duffenschmirtz helps to defeat his doppelganger.
He’s also a good parallel to Puss. Puss didn’t value life just as much as Jack. The difference being whose life he didn’t value. It’s funny cuz puss had such an ego and image as a fearless hero, that he didn’t realize he was actively treating himself badly. Jack didn’t value the life of others. So we see that Jack hasn’t changed at all, but Puss grew to appreciate life
My favorite detail someone pointed out is that rapiers are often paired with daggers to use as a defensive weapon. In the begining, Puss had just the offensive rapier because he was arrogant, dodging attacks instead of deflecting them. In the final fight with Death, he use the rapier and dagger together to catch the sickles, deflect attacks, etc, because he learned the value of defensive fighting to protect his life.
To be honest, Puss in Boots 2 also shows why anime is so successful media wise. It's not because of the art style, it's because of the different USE of styles and ways of interaction between the eye and action. It's another reason why we can see movements in comics. Movement lines, camera zooms, differences in styles such as the mix of 2D and 3D, all works. It makes the art come to life as it should
Speaking of style mixing and anime, I'm sure people remember that one episode of Amazing World of Gumball where Nicole becomes an anime character. A show will known for mixing 2d and 3d elements. You nailed it on the heat.
It's also worth noting that the people who grew up watching anime (in a more mainstream way) are now old enough to be working on these movies. I truly believe that the dynamic action we've been seeing in animation (like this movie, Spiderverse or the somewhat recent TMNT movie) has been influenced by the reputation anime has on fights
@@narufan987 This is an excellent point. I love seeing how Anime, especially ones I grew up on, with sweeping shots and breathtaking fight scenes has been influencing current animation. Though I also want to point out that Dreamworks, from Prince of Egypt, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train your Dragon (2, specifically), Croods and of course Puss in Boots 2 tend to open on BREATHTAKING fluid epic scenes that really showcases how the characters move and act but also build up on the world around them. Like they have long had that Animesque influence on there animation style that, sadly, Shrek, almost killed off. I'm glad to see the Prince of Egypt influence return to Dreamworks films, cause they really push the envelope more so than Disney had in a very very VERY long time.
Finally someone acknowledge the mama bear line ! This is when I teared up in the theatre. I was expecting Goldie to reveal her wish and the family to be sad/angry at her and fight for a little bit, but the acceptance she got instead? It was surprising and heartbreaking. Way more powerful than the tearful screaming match I expected
I think that's exactly why it feel so hard, everyone could expect a fight, that the 3 bears were going to feel betrayed and leave Goldi for it's own and then Come Back in the last minute to help her and then she was going to accept them as her real family, but no! They just help her, Even after Goldi revelas her wish, showing that the 3 bears love her in a way that Only a real family could Love You, helping You to Achive your Dreams even if it's Selfish, they help because they just love her in all the Circumstances and it's amaizing!
All three of the bears were such great characters that complimented Goldi really well, but Mama Bear is too pure for this world 😭 Such a great parent figure who just wants their children to be happy
The moment where Perrito saved Puss from his panic attack made me cry. The subplot with Goldilocks and the Three Bears also made me cry. Their resolution was kind of obvious, but it was handled perfectly. This movie emotionally speaking is one of the most powerful animated film's ever made in recent memory.
The fucking Goldie and Puss knowing that they had what they wanted in front of their eyes and fighting the incarnation of ambition (that is killed by crickety) and the conclusion, man, this made me feel like the first time I finished reading a book, casually it was the Wizard of Oz, which had a similar conclusion
Perrito is honestly so precious. I usually don't care for his type of character, but he managed to steal my heart. The way he just lets Puss gradually recover, instead of trying to force a "YOU'RE GONNA BE ALRIGHT!" on him really moved me.
The reason the whistle doesn't sound as sinister after the final duel is because they changed the key it's whistled in. All throughout the film, Death's Whistle was in a minor key, which is intentionally supposed to sound ominous and unpleasant. When Puss learns to appreciate and cherish life and Death leaves, he whistles in a major key; hopeful and pleasant.
Death's whistle was NOT in a minor key at any point. It was in G major for most of the movie and was bumped up to A major for the final time it was played. What gave the whistle its creepy quality was that it was often dissonant from the background music or was the only music/background sound playing. It only sounds more hopeful and pleasant that final time because 1) it's in a higher key than it was previously and 2) it matches the already optimistic background music very well.
One thing you mentioned was Death’s voice and how it isn’t this deep, demonic kinda sound like often portrayed in media. And once thing I thought was he sounded almost welcoming. Not friendly, but the voice has this feeling of beaconing, while still being menacing. Which is exactly how he is portrayed in a lot of folk lore. He is both terrifying, and a comfort when he finally does come
I think that sort of juxtaposition comes from the fact that he's not a malicious guy, he actually even wants people to have meaning and value to their lives (even if only because he feels it disrespectful and ignoring him to not), but finding yourself in a position where you're looking the literal actual embodiment of death in the eyes is a terrifying situation nonetheless
The relationship between the mamma and goldie kills me. Just how much Mamma unconditionally loves her, the way she talked about how their family became whole when they found her in their home, and yeah when she said she would do anything to make her happy. I about bawled in the theater, its the type of mother daughter relationship I will never have, and DreamWorks nailed the portrayal of it.
I did love that with mama bear. I also noticed more of an individual dynamic more on the second watch with each bear. It went over my head initially, but Goldie mostly hits heads with baby bear, the youngest, while also bonding with him the most for actual progress (the sniffer leading quite a lot of the path). Just like how mama bear watches out for them and acts as the mother for her children, the baby is virtually the sibling in a mutual play-together and bickering pair kind of way. It makes it even better when its the one she fusses with the most that she also gives up her supposed wish to save - their arguments aren't personal, they can set it aside and love each other when it matters. Father bear seems more subtle aside from some dad gags like snoozing on the chair, but he's also got his own side to stepping up, being the rock against pain as well as the one who doesn't care if he hurts feelings in confirming baby's insecurities. It truly is a quirky and defined family, and while everyone is talking about tears over the anxiety attack, I can't get through the end of the 3 bears arc without tears rolling.
I think Jack is a little more than you mentioned, while death is Puss' foil, Jack is everyone's foil, he's what happens when you have EVERYTHING and you appreciate nothing. Goldy, Kitty, and Puss were all in danger of not appreciating what they had and Jack is the ultimate version of that. He holds this film together by helping connect Puss to the other characters with him.
@@iwantabigpiece death is just in that it doesn't discriminate against good or evil. What makes it go after Puss is the fact that he died 8 times and still lives and still wastes his life
Animation is at it's best when it takes advantage of things that can ONLY be done through animation imo. I've been pretty burnt out of the "realistic" style of animation for a while now, and it's been fantastic the last year or two seeing companies finally start pushing the boundaries of it again
I dunno, Arcane is still bloody fantastic. Non-realistic animation only works for something either comedic or stylized towards simplification to the n-th degree.
@@o340 We live in the day and age when typing a lot can be seen as rude or insult... \*le sigh\* Well, what I mostly meant by "unrealistic animation", is the type of animation that doesn't respect character's anatomy, momentum, or just physical laws, in order to achieve a more expressive shot. Arcane has none of that, at no point characters feel boneless. I think animation has that sweet spot where you can do a "realistic" story that will be, while expensive, still orders of magnitude easier to achieve (Or even just straight up "the only possible way") than filming in live action. Arcane, Pantheon, some old-school god-tier anime, to name a few. Having it stylized is a great bonus, but that stylization still is grounded and realistic, if that makes any sense. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to see vivid fluid expressive animation, but imagine Arcane being animated in the style of animation that Puss in Boots has. It would feel just wrong and dissonant.
@@o340 I say the more diversity, the better. I don't really prefer grounded stylization or unrealistic/alternative physics in animation on their own, but they should be allowed to coexist. Studios should have the freedom to experiment and try out new things, instead of just copy-pasting the same tired Disney-Pixar smooth realistic babyface style. Unfortunately, because of the profit motive under capitalism, studios usually opt to just copy what the successful ones do, because that is generally the safest option. Hopefully the success of Puss in Boots will contest that idea, and also show that word of mouth promotion from just making a movie that's really fucking good can still work. The question is whether or not doing so is profitable... the 60M budget of this movie makes me hopeful, but I'm not one to count my chickens before they hatch.
bocchi the rock is a great example of animation making use of things that can ONLY happen with animation sure, it's an anime, and not a movie, but it is still an example of it
Death is what people who do character design live for. All you need is to hear him once and get one good look at him and you can feel his entire vibe. His dour whistle then those piercing red eyes peering out of that hunched figure is enough to inform you to fear him.
And his design is fairly simple too. Its astounding that a character with so many usually cliché design aspects feels not even remotely cliché! (Black cloak, red eyes, a wolf, uses sickles... on their own these traits are nothing unique but together its amazing).
Fun fact: When Goldilocks is stressed about her wish and how it would affect the Bears, when we get a close up shot of her reading her book back at the house that the map conjured up, if you read the first letter of every line, then you'll get the sentence: "You already have it." bc she already has a real family with the bears.
11:57-12:02 I caught another tiny detail while watching this video that I never noticed. When Death asks Puss if his lives are flashing before his eyes, Puss’s head is bent down, but when he answers “just one,” he tilts his head back up and his hat moves out of the way to reveal Kitty and Perrito- his reasons for that “just one”- still standing there. My gosh, this movie is brilliant.
This was an interesting detail I never realized. Damn dude, this movie has everything. The fact that his hat revealed Kitty Softpaws and Perrito, shows that he has had the help, support, and trust, to secretly show that he values his one and only life. Just fucking brilliant.
I also noticed a detail, but not that one. When Puss is in the bar, we see a shot of him through the mirror, on the left side of the mirror, with the right side being empty. Then, in the first shot we see Death, we see him and Puss through the mirror, but this time the right side is filled with Death. I can't really offer any good analysis or mindblowing philosophy, but still cool.
One thing filmmakers have to remember when making a plot twist or a huge reveal is that you shouldn't leave your audience saying "I didn't see that coming." they should say "I SHOULD'VE seen that coming." That's why I love death's reveal so much. They drop all these little hints that you figure out later while rewatching and it all makes so much sense.
Exactly, when I watched the film, I picked up on a lot of these hints and thought, okay this wolf represents death, and then the reveal brought it to the next level
Something worth mentioning about the final fight. Death asks, "You know, we will meet again, right?" Then Puss replies, "Si, Hasta la muerte." To which Google Translate tells me means "Yes, until death." This is Death testing Puss to see if he still thinks he's immortal.
It could be more interesting than that, a common Spanish phrase is "hasta ha mañana" which is a farewell that means "I'll see you tomorrow." So I think a fair translation of Puss' "Si, Hasta la muerte" could be "yes, I'll see you at (my) death." Showing, like you said, that Puss accepts his death as inevitable.
Hasta la vista’s a well-known catchphrase in pop culture as well, I immediately made the link between it and hasta la muerte since the phrases are very similar. At first I thought vista meant life but I just checked it and it means view. It still means "see you later"
Watching the panic attack scene in theatres literally left me breathless. I've struggled with an anxiety disorder my ENTIRE life, and have had debilitating panic attacks for years, and finally seeing it so accurately and heart-wrenchingly represented on a screen was horrific and beautiful. They did it so well.
Heck, I don't think I've ever had a real, full-blown panic attack in my life, or know that I've known anyone who has, but just the borderline anxiety that I have had, I saw Puss and said 'this is what that would be out of control, full blown'. I suspect whoever animated that had actually experienced real panic attacks, first or second person, and probably regularly.
That scene makes me cry every time. Such an accurate yet respectful depiction of a panic attack, with Perrito's simple act of comfort being so tender and sweet. One of the best scenes in the film
I struggle with a panic disorder as well and could immediately recognize what was going on and it made me want to cry, but in a good way. I haven't seen it portrayed so damn well before, not to mention Perrito putting his head on Puss's chest. The feeling that I am about to die consumes me with every panic attack and this scene just spoke to me more than words ever could.
I just love this line 17:37, it not only breaks away from that cliche 3rd act conflict, but it also makes mama bear feel like an actual loving mom who would do anything for their kid.
Even with puss and kitty, I'm glad they didn't do the third act miaunderstanding exaggerater fallout with them either, likw kitty is still unhappy at puss for running away, but she can understand why, she was just hoping he could do better
Technically, it was the second time Puss ever felt fear. He says that the first time ever was when he walked away from the wedding, and Puss realizing that he REGRETTED it was so so interesting to watch. “One life with you is all I could ever wish for,” is such a sweet way to bring all that full circle.
I also love how they didn't shy away from being more mature not just in theme, but also with visuals and gags. They showed blood on screen, artistically but still blood. They said "crap" a few times, and the age old "kid friendly" thing of only saying "bullsh-" but getting cut off right before finishing the whole word. And for I think the first time I can think of, straight up just threw in bleep curses as a joke. Several times in fact with Perrito. That's all stuff Disney wouldn't touch with a 100ft pole.
The Perrito swearing bit was hilarious to me. The bleeping mixed with less profane insults means it's up to you to imagine what he's saying, which naturally leads you to think of the most offensive stuff you can come up with. It's hilarious to see such a kind-hearted, optimistic character come up with that kind of stuff, not just because it's unexpected, but because it actually makes sense considering his rough, abusive upbringing.
I personally thought that the crass DreamWorks we've seen in shrek one and two and even pib one was dialed down..honestly my only dislike about pib 2 was that the jokes didn't land like they did in pib 1
I also think that the Wolf was effective because whatever was happening, no matter how dire the situation, when he showed up, the whole world stopped and all you could hear was that whistle, and Puss’s heartbeat. And his fur standing on end, and the fear in his face. As a kid I would’ve been terrified, cause even as an adult I thought it was incredibly effective
And death only showed back up once he was getting cocky. It all worked so well. Death only left him alone when he hid safely as a nobody, or appreciated life properly as a somebody. The movie also teaching us that hiding inside and taking zero risks, while safe, is wholly unfulfilling.
A fun little detail I've discovered: the tune that Death whistles is the same one that plays when Puss does the "Cute Eyes." It's just whistled in a different key and tempo, I think, I don't know all the musical terms. After the last fight, the reason it doesn't seem so menacing is because he whistles in the proper key and tempo.
Well that answers that, that was one of the first questions I asked because it sounded familiar. With no answer my brain tied it to beginning tune of There She Is Part 5.
Another clever clue about the wolf identity: in the scene when Puss is running away in the chariot, the wolf points at him and you can see two coins on his eyes. This is a reference to the Greco-Roman tradition, when they used to place two coins on the eyelids of the dead. They believed that one had to pay a coin to cross a river, Styx, which divided the land of the living from the dead. The second was for the ferryman, Charon, who would take the dead across in his boat for a fee.
Spoilers!!! ... ... I really liked the part when Perrito runs to Horner in the climax, because I thought they were going to do the cliche "cute optimistic character dies and all the characters cry and we all cry but then the wish brings them back to life yay happy ending" but then instead they do a callback to the eye-thing, which doesn't even work! And in a weaker production I think they would have had Horner give in to the puppy eyes. I appreciated the genuine subversions and twists in this film.
Reminds me of TMvTM where the pug (forgot his name) is taught in the beginning of the movie to stare straightforwardly but fails then at the end of the movie he finally does it but still goofs up. Like how Perrito is taught to do the cute eyes but fails, then succeeds at the end of the movie but it still doesn't work lmao.
I think the better twist is that he know that won't work on jack! He fully trust his friend that they quickly catch on and use the time he bought to get the map away from him!
Death doesn't discriminate. It'll take your soul whether you're gay or straight; white or black; atheist or christian; man or woman. If that doesn't sound like fairness and equality, then I don't know what is
I watched this at my college where there was a q&a with the directors, producer, story director etc. And the director said that he's directing Kung Fu Panda 4 so I'm hoping this style carries over
Thank you for your wonderful video essay! My husband actually worked on this film and I’m so proud of what the Dreamworks PiB team accomplished with this film. The animation style, details, and takeaway message was so good! One detail I noticed watching the movie the second time was that Goldilocks dress changes from colorful to brown symbolizing her truly being “bear” -part of the three bears family.
That’s amazing! Do you mind if I ask what your husband helped work on/what team he was a part of? Regardless I thank him for helping work on one of my favorite movies in years.
@jesspace Tell your husband ¡Muchas gracias! from me :) This movie is outstanding and every single person who was involved in the making of such a masterpiece deserves credit!
I just seriously respect how they set up Goldi's character. Starting off with rough and determined, yet still a family person, the subtle ways she interacted with her family... No big fat speech required, actions say it all.
Another aspect that not many talk about is the SCORE: I love how all characters have their own leitmotifs, and their themes appear as they do. When Jack Horner appears holding Perrito, his lullaby-esque motif is heard; when Puss blocks Death's scythe with the blade, Kitty's guitar riff is heard. And both in the first battle with the giant and the final one with death, when Puss gains the upper hand, a spanish voice beings hyping him up. it's sooooo good.
This is a huge deal for the films made by dreamworks since How to Train Your Dragon. I really hope in shrek 5 they pull back from the pop music a bit. The custom music just hits so much harder. Also todays pop music is just blech.
17:36 Mama Bear's line here also broke me. If you listen closely, you can hear her voice try to crack. She doesn't want Goldilocks to leave, but she's willing to sacrifice her happiness to support the person she perceives as her true daughter. If that's not family values then I don't know what is!
honestly death literally changes the mood of the movie whenever he's on screen, or sometimes just from hearing his whistle, the movie turns from this goofy action family friendly movie, to straight up horror. he almost feels out of place in a movie like this, but in a good way, no other character made feel this way. no matter how much of a threat they are
something additional that always gets me is death’s character design. the way he can do easily fade into the shadows and appear as only two blood red eyes. the undoubtably deadly way he smiles with those sharp teeth. the way his emotions cross his face. god he TERRIFIES me and it’s so good
Death is actually seen a few times before the first scene. During the giant fight in the beginning, you can see him in the upper left corner of the screen when the people are doing the wave. You can also see him in each of the 4 corners when Puss is reciting his deaths.
He also only shows up when people are dying- that's how he tracks Puss at all. He shows up at the Horner factory after Jack kills the map deliverer, in the Dark Forest when Jack gets the Baker's Dozen killed, and only appears at the Wish after Jack's final henchwoman is killed by the barrier and Baby nearly dies as well. Jack literally let Death in.
@@NotAGoodUsername360 how do you explain him showing up at the beginning then? Nobody died when he was first introduced, unless you want to say he stuck around after Puss died the 8th time.
My favorite thing about the animation is how it uses smear effects in place of motion blur, animating on twos for moments like action scenes, and really any technique that made 2D animation work so well. It plays a big part in keeping the fight scenes engaging, instead of just becoming a confusing blur of "stuff happening".
Absolutely. The first time I saw the unique way they used those effects I was hooked and delighted every time after that when I noticed it more and more. I'm so thankful they mixed things up this way, it was so refreshing.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish honesty feels like a return to form for the medium of animation. It harkens back to a time of animation when they could tell mature, complex, yet easily-accessible stories, but with a strong sense of energy and genuine emotion to it, as well as villains that are either unredeemable or complex in motivation. I mean, the opening song reminds me to the Disney Renaissance and some of Dreamworks' earlier films where they started off with a bang instead of trying to open calmer and "grounded". Even the prologue of the Wishing Star reminds me of Beauty and the Beast. But it also still feels like a film that released today, with the stylised animation, addition of a redeemed villain and metahumour, making best of both worlds. It's honesty amazing that THIS was the animated film that combined the elements of both storytelling elements from before and today and how it spits in the face of Disney and Pixar. Seriously, what was up with them in 2022?
That's why I've always preferred Dreamworks to Disney, despite their occasional rough patches. They don't shy away from maturity and/or patronize the audience like Disney seems to do a lot these days. There is clear love and passion put into nearly all of their films unlike Disney whose stuff feels kind of soulless/corporate-driven these days.
Disney had Encanto (was is 2021?), so it’s not like they were completely bad. They just had one movie miss. Tho it’s apparent Disney is going through a phase where they get one good and one bad, so I wonder when that’ll end. Disney has also cancelled some of its best animated projects. CN and Nick as well. I’m glad this movie exists, proving mature animated movies can exist during a period where animation is dying cuz of executives.
@@arcanejack Disney depicted some real stuff in Encanto. They didn’t “shy” away from it. They’ve done plenty of mature movies too. The artists in these studios are working hard, it’s just difficult sometimes when the executives censor and restrict and cancel things. Their president (before Iger came back and disney kicked him for being the worst) said animation wasn’t for adults. Which might explain why disney feels that way to you. Unfortunately, corporate meddling ruins things. Dreamworks has had plenty of cancelled movies that would’ve been amazing too (still salty they cancelled the shadow movie)
Not gonna lie, the scene when Puss gets a panic attack and Perrito goes to help him really hit home. I've had a panic attack ONCE and it's the worst feeling you could have, the unstoppable fast breathing, loosing the world around you, begging for it to stop... damn. When Perrito calmed Puss down it almost made me cry. Last Wish brought everything I wanted from this kind of movie and even more. Great and memorable characters, jokes, drama, message, incredible visuals, everything
The thing that I love so much about this film is it’s message about death. Death is only the villain so long as Puss fears him, so long as he clings to the idea that life is about the shallow praise and adventures he finds literally everywhere he goes. It’s only when he finds something that makes living in spite of death worthwhile, the things he can only get from the few special people who truly mean the world to him, that death stops hunting him. He doesn’t go away, he makes sure Puss knows that he will be back, but he’s no longer an unstoppable force coming to cut his adventure short, he’s a reminder that there is only so much time and to spend it wisely.
Something I noticed while watching his video, Death puts coins over his eyes and then points at Puss. Putting coins over the eyes of the dead is supposed to pay for their ride in the ferryman’s boat to the afterlife. Puss, having kicked the coins away to the townspeople and Death in the previous scene payed his toll, and Death essentially said, without even needing to speak, that Puss had payed for his ride in the ferryman’s boat
I am SO GLAD this movie is doing well both critically and at the box office. I was worried that gonna get overshadowed by Avatar: The Way of Water, but, thankfully, people seem to be watching and appreciating both. Edit: Don't let this make you think I didn't enjoy Avatar 2; I VERY MUCH did. Just glad that one good movie didn't overshadow another for once.
Yea the starting week wasn't very good from what I've heard. But ever since critics, content creators, and people on the internet start giving this movie positive reviews, people start to get curious.
It definitely had a slow-ish start, but good word of mouth is helping it along. Plus, there isn’t much else in family entertainment playing at the moment, with the next big thing being the Mario Movie. And the release for the UK had also been pushed to February this year compared to US release in December, so hopefully that will give it a solid overseas bump.
@@jendoe9436 I'm super curious to see how the opening weekend goes for the UK release, I'm sure there's a lot of hype built up for certain demographics.
Avatar dominates at first till ppl realizes its not as suprising as first time. I think its really great at near ending but the start felt really slow. Also avatar has high "its not ending yet huh?" vibe at ending lol
Avatar got too many characters POV at once. And being a film sequel released after decades, making hard to remember anything details knowing Avatar series itself not making/keeping fan thriving. Avatar was known only for great effect too ig? Its like a spectacle soon to be forgotten yet to be revived again
Idk what to even call it properly, but I love the filter (finish, texture?) of objects. Even though it's 3D, they made it look painted, with visible brush strokes. And sometimes they just show you a beatufiul painting, no 3D needed (like the distant shot of the giant over the whole town, or when Puss aproaches the retirement home)
If you watch the film's behind the scenes material, there's a lot of unfinished shots that have the painterly textures applied with no lighting or post processing which makes the textures themselves much easier to see. Seeing that every single aspect of the environment was treated with such care, something I didn't notice while watching the film because I was too caught up in the story to care, has made me respect it that much more; it's drop dead gorgeous
I really like that they included a irredeemable villain in this movie. It teaches that there are people who can’t be turned good by talking. HTTYD 2 did the same. To add, the scene where perrito comforted puss nearly made me tear up. that was really well done.
I also wanna point out, that the dagger that he used to "save" his last life... was from kitty. so essentially it literally is "the people in your life helped you avoid death" and I adore the whole idea of his future wife saving his life like come ON!!! also, as an animator myself, when my friends wouldn't stop screaming about this movie and helping me to be able to watch it in some way (we don't have a theater where I live) I was so floored with the whole movie I watched it twice in one night, and then made my partner watch it the next night. Literally inspired me so much and I deeply hope more movies in the animation industry come out like this, god we need it
This is one of the most profound movies I've seen in a long time. Wagner Maura as Death was perfect, and, if I had seen this as a little kid, he would have scared the crap out of me. The progression of Perrtito from an annoying hanger-on to the bedrock from which Puss completes his personal journey of growth was breathtaking to watch. This is the kind of film Disney is no longer capable of making, a fun movie with a proper circle of growth.
bro I agree with your last sentiment, I was legit thinking the same thing. All the movies disney makes these days are shitty live action remakes with zero value and no soul, and they're only function is to profit off of nostalgia. It really is pretty depressing... 😕
Ever since The Bad Guys, I just knew that Dreamwork is getting good. I also love how the film pushes the limits of animation, but also the PG rating with darker content that usual.
Man.. could you imagine if they had done this artstyle with the HTTYD movies too, that would of been wild. Honestly though dreamworks is def one of my favorite animation studios. Among the big names they've always been the more adventurous even if it results in a lot of hit and miss, but when they hit they hit hard.
@@HyenaBlank Not only How to Train Your Dragon. Kung Fu Panda would work as well. They could even give like different art styles. HTTYD can be inspired by ancient Viking art while Kung Fu Panda by ancient Chinese paintings (or maybe old timey martial arts films). That way, each franchise feels like its own world. Its own universe. I mean Captain Underpants managed to translate the art style of Dav Pilkey well into animation.
Disney wished they could pull this off. A real original story that’s powerful and every scene is like an art piece. Seriously every scene could be an art piece and that’s what’s magical. This is one of those movies that STAINS your mind, the first movie was so forgettable, this will never be forgotten.
A college friend of mine animates at Dreamworks, and he shared the reference footage he took for animating some of the film's climax scenes of Death. While the practice of acting out the scene yourself before animating is not unusual at all, it was still fun to see the amount of care and detail put into what is really one of the best animated films in years.
We are in an era where animated medium tells more and better than most new movie releases and I am all for it. Dreamworks might be going into it's new golden era if content of this quality is gonna get released by them more in the future. Still i feel that animation should be more respected as a medium, for the adult themes, music, work going into animation itself and voice acting in public eye. While internet praises it a LOT (and thank god cause it's really that good) I still feel that there is still a huge number of people that think it's "kids stuff" just like videogames are not respected when they actually do some amazing stories, music and it's other parts because... "it's a game". These stereotypes really need to die so that people who make these masterpieces get more recognition than they get now.
We're getting there, chief. Fifteen to twenty years ago it was still fashionable to call people nerds (which used to be a much harsher word, too) for playing games and even bully them over it, and any self-respecting girl would never touch either a game or a gamer. Cultural norms used to be like...these highly mutated highschool hierarchy rules, with matching values to go with them, but just as childish. Look how the things have changed. It is slow process, but we're growing out of stereotypical thinking as a society. Or, in other words, we've matured enough to realise that blind/insecure avoidance of everything "uncool" is pretty immature actually.
honestly, the goldie storyline made was my favorite part of the whole movie. as someone whose bio family kinda sucks and the family i found is more then the other could ever be, that story made me ball
This movie was most likely the first that ever made me almost cry. That scene where puss got a panic attack and ran into the dark forest, god that hit home too close. It was even harder when Perro was comforting him. It gave me almost a PTSD like feeling, I honestly began to have a minor panic attack with puss. I can't believe how good this movie is, and it's topics on mortality is a good reminder for us all. Make life to the fullest, always stride to complete your dreams and goals because you never know what could happen tomorrow.
It’s kind of amazing how well this movie came together. I mean, think about all the things this movie had going against it: It’s a spin-off of a popular movie franchise that lost its spark a long time ago It’s lead has largely been a one-note character leaning heavily on comparisons to Zoro It’s the sequel to a very middling film that didn’t do anything terribly interesting It’s juggling three different villain sets, none of which have been introduced before and all of which are dramatically distinct It introduces a new side character who could easily have fallen into basic comic relief status And that’s just off the top of my head. None of this should have worked, even with stellar animation. The writing in this movie goes to show that, even with everything against it, a movie can vastly exceed expectations by undermining a character’s strengths and forcing them to grapple with mortality in a way that few movies can manage well. And yes, Death is amazingly well realized, but the fact that he’s balanced with the comedic relief of Horner and the pathos of Goldilocks says something about how well the writers thought this through, making us appreciate each villain in utterly distinct ways.
Also, another thing that worked against in the box office. Avatar 2 came out recently as well. Animated movies tend to do badly when released alongside franchise movies.
@@cara-seyun I was gonna bring this up as well. It was announced a decade ago, and went through *three* different directors. That's a huge red flag for any project, not just a movie. It's honestly a miracle that the movie turned out as spectacular as it is
Wait, you mean Zorro? El Zorro? Not Zoro from One piece, right? As a Spanish speaker I got confused when the video said Zoro and seeing it written confused me even more.
I saw this in theater in 3D…. I WAS BLOWN AWAY. My mom found out she had 2 free movie tickets and I decided to tag along with her and my baby brother just to get out of the house. I was never interested in Puss In Boots really ever in my 18 years of life but MAN the character building in this movie was amazing. So glad I got to experience this movie in 3D because it was just that much more investing
Mann I missed out. Just watched it on TV and I was like wow imagine THIS in 3D? This seems PERFECT for that. UGH busy life and movies short theatre lives
I also liked the fact that he had lost his sword for a majority of the film, until he came to terms with who he was and it was returned to him by death. And with said sword managed to hold his own against the wolf
I love that, as you said, The Wolf isn't the only villain. I noticed that the movie kind of brilliantly uses three major villain "types": - Goldy is not evil, just has personal motivations that run counter to the protagonist and is ultimately redeemable once she learns a truth about herself - Jack is the "irredeemable monster" who takes a camp indulgence with his villainy gets killed in the end - Death is a force of nature that cannot be beaten, just accepted as an inescapable facet of being
I love the beautiful simplicity that Perrito offers! He goes from a character that so easily can be scoffed at as annoying or idiotic, to teaching Puss some of the most important lessons in the film! That stopping and smelling the roses and trusting in others is crucial to truly living. As well as being the one that pulls Puss out of his anxiety attack when he's terrified. Its a perfect encapsulation of what makes dogs so special and takes Perrito from comic relief to an endearing and valuable member of the story!
I absolutely love how Perrito isn’t just some crappy joke character that farts and does stupid faces like a CERTAIN other franchise, he’s still funny but in a much more mature way and is especially great in the part he plays towards Puss’ development They actually did the joke character correctly Just another thing that makes this movie amazing
I really liked that in the reveal scene, he does not whistle before he appears. At this point in the movie, we've been trained to expect the wolf when we hear that whistle. It really makes the scene more effective.
I actually found out that the wolf is death at the end of the scene where they're running away from Jack Horner. If you know anything about mythology, than you know that in Greek mythology, when people died they would often place coins on the eyes as a toll for the ferryman to ferry you across the river styx.
I love the way they use Puss' hat to both reveal Death when he first shows up and to reveal Kitty and Perrito in his moment of triumph when he embraces this life. The setup for Death was insane, the fear Puss feels is echoed so well in the audience due to The Wolf being set up as a real threat from the very start. He effortlessly beats Puss and mocks him in a scene that feels straight out of a horror movie. Seeing him draw blood in a children's movie really says all it needs to. Do wanna say though, the clip you included at 4:10 is not a Pixar movie. Despite the Pixar-looking characters, Strange World was done by Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Currently trying to create a costume of The Wolf for a convention in a month, because I can't imagine how much fear I can generate from people just seeing this impactful of a character. But the whistle, even when I perform it, sends shivers down my spine. Truly speaking to the creative team behind this film and how strong a character is even after seeing the film.
Thanks for dropping by the channel. I mispronounced a few names, titles, and too many 0's on the budget numbers, and for the I apologize. Sometimes my brain no work good. Nevertheless I hope you enjoyed the video
I don't know how many people have made this comparison on any platform yet, but the moment my mother (who had not been spoiled at time of first watch) saw Death for the first time, she hummed under her breath "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" And I got chills. I realized then that that was probably the in universe tie to all the other Fairytales and Nursery Rhymes, even with no relation to the Three Little Pigs from the original Shrek. I thought that was a fantastic comparison, and I hope other people see that too.
But she may not know that. And it was a cool nod to how the character feels about death. The bears aren’t concerned with death, nor do they understand who it is.
@@badbeardbill9956 that was a single instance with the 3 bears. And every fairy tale character has always been referred to by their actual fairytale name, that at least has stayed consistent.
@@orcastrike7750 The 3 bears also were in the first Shrek movie, but this version of them is a lot more complete. It's been a while, but I don't recall for sure if the Big Bad Wolf in Shrek is ever acknowledged *as* the big bad wolf. Death is certainly bigger and badder than him though.
I love how the movie had crude jokes too like Perrito cursing but it had so much better jokes and moments that it's not a detriment to itself. In other words, the writers didn't get lazy.
If they got lazy, it could be the laziness of their mid to late 2000’s works. See Shark Tale and Shrek the 3rd for 2 examples if Dreamworks barely tries and falls back on easy pop culture gags
What makes Death so cool (and scary) to me is it's the idea of "what if death had it's own agency and agenda" or "what if death could take something personally" and THAT'S scary to me. The embodiment of Death going out of it's way to kill you is such a cool idea and they nailed it.
I love how he actually drinks his milk like a cat, lapping it with his tongue. It seems so authentic and funny at the same time. They could have made him drink in a more human way, but they didn't do it the lazy way. And the attention to detail is very impressive in most other areas too.
I'm an animation student currently and nothing has ignited my passion for animation quite like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish did quite literally since Gravity Falls ended back in 2016!! I have enjoyed other things released in-between of course like when you mentioned Arcane but this movie has just immensely impressed me so much because it's very rare that we see theatrical animated releases that are this good anymore. Death is just such a refreshing antagonist to see I can't stop thinking about how impressively well written his narrative between him and Puss is! This is why I love animation, it has even recently motivated me to start animating in my free time outside of my student project's.
yesss!! I’m a student in 2D and it’s been so cool watching the new stylized work that’s coming out of 3D, especially now with the last wish. One of my fav things about animation is all the details put into it and it was genuinely inspiring to watch this movie and get to notice all the wonderful aspects put into it(like the timing in the fight scenes!! So cool and visually distinct)! Good luck with your own projects :]
The Bad Guys played around with the same style and I think Last Wish took what they did there and stepped it up to become such a glowing style that distinguishes it from everyone else.
I like the bad guys, but I felt the villain fell into the typical twist villain fail. Then this movie came and fixed that issue with the bad guys with an even better story + characters. Also, I never get tired of Death vs Puss final fight, it is insanely good visually and story-wise.
19:19 “i really hope that this movie is a slap in the face to other companies and it’s a wake-up call” thank you, someone who understands the importance of animation with style, i am so sick and tired of the realistic and generic art from movies like Sing, The Last Wish is definitely as much as it is a kids movie as it is an adult film and I will always admire Dreamworks for putting out some of my favorite films. p.s: i am now going to have to watch it again because of the reflection of puss and deaths eyes in his sickles during their fights that you pointed out; see tiny details like that… FUCK I love this film so damn much i need more friends to talk to about this lmao
Just like revenge of the sith and othr movies that achieve this. It keeps you interested and following as a kid due to the action and spectacular visuals but also make adults think deeper like in the last wish where i litterally started self reflecting on how much i cherish my life and what the people i love means to me
dude i agree. the movie Sing is so goofy and it’s like they treat animation like a joke by pumping out such mediocrity. that’s one of the many reasons as to why i appreciate this movie, i love it sm
I just now realized that Death, Goldi, and Jack perfectly encompasses the 3 main villain tropes. Death being chaotic neutral. He will kill but he also has morals. Goldi that has a sympathetic back story which makes her very hard to hate. And Jack who kills just for the fun of it and can never be redeemed or have character development no matter how hard they try. All fun villain tropes but if you do it to much it starts to get boring but when you have all three in one movie it becomes fun again.
There is a lot to be said about their design choices, but the fact that they decided that action shots should be done in low framerate is huge. It looks so good! When the shot becomes a fighting scene with characters moving about, reducing framerate sounds like a sin, but it works so well. They really hit the nail on the head.
There are just so many small yet extremely significant details in the visuals, the stories, and the characters that it just makes this movie a stunner. My analysis on Puss's whole story is that it is founded upon the Five Stages of Grief. They are not presented in order but are still there... 1 Denial: When Puss dies and loses his eight life, he denies the fact that he had died and that he will still be an immortal legend 2. Depression and Anxiety: Once Puss faces Death and is nearly beaten by him, Puss gains severe PTSD and runs away, hides in the sanctuary and becomes very depressed 3. Bargaining; One could say the whole journey IS a bargaining session because Puss wants to beat death and figures that if he gets his other 8 lives backs he will not have to face Death 4. Anger: He snaps basically at everyone, especially those getting in the way of his goal, he turns people against him and is forced to work with them 5. Acceptance: His final battle with Death ends with his literal acceptance that Death is inevitable but that it's best to live one meaningful life than several shallow ones. And the best part is that a lot of other messages go for the other characters; Goldi and the Bears talk about chosen families and how a traditional family isn't always the key to happiness, with Jack Horner it's how some people can't be redeemed, with Perrito about how one may lead a harsh life and still see the good in life and people. Just so many details put into this movie that just stuns me.
@@Kozinu It also helps Perrito become an empath because he has gone through a lot but still has a fun, optimistic, and even silly outlook on life. If Perrito didn't have that outlook he wouldn't have been able to help Puss had that major panic attack in the forest. Often the most hurt people with the most tragic backstories are the one that do the most healing because they know how it feels to be sad and broken and don't want anyone else to go through it.
Unironically one of the best films I've seen in the last 5 years. I was blown away at the animation/artistry the entire time. It made me fall back in love with animated movies (which I've taken a break from since Disney opted for this weird 3D style a few years ago).
My partner can't watch through films for anything, she finds them WAY too difficult to keep her attention, she was glued to this film for the entire duration, it's absolutely stunning
"Mediocre is not okay anymore" is exactly the line everyone needs to hear we are no longer okay if a movie is just Mediocre our eyes are minds have seen so many that now movies feel less exiting we lust for excitement we need movies that exel at something that are unique or have more of an identity that are their own creation puss in boots exels in every possible way plot,storytelling,script,dialogue, animation,characters,settings everything is beautifully made and knead together to make something smooth and fresh I couldn't help but watch my eyes and ears were glued to it, it made me love movies again we need more films like it
Fun little detail I loved is how in the bar scene we see 8 empty glasses next to Puss to represent the 8 lives he's already went through. God, the attention to detail 😚👌
The shot where Death puts the coins over his eyes gives me chills just to look in this video, let alone with the whole context of the film. This is an amazing video that summarised why I liked this film so much in a way I would never be able to put into words! Thank you!
Another great detail in the opening scene with death. You can hear bell tolls while Puss drinks. It’s not till the 8th time that death shows up. Signaling that it’s the 8 life have gone and death now appears. It’s a wonderful little touch in a film absolutely filled with them
As someone studying and pursuing animation. 2d overlays and overall truly using the medium to throw in any and all stylings to make characters feel unique is 1000% the future of the industry and im so here for it
It's actually wild how much this improves on the artistic style to the point where Puss from the original films looks off-model to me. So outside of artistic choices for the fight scenes and such, which were _super effective_ , something has to be said for the subtler changes to character design on top of that. His face just feels more expressive and alive the way they lean into the cartoon aspects of the expressions.
I’ll be honest, the first 10 minutes of this movie makes me tear up just from the animation and visuals alone. This is definitely one of Dreamworks best in a long time.
I have only cried at one 1 animated movie and it was up, but as of this week, I really cried at an animated movie. The moment when perro rests his head on puss's chest is adorable, wholesome, and amazing as someone who has experienced panic attacks. It's such a tender moment and I'm proud to say ive cried at the funny cat movie.
I watched this movie about an hour or so ago and I have to say that it is single-handedly the BEST animated movie I have ever watched. The scene where Death first appears was so interesting to watch and I even forgot I was watching a “kid’s movie” because it felt more like a scene from a horror movie. And I have never had nor witnessed someone having a panic attack but, while it took a second to sink in, even I knew Puss was having one because of how well executed that moment was. And Perrito’s backstory was so sad and shocking that my jaw legit dropped. And to be honest, I was kinda expecting Goldi and the The Three Bears to just be more antagonists that I wouldn’t be that attached to but they just completely subverted my expectations. Plus, as someone who has three younger siblings, Goldi and Baby’s relationship felt so real it was just plain entertaining and honestly warmed my heart a bit to watch. Another expectation subversion was Jack Horner because I had a feeling they were gonna pull the whole ‘redeemed’ shtick with him but nope, guy is genuinely a terrible person and that also felt real because not everybody is redeemable and it’s important to be reminded of that. Though that one is just how I felt and interpreted it. Also I completely agree with what you said about the recent Disney and Pixar films, they really have been really lackluster. If you like them, that’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with that and we can agree to disagree. But in my eyes, Disney had it’s peak and it ended with Encanto.
I love how much impact Death has considering he appeared so little. If I'm not mistaken, he only appears 6 times, 3 of which he doesn't even speak, he's just there, as a constant threat. 1- his cameo before Puss' death (there is a shot showing the crowd cheering him up as he fights the giant and Death is back there) 2- his actual introduction, in the bar 3- the scene where he puts coins in his eyes (after Puss, Kitty and Perrito are running from Jack Horner after stealing the map) 4- when they're fighting Jack (when he turns his guys into confetti) and Puss sees Death in the distance, causing him to ran away and to have a panick attack 5- where he reveals he's Death 6- his last fight against Puss
Fun fact: Antonio Banderas, the actor voicing Puss, is the one that gave the idea for the movie after experiencing a heart attack. He survived, and while he was in the hospital it dawned to him to make a movie about Puss learning to value his own life.
NO WAY 😱
Damn, fr? Thats a cool fact you dont hear everyday.
Enforced method acting... By the lead actor.
No wonder he sells the "role" so well.
@@hariman7727 mf what 💀💀
@@tofuurii Method Acting is the actor feeling/experiencing the same emotions the character does to be able to perform better.
Antonio Banderas LIVED the same crisis with his own mortality that Puss experiences in The Last Wish.
“animation is a medium, not a genre.”
this movie captures this sentiment perfectly.
@@gregoryford2532 Ah, yes, as if most modern day live actions aren't the exact same genre to eachother either.
"Animation is cinema"
We just learned about Viewing Genres in School and when I saw animation I was dumbfounded
It would be amazing to see a horror movie in animation and I mean really scary. The closest we have would be Coraline (that movie scared me so much as a kid) There are so many possibilities!
@@starling1226 There's a lot of animated horror short films. They are usually stop-motion as well
What I love about Death is that he's more concerned with life than what he embodies. He doesn't hate Puss for having 9 lives, he just thinks that's stupid and annoying, but Death hates him for how he never put any value to any of them. If he had just had a little respect for how precious life is, Death would never have payed him any mind. I think that's a fascinating take on an embodiment of death.
I doubt this will be a point in the following movies, but I like it as a thought.
What if the world is going to need a hero? Puss as he was in the beginning of the last Wish would have died out of carelessness before doing what the hero needed to do.
Death has Puss either shape up, or another hero takes his place, which for some reason is inconvenient for Death.
This is a Fairy Tale universe after all, where such things could happen.
As I said, just a thought, but I would be very impressed if they put that into a following movie.
And if not, it is fine as it is.
Exactly, because life looses it’s purpose without death, but death also looses it’s weight if someone doesn’t appreciate life for what it is… a precious gift
An interesting thing to note is that Death stopped showing up once Puss settled down to live his life as “Pickles”. It was only until he started adventuring as Puss in Boots again that Death resumed the chase
When you have a bad relationship with your mortality, it feels like death is chasing you. When you are at peace with your mortality, it feels like you are just strolling to death at your own pace
Which is also a great metaphor for real life: those that toss around their life carelessly will most likely face death early.
Something I really liked is how Kitty seems to define herself by her past. Perrito wholeheartedly lives in the present, and Puss is so focused on his legend, his future, that he disregards the present and past. I dont know if anyone else has seen these themes or if Im just imagining things :)
Well said sir!
Death is also anxiety. Think about it.
Well said!
The writier is like "uh, totally yes, is uh, my attention all along. "
Ure just imagining it. Like all art reviewer in the world
One thing that I love about Death is how infrequent he appears in the film. His appearances are spaced so perfectly that you get caught up in the film's glorious animation and story and completely forget about him. Then he appears and your heart drops. He's not a forgettable villain at all, but you just get so caught up in the moment that you only remember he's in the film when he appears again, making each appearance just as scary as the last. Truly one of the best villains of all time...
It honestly poetic... in real life you don't think about death when caught up in the moment but then suddenly its there... whistling softly.
@@lasercraft32 better yet, death shows up when Puss is either alone in his head or when he reflects about his legacy/the wish. It effectively shows that his anxiety and mortality is always on his mind.
He's more of an antagonist. Jack Horner is the villain.
@Lasercraft32 idk why I read the beginning as "it's honestly pathetic" haha, but yes it's honestly genius how Death just creeps up every now and then
@@rayanna7188 lmao
this movie did 3 villain archetypes perfectly: Horner, the heartless monster. Goldie, the sympathetic you root for. and Death, the unstoppable force of nature.
And that method was done right in this movie.
I was so disappointed when they saved Goldie. She had to go, it was her time
@@scoobydoo7275 but it was better that she lived!! she finally realized how important her family was
Maybe that's what made them feel balanced. I had just assumed that they were really well distinguished, but implementing those base antagonist profiles you mentioned must've done a lot more from a writing perspective. Great call!
@@scoobydoo7275 she was the sympathetic villian. That's her whole arc. It's supposed to be predictable. They have every villian archetype here. The unstoppable, the down-right evil, and the understandable. Killing Goldie off wouldn't make any narrative sense. Killing Jack Horner off makes narrative sense.
"Mediocre is not okay anymore" WOW what a line that I wish more people heard
It's something that needs to be heard in a fast disposable consumption culture.
@@AFlyingWalrus you sir are the culmination of everything i agree with
Nice introspection
(Except that next door we see CGI quality, pay and work conditions in rapid decline. This sentiment, interpreted in industry, means 'crack the whip harder', rather than 'you hired all this talent, where'd all the mediocrity come from?'. Credit due: at least we're regularly bored enough to savour a masterpiece)
@@ezg5221 I'm moreso talking from an organizational standpoint, and that needs to change as well
Entire reason why "mid" is considered an insult, and a stupid one imo
The fact that a Spider-man animated movie by Sony (who made the emoji movie) , a league of legends show and a puss in boots movie have some of the best animation in recent years and absolutely amazing characters is just unbelievable
Just goes to show that we should stop crediting the work of the amazing people working on these movies to their soul-less corporate overlords. I also guess that even those lizard people are capable of seeing when a team seems solid enough that they deserve funding, they wouldn't be making money at all otherwise after all.
Every studio has their bruh moment - with Sony, the Emoji Movie, and with Dreamworks, Boss Baby
Worse, Chris Meledandri who created minions and illumination and is the overseer of all illumination films was the one that brought back puss in boots 2 from development hell AND was an executive producer in the film.
Lol.
@@mrdoggo3569 Interesting
@@seratope boss baby was not a bruh moment for DreamWorks lol. It was crazy popular and made tons of money for them. They got a sequel, an Oscar, a spinoff show, etc.
“Pick it up”. Such a simple, yet powerful line from both Death and Boots. Love how the bell tolls eight times during the battle with the giant, representing the eight lives Puss wasted away. Not to mention Death was there watching the battle go on! Another thing to note: After the final fight scene between Puss and Death, Death's whistle not only matches the key of the song in the background, but it is also higher than what we heard throughout the movie! Most likely symbolic of the mutual respect between Puss and Lobo, plus Puss' new found appreciation of life. Pretty cool. (For the music nerds: Changes from the key of G to the key of A at the end of the movie.)
omg I saw somewhere that death was watching in the background of the fight btw puss and the giant but I never realized that the bell tolled 8 times! the little details in this movie keep on surprising me, I love it! 😊
At the bar, when we first meet death, Puss has had 8 glasses, and he's on his 9th
Legit was hyped when Puss said to Death in the end: "Pick it up."
Thank you for stating what key. I almost immediately went on a search after realizing you were right, before reading the rest of your comment and seeing I didnt have to. So thank you
Also, a few seconds before Puss gets crushed by the bell, the moment he steps back on frame to offer an encore, you can hear the start of Death's whistle. It blends in with the crowd's cheers and whoops upon first viewing, but if you listen for it...
another thing i really liked is how perro was written. usually those happy, optimistic characters annoy me to no end. and i fully expected perro to be that character.
shockingly, he wasnt. i enjoyed his character and that hardly ever happens. i went into this movie mostly as a joke with my friend but we came out close to tears. it was incredible.
perrito* whoops. i'm bad with names
The sheer tragedy of his back story just hit differently. I do not think he would have been an effective character without it. It changes the entire audiences view on him. The story of the sock is where the point where he goes from annoying side character to a mainstay
@@goldenhate6649 I'm not sure honestly
His character is great without the backstory.
To me, his appreciation of the present moment and focus on the positive worked really even without the sock
He held his "therapist" persona really well, both as a joke and when it mattered
The "I don't believe you" - "it's fine, as long as you believe in yourself" made me laugh, but it was also a great serious line because of how taken aback Kitty was from it. It worked well with her character because she's looking for someone to trust and has never heard this kind of basic encouragement before.
Obviously calming Puss' panic attack, but with such care
In a way, he worked as the other mentor for Puss. Death was a mentor in kicking yourself up and improving through work and determination to stop running; Perrito was a mentor in accepting your emotions, past, learning to communicate and move forward; and to see the beauty in the moments. Two complementary ways of teaching the same thing.
For example directly after the panic attack, when he said it's fine to be afraid; and later got Puss to talk to Kitty about bailing the wedding.
Overall being super caring for Kitty and Puss and the most emotionally mature character of the universe
All of this would have worked without the sock. His backstory helped in taking him seriously when he spoke of enjoying the present moment, because he of all people didn't let himself be dragged and ruined by his past. But I think the character worked well regardless and the "UnWanted" poster kinda already did that to an extent, long before we knew about his actual past!
Honestly he kept flip flopping from “I want to punt him” to “protec at all costs”.
@@goldenhate6649 "That's the saddest funny backstory I've ever heard!"
Now let's sit and imagine how amazing it would be if kung fu panda 4 has this kind of animation throughout
I just hope that DreamWorks keeps in mind the success that this spin-off has had, and gives Tigress her own movie
Joel Crawford, the director of this movie, will be directing the next Kung Fu Panda so that imagination will be reality very soon 😁.
I hope they keep this art style for all their upcoming movies
And the effort with the villains
@@Gaming2DMX isn't that something that was critizised in the beginning of this video? sticking to one art style?
Admittedly, styles can support plenty of stories, but shouldn't each story warrant the question whether or not it benefits from an existing or new style?
What makes the movie so all encompassing is that it manages to have a force of nature villain in death, a sympathetic villain in Goldilocks and a pure evil delight in Jack
Dragon ball in movie form
Persona 5 felt like it tried to do the same thing with, Jaldabaoth, Shido and… the Black Mask Persona user (Because of Royal being recently released on Xbox gamepass, Switch, etc. I’m trying not to spoil that one.)
But only really 2 of them were good. And I still can’t decide who the second one is between Shido and Jaldabaoth.
And then there was also kinda the same thing in Sonic Adventure 2 with Team Dark where Shadow was definitely that force of nature, being the Ultime Lifeform and all, Rouge being the more sympathetic one out of the three, at least in my eyes as she had learned about Project Shadow and all that happened while Shadow has no idea and being forced to blow up the island of the people she works for without any chance of fighting back against Shadow and Eggman without just being fucking shot by Eggman’s gun, and Eggman just being delightfully vile and just straight up blowing up the FUCKING MOON AND THREATENING TO POP SOME LEAD INTO AMY’S FUCKING HEAD.
they did incredibly well for having multiple antagonists at once without it feeling too crowded or tacked on, the well regarded toby maguire spiderman series tried to do this with spiderman 3 and failed showing just how hard it is to pull off
Every dnd alligment of evil lol
Fun fact the movie is super duper woke and conservatives are morons lol. The movie is an awesome woke piece of media lol
Death Wolf was a stylistic triumph, but I also like that Jack Horner was an irredeemable villain. No sob back story (being outperformed by a puppet does not count), no plot twist. In that way, he was an old-school villain. And those are increasingly rare.
Like I said I love Jack and he's a great counterbalance to everything else going on in the movie
Jack is literally a parody of all those bad villains you are supposed to sympathise with because of some cheap backstory.
He literally said himself that he had a loving family, he was rich, etc. and is just an entitled fuck in general who thinks he deserves even more.
That's just... amazing.
@@helion_ut Same we had in Phineas & Ferb Movie. There we meet Duffenschmirtz from alternative dimension who is an antonym of Duffenschmirtz. He is just a spoiled kid who could always get what he wanted. Oh btw Duffenschmirtz helps to defeat his doppelganger.
He’s also a good parallel to Puss. Puss didn’t value life just as much as Jack. The difference being whose life he didn’t value. It’s funny cuz puss had such an ego and image as a fearless hero, that he didn’t realize he was actively treating himself badly. Jack didn’t value the life of others. So we see that Jack hasn’t changed at all, but Puss grew to appreciate life
His sob backstory is that he had loving parents and inherited a huge pie enterprise. So sad!
My favorite detail someone pointed out is that rapiers are often paired with daggers to use as a defensive weapon. In the begining, Puss had just the offensive rapier because he was arrogant, dodging attacks instead of deflecting them. In the final fight with Death, he use the rapier and dagger together to catch the sickles, deflect attacks, etc, because he learned the value of defensive fighting to protect his life.
yep. It's amazing how you change your method in doing something once you change your perspective on life.
The detail for ppl who knows this too, must have taken them a decade to make the film let alone writing the script
To be honest, Puss in Boots 2 also shows why anime is so successful media wise. It's not because of the art style, it's because of the different USE of styles and ways of interaction between the eye and action. It's another reason why we can see movements in comics.
Movement lines, camera zooms, differences in styles such as the mix of 2D and 3D, all works. It makes the art come to life as it should
Speaking of style mixing and anime, I'm sure people remember that one episode of Amazing World of Gumball where Nicole becomes an anime character. A show will known for mixing 2d and 3d elements. You nailed it on the heat.
It's also worth noting that the people who grew up watching anime (in a more mainstream way) are now old enough to be working on these movies.
I truly believe that the dynamic action we've been seeing in animation (like this movie, Spiderverse or the somewhat recent TMNT movie) has been influenced by the reputation anime has on fights
@@narufan987 This is an excellent point. I love seeing how Anime, especially ones I grew up on, with sweeping shots and breathtaking fight scenes has been influencing current animation. Though I also want to point out that Dreamworks, from Prince of Egypt, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train your Dragon (2, specifically), Croods and of course Puss in Boots 2 tend to open on BREATHTAKING fluid epic scenes that really showcases how the characters move and act but also build up on the world around them. Like they have long had that Animesque influence on there animation style that, sadly, Shrek, almost killed off. I'm glad to see the Prince of Egypt influence return to Dreamworks films, cause they really push the envelope more so than Disney had in a very very VERY long time.
Yes! Omg i kept telling my friends this, I love it sm
Yes agreed
Finally someone acknowledge the mama bear line ! This is when I teared up in the theatre. I was expecting Goldie to reveal her wish and the family to be sad/angry at her and fight for a little bit, but the acceptance she got instead? It was surprising and heartbreaking. Way more powerful than the tearful screaming match I expected
When was this talked about in the video
I think that's exactly why it feel so hard, everyone could expect a fight, that the 3 bears were going to feel betrayed and leave Goldi for it's own and then Come Back in the last minute to help her and then she was going to accept them as her real family, but no! They just help her, Even after Goldi revelas her wish, showing that the 3 bears love her in a way that Only a real family could Love You, helping You to Achive your Dreams even if it's Selfish, they help because they just love her in all the Circumstances and it's amaizing!
@@ommers1592 17:15
Mama bear is such a great parent always thinking about what her daughter wanted. This is exactly why Perrito said that Goldi won the orphan lottery.
All three of the bears were such great characters that complimented Goldi really well, but Mama Bear is too pure for this world 😭
Such a great parent figure who just wants their children to be happy
The moment where Perrito saved Puss from his panic attack made me cry. The subplot with Goldilocks and the Three Bears also made me cry. Their resolution was kind of obvious, but it was handled perfectly. This movie emotionally speaking is one of the most powerful animated film's ever made in recent memory.
Those were also my favorite scenes. Sometimes the obvious choice happens to be the best one. No need to subvert our expectations every time...
The fucking Goldie and Puss knowing that they had what they wanted in front of their eyes and fighting the incarnation of ambition (that is killed by crickety) and the conclusion, man, this made me feel like the first time I finished reading a book, casually it was the Wizard of Oz, which had a similar conclusion
same here.
Perrito is honestly so precious. I usually don't care for his type of character, but he managed to steal my heart. The way he just lets Puss gradually recover, instead of trying to force a "YOU'RE GONNA BE ALRIGHT!" on him really moved me.
I CRIED SO HARD MY FRIEND MADE FUN OF ME
The reason the whistle doesn't sound as sinister after the final duel is because they changed the key it's whistled in. All throughout the film, Death's Whistle was in a minor key, which is intentionally supposed to sound ominous and unpleasant. When Puss learns to appreciate and cherish life and Death leaves, he whistles in a major key; hopeful and pleasant.
Death is a beautiful, kind and handsome angel towards the humble and a vile, sadistic and torterous demon towards the arrogant.
I caught this too. Simple, but a great use of music theory to set the mood
Apparently it's also "pop goes the weasel" but with notes removed in certain parts.
Death's whistle was NOT in a minor key at any point. It was in G major for most of the movie and was bumped up to A major for the final time it was played. What gave the whistle its creepy quality was that it was often dissonant from the background music or was the only music/background sound playing. It only sounds more hopeful and pleasant that final time because 1) it's in a higher key than it was previously and 2) it matches the already optimistic background music very well.
@@DrErikNefarious I thought it sounded like the spongebob theme
One thing you mentioned was Death’s voice and how it isn’t this deep, demonic kinda sound like often portrayed in media. And once thing I thought was he sounded almost welcoming. Not friendly, but the voice has this feeling of beaconing, while still being menacing. Which is exactly how he is portrayed in a lot of folk lore. He is both terrifying, and a comfort when he finally does come
I think that sort of juxtaposition comes from the fact that he's not a malicious guy, he actually even wants people to have meaning and value to their lives (even if only because he feels it disrespectful and ignoring him to not), but finding yourself in a position where you're looking the literal actual embodiment of death in the eyes is a terrifying situation nonetheless
You should read the Death subseries of Discworld, cus Death is exactly like that!
Wagner Moura did a phenomenal job with Death's voice
If you think about it, Death isn't supposed to be scary, we're supposed to accept him because one day or another we will die
@@MariOmor1 yeah. But a lot of shows depict him as scary because we are scared of it
The relationship between the mamma and goldie kills me. Just how much Mamma unconditionally loves her, the way she talked about how their family became whole when they found her in their home, and yeah when she said she would do anything to make her happy. I about bawled in the theater, its the type of mother daughter relationship I will never have, and DreamWorks nailed the portrayal of it.
I'm sorry about your reason for being so touched by the relationship between Goldie and Mamma. I hope despite that, you're doing okay❤
@@elenasmcanonico3163 I love seeing warm comments like this. Brightens my belief in the human spirit.
Seeing a such a beautiful mother/daughter relationship growth in a movie with a bear mother gave me major Brave feels
I did love that with mama bear. I also noticed more of an individual dynamic more on the second watch with each bear. It went over my head initially, but Goldie mostly hits heads with baby bear, the youngest, while also bonding with him the most for actual progress (the sniffer leading quite a lot of the path). Just like how mama bear watches out for them and acts as the mother for her children, the baby is virtually the sibling in a mutual play-together and bickering pair kind of way. It makes it even better when its the one she fusses with the most that she also gives up her supposed wish to save - their arguments aren't personal, they can set it aside and love each other when it matters. Father bear seems more subtle aside from some dad gags like snoozing on the chair, but he's also got his own side to stepping up, being the rock against pain as well as the one who doesn't care if he hurts feelings in confirming baby's insecurities. It truly is a quirky and defined family, and while everyone is talking about tears over the anxiety attack, I can't get through the end of the 3 bears arc without tears rolling.
Mama bear being genueinly so caring for goldie hits hard for real. I do hope you can seek a mother daughter connection someday as well!
"You're not gonna shoot a puppy, right?"
"Yeah, in the face, why?"
Best line
Gets me every time. The other one that gets me is the “don’t you know I’m dead inside”
"BABY unicorn horns!"
ATF agents vs their consciences.
“YOU’RE AN IRREDEEMABLE MONSTER!”
“Uh, yeah! What took you so long to figure that out, idiot?”
Nah, to me it was, “YOU’RE AN IRREDEEMABLE MONSTER!”
I think Jack is a little more than you mentioned, while death is Puss' foil, Jack is everyone's foil, he's what happens when you have EVERYTHING and you appreciate nothing. Goldy, Kitty, and Puss were all in danger of not appreciating what they had and Jack is the ultimate version of that. He holds this film together by helping connect Puss to the other characters with him.
Death is Puss’ character’s antagonist, and Jack is the plot antagonist. They serve different purposes very well
@@gundamofspitara7583 Excellently put
I hadn't even realized that about Jack! That's a really good take!
Wonder why Death doesn't also come after Jack instead of Puss
and yeah Jack killed himself but Death doesn't know that
@@iwantabigpiece death is just in that it doesn't discriminate against good or evil. What makes it go after Puss is the fact that he died 8 times and still lives and still wastes his life
Animation is at it's best when it takes advantage of things that can ONLY be done through animation imo. I've been pretty burnt out of the "realistic" style of animation for a while now, and it's been fantastic the last year or two seeing companies finally start pushing the boundaries of it again
Couldn't agree more
I dunno, Arcane is still bloody fantastic. Non-realistic animation only works for something either comedic or stylized towards simplification to the n-th degree.
@@o340 We live in the day and age when typing a lot can be seen as rude or insult... \*le sigh\*
Well, what I mostly meant by "unrealistic animation", is the type of animation that doesn't respect character's anatomy, momentum, or just physical laws, in order to achieve a more expressive shot. Arcane has none of that, at no point characters feel boneless.
I think animation has that sweet spot where you can do a "realistic" story that will be, while expensive, still orders of magnitude easier to achieve (Or even just straight up "the only possible way") than filming in live action. Arcane, Pantheon, some old-school god-tier anime, to name a few. Having it stylized is a great bonus, but that stylization still is grounded and realistic, if that makes any sense.
Don't get me wrong, it's nice to see vivid fluid expressive animation, but imagine Arcane being animated in the style of animation that Puss in Boots has. It would feel just wrong and dissonant.
@@o340 I say the more diversity, the better. I don't really prefer grounded stylization or unrealistic/alternative physics in animation on their own, but they should be allowed to coexist. Studios should have the freedom to experiment and try out new things, instead of just copy-pasting the same tired Disney-Pixar smooth realistic babyface style. Unfortunately, because of the profit motive under capitalism, studios usually opt to just copy what the successful ones do, because that is generally the safest option. Hopefully the success of Puss in Boots will contest that idea, and also show that word of mouth promotion from just making a movie that's really fucking good can still work. The question is whether or not doing so is profitable... the 60M budget of this movie makes me hopeful, but I'm not one to count my chickens before they hatch.
bocchi the rock is a great example of animation making use of things that can ONLY happen with animation
sure, it's an anime, and not a movie, but it is still an example of it
Death is what people who do character design live for. All you need is to hear him once and get one good look at him and you can feel his entire vibe. His dour whistle then those piercing red eyes peering out of that hunched figure is enough to inform you to fear him.
And his design is fairly simple too. Its astounding that a character with so many usually cliché design aspects feels not even remotely cliché! (Black cloak, red eyes, a wolf, uses sickles... on their own these traits are nothing unique but together its amazing).
Fun fact: When Goldilocks is stressed about her wish and how it would affect the Bears, when we get a close up shot of her reading her book back at the house that the map conjured up, if you read the first letter of every line, then you'll get the sentence: "You already have it." bc she already has a real family with the bears.
😏That map was quite the sneaky thing. In a way it is also a minor character.
And the fact that the map gave her the old bears' house is also another clue
I love Easter eggs
11:57-12:02 I caught another tiny detail while watching this video that I never noticed. When Death asks Puss if his lives are flashing before his eyes, Puss’s head is bent down, but when he answers “just one,” he tilts his head back up and his hat moves out of the way to reveal Kitty and Perrito- his reasons for that “just one”- still standing there. My gosh, this movie is brilliant.
Indeed it is. I love the first to death and it will be my favorite childhood movie but this will be my favorite from my teenage years.
That's such a fantastic detail! Thanks for pointing it out!
This was an interesting detail I never realized. Damn dude, this movie has everything. The fact that his hat revealed Kitty Softpaws and Perrito, shows that he has had the help, support, and trust, to secretly show that he values his one and only life. Just fucking brilliant.
I also noticed a detail, but not that one. When Puss is in the bar, we see a shot of him through the mirror, on the left side of the mirror, with the right side being empty. Then, in the first shot we see Death, we see him and Puss through the mirror, but this time the right side is filled with Death. I can't really offer any good analysis or mindblowing philosophy, but still cool.
I never realized this until now, and goddamn that's hard as fuck.
One thing filmmakers have to remember when making a plot twist or a huge reveal is that you shouldn't leave your audience saying "I didn't see that coming." they should say "I SHOULD'VE seen that coming."
That's why I love death's reveal so much. They drop all these little hints that you figure out later while rewatching and it all makes so much sense.
My paranoid ass who immediately knew the wolf was Death:
aw man, I got spoiled that the wolf was death before I even watched. I wish I hadn't known so I could've been properly as shocked as puss
@@klltsun_2576 Me too. Thankfully the movie was so good, that one spoiler didn't hurt too bad.
Exactly, when I watched the film, I picked up on a lot of these hints and thought, okay this wolf represents death, and then the reveal brought it to the next level
@@simon_magus65ad same
I was actually still giddy for the reveal to happen tho I picked up on it and I was still very pleased by how it was all done.
Something worth mentioning about the final fight. Death asks, "You know, we will meet again, right?" Then Puss replies, "Si, Hasta la muerte." To which Google Translate tells me means "Yes, until death." This is Death testing Puss to see if he still thinks he's immortal.
It could be more interesting than that, a common Spanish phrase is "hasta ha mañana" which is a farewell that means "I'll see you tomorrow." So I think a fair translation of Puss' "Si, Hasta la muerte" could be "yes, I'll see you at (my) death." Showing, like you said, that Puss accepts his death as inevitable.
I interpreted the line as meaning "Until then ..." or when my life is over, I will accept Death. Pretty deep for a kid's film.
@@rengarcia5189 same here. I interprited it as til we meet again
@@nowenattal4018 It's "Hasta mañana" by the way. It generally means "See you tomorrow" but it's textual translation is "Until tomorrow".
Hasta la vista’s a well-known catchphrase in pop culture as well, I immediately made the link between it and hasta la muerte since the phrases are very similar. At first I thought vista meant life but I just checked it and it means view. It still means "see you later"
Watching the panic attack scene in theatres literally left me breathless. I've struggled with an anxiety disorder my ENTIRE life, and have had debilitating panic attacks for years, and finally seeing it so accurately and heart-wrenchingly represented on a screen was horrific and beautiful. They did it so well.
I'm sorry about your problem. I hope despite that, you're doing okay, as you deserve to be🙏❤
Heck, I don't think I've ever had a real, full-blown panic attack in my life, or know that I've known anyone who has, but just the borderline anxiety that I have had, I saw Puss and said 'this is what that would be out of control, full blown'. I suspect whoever animated that had actually experienced real panic attacks, first or second person, and probably regularly.
That scene makes me cry every time. Such an accurate yet respectful depiction of a panic attack, with Perrito's simple act of comfort being so tender and sweet. One of the best scenes in the film
I struggle with a panic disorder as well and could immediately recognize what was going on and it made me want to cry, but in a good way. I haven't seen it portrayed so damn well before, not to mention Perrito putting his head on Puss's chest. The feeling that I am about to die consumes me with every panic attack and this scene just spoke to me more than words ever could.
I just love this line 17:37, it not only breaks away from that cliche 3rd act conflict, but it also makes mama bear feel like an actual loving mom who would do anything for their kid.
Even with puss and kitty, I'm glad they didn't do the third act miaunderstanding exaggerater fallout with them either, likw kitty is still unhappy at puss for running away, but she can understand why, she was just hoping he could do better
Olivia Coleman was PERFECTLY casted. She was goofy, but also motherly.
Technically, it was the second time Puss ever felt fear. He says that the first time ever was when he walked away from the wedding, and Puss realizing that he REGRETTED it was so so interesting to watch. “One life with you is all I could ever wish for,” is such a sweet way to bring all that full circle.
I also love how they didn't shy away from being more mature not just in theme, but also with visuals and gags.
They showed blood on screen, artistically but still blood.
They said "crap" a few times, and the age old "kid friendly" thing of only saying "bullsh-" but getting cut off right before finishing the whole word.
And for I think the first time I can think of, straight up just threw in bleep curses as a joke. Several times in fact with Perrito.
That's all stuff Disney wouldn't touch with a 100ft pole.
Fr,
I was surprised when I saw the blood scene, i thought its going to be the Ol' Ketchup or Wine relief, but no
Its an actual blood
@@fridaynuggies4191 Lego be like haha
The Perrito swearing bit was hilarious to me. The bleeping mixed with less profane insults means it's up to you to imagine what he's saying, which naturally leads you to think of the most offensive stuff you can come up with.
It's hilarious to see such a kind-hearted, optimistic character come up with that kind of stuff, not just because it's unexpected, but because it actually makes sense considering his rough, abusive upbringing.
I personally thought that the crass DreamWorks we've seen in shrek one and two and even pib one was dialed down..honestly my only dislike about pib 2 was that the jokes didn't land like they did in pib 1
also puss saying 'holy f-' glancing at a kid nearby and just saying 'holy' again is great
I also think that the Wolf was effective because whatever was happening, no matter how dire the situation, when he showed up, the whole world stopped and all you could hear was that whistle, and Puss’s heartbeat. And his fur standing on end, and the fear in his face. As a kid I would’ve been terrified, cause even as an adult I thought it was incredibly effective
And death only showed back up once he was getting cocky. It all worked so well. Death only left him alone when he hid safely as a nobody, or appreciated life properly as a somebody. The movie also teaching us that hiding inside and taking zero risks, while safe, is wholly unfulfilling.
A fun little detail I've discovered: the tune that Death whistles is the same one that plays when Puss does the "Cute Eyes." It's just whistled in a different key and tempo, I think, I don't know all the musical terms. After the last fight, the reason it doesn't seem so menacing is because he whistles in the proper key and tempo.
Yeah, most of the time the Tune is whistled in a Minor key which makes it a lot more ominous.
Is it not the melody of "Who is your favorite fearless hero"?
Well that answers that, that was one of the first questions I asked because it sounded familiar.
With no answer my brain tied it to beginning tune of There She Is Part 5.
Another clever clue about the wolf identity: in the scene when Puss is running away in the chariot, the wolf points at him and you can see two coins on his eyes.
This is a reference to the Greco-Roman tradition, when they used to place two coins on the eyelids of the dead. They believed that one had to pay a coin to cross a river, Styx, which divided the land of the living from the dead. The second was for the ferryman, Charon, who would take the dead across in his boat for a fee.
Spoilers!!!
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I really liked the part when Perrito runs to Horner in the climax, because I thought they were going to do the cliche "cute optimistic character dies and all the characters cry and we all cry but then the wish brings them back to life yay happy ending" but then instead they do a callback to the eye-thing, which doesn't even work! And in a weaker production I think they would have had Horner give in to the puppy eyes. I appreciated the genuine subversions and twists in this film.
" Dont you know im dead inside?" jack is so damn hilarious
Reminds me of TMvTM where the pug (forgot his name) is taught in the beginning of the movie to stare straightforwardly but fails then at the end of the movie he finally does it but still goofs up. Like how Perrito is taught to do the cute eyes but fails, then succeeds at the end of the movie but it still doesn't work lmao.
I would've been so mad if Jack gave into those eyes because then that would completely nullify his character and his character is just so perfect
"What a wholesome bag of vulnerability!"
I think the better twist is that he know that won't work on jack! He fully trust his friend that they quickly catch on and use the time he bought to get the map away from him!
One thing that I love is how Death is shown in many ways across all sorts of media, but Fair tends to be the most agreed upon trait of Death
Death is nothing if not fair.
Fun fact the movie is super duper woke and conservatives are morons lol. The movie is an awesome woke piece of media lol
Death doesn't discriminate. It'll take your soul whether you're gay or straight; white or black; atheist or christian; man or woman. If that doesn't sound like fairness and equality, then I don't know what is
@@Black_Konoha as they say. Death comes to all and our only choice is to embrace it
@@Black_Konoha Liberal or Conservative, Dodgers or Yankees, Coke or Pepsi
I watched this at my college where there was a q&a with the directors, producer, story director etc. And the director said that he's directing Kung Fu Panda 4 so I'm hoping this style carries over
That's very cool
Damn, me too! A martial arts movie with this level of action and vibrancy? Sign me up!
Lucky you
This was announced in 2017 i think but funnily only necame relevant when pib 2 turned to be a masterpiece
That’s so cool!
Thank you for your wonderful video essay! My husband actually worked on this film and I’m so proud of what the Dreamworks PiB team accomplished with this film. The animation style, details, and takeaway message was so good! One detail I noticed watching the movie the second time was that Goldilocks dress changes from colorful to brown symbolizing her truly being “bear” -part of the three bears family.
That’s amazing! Do you mind if I ask what your husband helped work on/what team he was a part of? Regardless I thank him for helping work on one of my favorite movies in years.
This movie has so many details and interpretations that other people have caught, it’s crazy.
@jesspace Tell your husband ¡Muchas gracias! from me :) This movie is outstanding and every single person who was involved in the making of such a masterpiece deserves credit!
@@Kevbot6000 he is a previs artist and I think Dreamworks calls that their rough layout team!
@@hester234 thank you! I will certainly let him know! :)
I just seriously respect how they set up Goldi's character. Starting off with rough and determined, yet still a family person, the subtle ways she interacted with her family... No big fat speech required, actions say it all.
Death was in the movie for less than 5 minutes which is actually insane
I'd say it's just right.
Just like darth vader in a new hope but better
When are they going to give Oscars for voice acting ?
And yet they still managed to make him a compelling, memorable, and effective character even with such little time devoted to him. Incredible
U know its a good character when it has a small screentime but still manage to be one of the most memorable character in the show
Another aspect that not many talk about is the SCORE: I love how all characters have their own leitmotifs, and their themes appear as they do. When Jack Horner appears holding Perrito, his lullaby-esque motif is heard; when Puss blocks Death's scythe with the blade, Kitty's guitar riff is heard. And both in the first battle with the giant and the final one with death, when Puss gains the upper hand, a spanish voice beings hyping him up. it's sooooo good.
BRUH I LOVE LEITMOTIFS! I need to listen for this! This movie has SO MUCH DETAIL that I’m finding new aspects every watch! Such an amazing movie
The music do tied the hold movie even better, love it so much
I love the details 💖
This is a huge deal for the films made by dreamworks since How to Train Your Dragon. I really hope in shrek 5 they pull back from the pop music a bit. The custom music just hits so much harder. Also todays pop music is just blech.
@@goldenhate6649 Agreed. The Shrek 1 music is iconic and fits it perfectly but personally I’m not usually a big fan of pop music in movies.
17:36 Mama Bear's line here also broke me. If you listen closely, you can hear her voice try to crack. She doesn't want Goldilocks to leave, but she's willing to sacrifice her happiness to support the person she perceives as her true daughter. If that's not family values then I don't know what is!
honestly death literally changes the mood of the movie whenever he's on screen, or sometimes just from hearing his whistle, the movie turns from this goofy action family friendly movie, to straight up horror.
he almost feels out of place in a movie like this, but in a good way, no other character made feel this way. no matter how much of a threat they are
something additional that always gets me is death’s character design. the way he can do easily fade into the shadows and appear as only two blood red eyes. the undoubtably deadly way he smiles with those sharp teeth. the way his emotions cross his face. god he TERRIFIES me and it’s so good
Death is actually seen a few times before the first scene. During the giant fight in the beginning, you can see him in the upper left corner of the screen when the people are doing the wave. You can also see him in each of the 4 corners when Puss is reciting his deaths.
Oh no! Looks like I’ll have to watch this amazing movie again to catch these instances!
Bro. This means I need to rewatch
He also only shows up when people are dying- that's how he tracks Puss at all. He shows up at the Horner factory after Jack kills the map deliverer, in the Dark Forest when Jack gets the Baker's Dozen killed, and only appears at the Wish after Jack's final henchwoman is killed by the barrier and Baby nearly dies as well.
Jack literally let Death in.
@@NotAGoodUsername360 Could I get some more details on these scenes? I'd like to find Death in these scenes :0
@@NotAGoodUsername360 how do you explain him showing up at the beginning then? Nobody died when he was first introduced, unless you want to say he stuck around after Puss died the 8th time.
My favorite thing about the animation is how it uses smear effects in place of motion blur, animating on twos for moments like action scenes, and really any technique that made 2D animation work so well. It plays a big part in keeping the fight scenes engaging, instead of just becoming a confusing blur of "stuff happening".
Its almost like making use of the advantages of animation usually turns out good. Who would have thunk? (Not the media overlords, that's for sure)
Absolutely. The first time I saw the unique way they used those effects I was hooked and delighted every time after that when I noticed it more and more. I'm so thankful they mixed things up this way, it was so refreshing.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish honesty feels like a return to form for the medium of animation. It harkens back to a time of animation when they could tell mature, complex, yet easily-accessible stories, but with a strong sense of energy and genuine emotion to it, as well as villains that are either unredeemable or complex in motivation. I mean, the opening song reminds me to the Disney Renaissance and some of Dreamworks' earlier films where they started off with a bang instead of trying to open calmer and "grounded". Even the prologue of the Wishing Star reminds me of Beauty and the Beast. But it also still feels like a film that released today, with the stylised animation, addition of a redeemed villain and metahumour, making best of both worlds. It's honesty amazing that THIS was the animated film that combined the elements of both storytelling elements from before and today and how it spits in the face of Disney and Pixar. Seriously, what was up with them in 2022?
That's why I've always preferred Dreamworks to Disney, despite their occasional rough patches. They don't shy away from maturity and/or patronize the audience like Disney seems to do a lot these days. There is clear love and passion put into nearly all of their films unlike Disney whose stuff feels kind of soulless/corporate-driven these days.
Disney had Encanto (was is 2021?), so it’s not like they were completely bad. They just had one movie miss. Tho it’s apparent Disney is going through a phase where they get one good and one bad, so I wonder when that’ll end.
Disney has also cancelled some of its best animated projects. CN and Nick as well. I’m glad this movie exists, proving mature animated movies can exist during a period where animation is dying cuz of executives.
@@arcanejack Disney depicted some real stuff in Encanto. They didn’t “shy” away from it. They’ve done plenty of mature movies too. The artists in these studios are working hard, it’s just difficult sometimes when the executives censor and restrict and cancel things. Their president (before Iger came back and disney kicked him for being the worst) said animation wasn’t for adults. Which might explain why disney feels that way to you.
Unfortunately, corporate meddling ruins things. Dreamworks has had plenty of cancelled movies that would’ve been amazing too (still salty they cancelled the shadow movie)
Fun fact the movie is super duper woke and conservatives are morons lol. The movie is an awesome woke piece of media lol
@@ma.2089 id like to add to that, disney gets one good, one bad and fifteen mediocre tv-shows
Not gonna lie, the scene when Puss gets a panic attack and Perrito goes to help him really hit home. I've had a panic attack ONCE and it's the worst feeling you could have, the unstoppable fast breathing, loosing the world around you, begging for it to stop... damn. When Perrito calmed Puss down it almost made me cry. Last Wish brought everything I wanted from this kind of movie and even more. Great and memorable characters, jokes, drama, message, incredible visuals, everything
The wolf was instantly one of my favorite antagonists over the last 20 years. That balance of charming and sinister was extremely well done.
The thing that I love so much about this film is it’s message about death. Death is only the villain so long as Puss fears him, so long as he clings to the idea that life is about the shallow praise and adventures he finds literally everywhere he goes. It’s only when he finds something that makes living in spite of death worthwhile, the things he can only get from the few special people who truly mean the world to him, that death stops hunting him. He doesn’t go away, he makes sure Puss knows that he will be back, but he’s no longer an unstoppable force coming to cut his adventure short, he’s a reminder that there is only so much time and to spend it wisely.
Absolutely, fight death with all you have, but do so while facing it, not running away.
This is why I love Christmas Carol so much
Something I noticed while watching his video, Death puts coins over his eyes and then points at Puss. Putting coins over the eyes of the dead is supposed to pay for their ride in the ferryman’s boat to the afterlife. Puss, having kicked the coins away to the townspeople and Death in the previous scene payed his toll, and Death essentially said, without even needing to speak, that Puss had payed for his ride in the ferryman’s boat
Broooo good catch 👏
I was already creeped out by that scene. Now, even more.
I am SO GLAD this movie is doing well both critically and at the box office.
I was worried that gonna get overshadowed by Avatar: The Way of Water, but, thankfully, people seem to be watching and appreciating both.
Edit: Don't let this make you think I didn't enjoy Avatar 2; I VERY MUCH did.
Just glad that one good movie didn't overshadow another for once.
Yea the starting week wasn't very good from what I've heard. But ever since critics, content creators, and people on the internet start giving this movie positive reviews, people start to get curious.
It definitely had a slow-ish start, but good word of mouth is helping it along. Plus, there isn’t much else in family entertainment playing at the moment, with the next big thing being the Mario Movie.
And the release for the UK had also been pushed to February this year compared to US release in December, so hopefully that will give it a solid overseas bump.
@@jendoe9436 I'm super curious to see how the opening weekend goes for the UK release, I'm sure there's a lot of hype built up for certain demographics.
Avatar dominates at first till ppl realizes its not as suprising as first time. I think its really great at near ending but the start felt really slow. Also avatar has high "its not ending yet huh?" vibe at ending lol
Avatar got too many characters POV at once. And being a film sequel released after decades, making hard to remember anything details knowing Avatar series itself not making/keeping fan thriving. Avatar was known only for great effect too ig?
Its like a spectacle soon to be forgotten yet to be revived again
Idk what to even call it properly, but I love the filter (finish, texture?) of objects. Even though it's 3D, they made it look painted, with visible brush strokes. And sometimes they just show you a beatufiul painting, no 3D needed (like the distant shot of the giant over the whole town, or when Puss aproaches the retirement home)
If you watch the film's behind the scenes material, there's a lot of unfinished shots that have the painterly textures applied with no lighting or post processing which makes the textures themselves much easier to see. Seeing that every single aspect of the environment was treated with such care, something I didn't notice while watching the film because I was too caught up in the story to care, has made me respect it that much more; it's drop dead gorgeous
I really like that they included a irredeemable villain in this movie. It teaches that there are people who can’t be turned good by talking. HTTYD 2 did the same.
To add, the scene where perrito comforted puss nearly made me tear up. that was really well done.
Yeah, apparently stans hate it that Drago wasn't redeemed by Hiccup just because they learned a draft version of him getting redeemed by HTTYD 3.
I also wanna point out, that the dagger that he used to "save" his last life... was from kitty. so essentially it literally is "the people in your life helped you avoid death" and I adore the whole idea of his future wife saving his life like come ON!!! also, as an animator myself, when my friends wouldn't stop screaming about this movie and helping me to be able to watch it in some way (we don't have a theater where I live) I was so floored with the whole movie I watched it twice in one night, and then made my partner watch it the next night. Literally inspired me so much and I deeply hope more movies in the animation industry come out like this, god we need it
This is one of the most profound movies I've seen in a long time. Wagner Maura as Death was perfect, and, if I had seen this as a little kid, he would have scared the crap out of me. The progression of Perrtito from an annoying hanger-on to the bedrock from which Puss completes his personal journey of growth was breathtaking to watch. This is the kind of film Disney is no longer capable of making, a fun movie with a proper circle of growth.
I'm not sure about profoud, but it's a definite visual tour de force covering usual parable ground.
I'm a grown ass man and the wolf scared the shit out of me.
bro I agree with your last sentiment, I was legit thinking the same thing. All the movies disney makes these days are shitty live action remakes with zero value and no soul, and they're only function is to profit off of nostalgia. It really is pretty depressing... 😕
I love watching Disney crashing and burning compared what others are pulling off
Are you kidding me? As an adult death scared the shit out of me. First time I watched it, his whistle gave me shivers
Ever since The Bad Guys, I just knew that Dreamwork is getting good.
I also love how the film pushes the limits of animation, but also the PG rating with darker content that usual.
Man.. could you imagine if they had done this artstyle with the HTTYD movies too, that would of been wild.
Honestly though dreamworks is def one of my favorite animation studios. Among the big names they've always been the more adventurous even if it results in a lot of hit and miss, but when they hit they hit hard.
@@HyenaBlank Not only How to Train Your Dragon. Kung Fu Panda would work as well.
They could even give like different art styles. HTTYD can be inspired by ancient Viking art while Kung Fu Panda by ancient Chinese paintings (or maybe old timey martial arts films). That way, each franchise feels like its own world. Its own universe.
I mean Captain Underpants managed to translate the art style of Dav Pilkey well into animation.
@@HyenaBlank I think for HTTYD better fits overall realistic animation style, but for TV series and spinoffs? Go style as much as it can be stylised.
I'd love to see Dreamworks do a Psychonauts or Amulet movie.
@@mackielunkey2205 do you mean the Amulet with elfs and stuff(it was a while but in the last book i read the mc becomes a fire pheonix)
Disney wished they could pull this off. A real original story that’s powerful and every scene is like an art piece. Seriously every scene could be an art piece and that’s what’s magical. This is one of those movies that STAINS your mind, the first movie was so forgettable, this will never be forgotten.
A college friend of mine animates at Dreamworks, and he shared the reference footage he took for animating some of the film's climax scenes of Death. While the practice of acting out the scene yourself before animating is not unusual at all, it was still fun to see the amount of care and detail put into what is really one of the best animated films in years.
We are in an era where animated medium tells more and better than most new movie releases and I am all for it. Dreamworks might be going into it's new golden era if content of this quality is gonna get released by them more in the future.
Still i feel that animation should be more respected as a medium, for the adult themes, music, work going into animation itself and voice acting in public eye. While internet praises it a LOT (and thank god cause it's really that good) I still feel that there is still a huge number of people that think it's "kids stuff" just like videogames are not respected when they actually do some amazing stories, music and it's other parts because... "it's a game". These stereotypes really need to die so that people who make these masterpieces get more recognition than they get now.
THIS^^^^
We're getting there, chief. Fifteen to twenty years ago it was still fashionable to call people nerds (which used to be a much harsher word, too) for playing games and even bully them over it, and any self-respecting girl would never touch either a game or a gamer. Cultural norms used to be like...these highly mutated highschool hierarchy rules, with matching values to go with them, but just as childish. Look how the things have changed. It is slow process, but we're growing out of stereotypical thinking as a society. Or, in other words, we've matured enough to realise that blind/insecure avoidance of everything "uncool" is pretty immature actually.
The impact that Spider-Verse has had on the industry will be remembered for decades, we were truly blessed
honestly, the goldie storyline made was my favorite part of the whole movie. as someone whose bio family kinda sucks and the family i found is more then the other could ever be, that story made me ball
*Baller*
-I'm sorry-
BALLIN
"You're supposed to be dead!"
"Uh, I got better?"
Favorite line of this movie
This movie was most likely the first that ever made me almost cry. That scene where puss got a panic attack and ran into the dark forest, god that hit home too close. It was even harder when Perro was comforting him. It gave me almost a PTSD like feeling, I honestly began to have a minor panic attack with puss. I can't believe how good this movie is, and it's topics on mortality is a good reminder for us all. Make life to the fullest, always stride to complete your dreams and goals because you never know what could happen tomorrow.
I'm so sorry you've gone through panic attacks before. I hope you're doing alright❤
It’s kind of amazing how well this movie came together. I mean, think about all the things this movie had going against it:
It’s a spin-off of a popular movie franchise that lost its spark a long time ago
It’s lead has largely been a one-note character leaning heavily on comparisons to Zoro
It’s the sequel to a very middling film that didn’t do anything terribly interesting
It’s juggling three different villain sets, none of which have been introduced before and all of which are dramatically distinct
It introduces a new side character who could easily have fallen into basic comic relief status
And that’s just off the top of my head. None of this should have worked, even with stellar animation. The writing in this movie goes to show that, even with everything against it, a movie can vastly exceed expectations by undermining a character’s strengths and forcing them to grapple with mortality in a way that few movies can manage well. And yes, Death is amazingly well realized, but the fact that he’s balanced with the comedic relief of Horner and the pathos of Goldilocks says something about how well the writers thought this through, making us appreciate each villain in utterly distinct ways.
Also, another thing that worked against in the box office. Avatar 2 came out recently as well. Animated movies tend to do badly when released alongside franchise movies.
It was also in development purgatory for years
@@cara-seyun I was gonna bring this up as well. It was announced a decade ago, and went through *three* different directors. That's a huge red flag for any project, not just a movie. It's honestly a miracle that the movie turned out as spectacular as it is
Wait, you mean Zorro? El Zorro? Not Zoro from One piece, right? As a Spanish speaker I got confused when the video said Zoro and seeing it written confused me even more.
@@ekki1993 Yeah, I mistyped it. Not Zoro from One Piece.
I saw this in theater in 3D…. I WAS BLOWN AWAY. My mom found out she had 2 free movie tickets and I decided to tag along with her and my baby brother just to get out of the house. I was never interested in Puss In Boots really ever in my 18 years of life but MAN the character building in this movie was amazing. So glad I got to experience this movie in 3D because it was just that much more investing
Mann I missed out. Just watched it on TV and I was like wow imagine THIS in 3D? This seems PERFECT for that.
UGH busy life and movies short theatre lives
I also liked the fact that he had lost his sword for a majority of the film, until he came to terms with who he was and it was returned to him by death. And with said sword managed to hold his own against the wolf
I love that, as you said, The Wolf isn't the only villain. I noticed that the movie kind of brilliantly uses three major villain "types":
- Goldy is not evil, just has personal motivations that run counter to the protagonist and is ultimately redeemable once she learns a truth about herself
- Jack is the "irredeemable monster" who takes a camp indulgence with his villainy gets killed in the end
- Death is a force of nature that cannot be beaten, just accepted as an inescapable facet of being
I love the beautiful simplicity that Perrito offers! He goes from a character that so easily can be scoffed at as annoying or idiotic, to teaching Puss some of the most important lessons in the film! That stopping and smelling the roses and trusting in others is crucial to truly living. As well as being the one that pulls Puss out of his anxiety attack when he's terrified. Its a perfect encapsulation of what makes dogs so special and takes Perrito from comic relief to an endearing and valuable member of the story!
I absolutely love how Perrito isn’t just some crappy joke character that farts and does stupid faces like a CERTAIN other franchise, he’s still funny but in a much more mature way and is especially great in the part he plays towards Puss’ development
They actually did the joke character correctly
Just another thing that makes this movie amazing
I really liked that in the reveal scene, he does not whistle before he appears. At this point in the movie, we've been trained to expect the wolf when we hear that whistle. It really makes the scene more effective.
I actually found out that the wolf is death at the end of the scene where they're running away from Jack Horner.
If you know anything about mythology, than you know that in Greek mythology, when people died they would often place coins on the eyes as a toll for the ferryman to ferry you across the river styx.
Great detail
I love the way they use Puss' hat to both reveal Death when he first shows up and to reveal Kitty and Perrito in his moment of triumph when he embraces this life. The setup for Death was insane, the fear Puss feels is echoed so well in the audience due to The Wolf being set up as a real threat from the very start. He effortlessly beats Puss and mocks him in a scene that feels straight out of a horror movie. Seeing him draw blood in a children's movie really says all it needs to. Do wanna say though, the clip you included at 4:10 is not a Pixar movie. Despite the Pixar-looking characters, Strange World was done by Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Pixar and Disney Animation are essentially the same company at this point. They even had the same people in charge for a while.
Currently trying to create a costume of The Wolf for a convention in a month, because I can't imagine how much fear I can generate from people just seeing this impactful of a character. But the whistle, even when I perform it, sends shivers down my spine. Truly speaking to the creative team behind this film and how strong a character is even after seeing the film.
Thanks for dropping by the channel. I mispronounced a few names, titles, and too many 0's on the budget numbers, and for the I apologize. Sometimes my brain no work good. Nevertheless I hope you enjoyed the video
I love how they drop the FPS for the fighting scenes, really makes them stand out
I don't know how many people have made this comparison on any platform yet, but the moment my mother (who had not been spoiled at time of first watch) saw Death for the first time, she hummed under her breath
"Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"
And I got chills. I realized then that that was probably the in universe tie to all the other Fairytales and Nursery Rhymes, even with no relation to the Three Little Pigs from the original Shrek.
I thought that was a fantastic comparison, and I hope other people see that too.
I would agree, but the fact that the big bad wolf already canonically existed before this movie in the Shrek universe invalidates this one.
But she may not know that. And it was a cool nod to how the character feels about death. The bears aren’t concerned with death, nor do they understand who it is.
@@orcastrike7750 I mean previous versions of fantasy characters in Shrek didn’t stop them from being used again before
@@badbeardbill9956 that was a single instance with the 3 bears. And every fairy tale character has always been referred to by their actual fairytale name, that at least has stayed consistent.
@@orcastrike7750 The 3 bears also were in the first Shrek movie, but this version of them is a lot more complete. It's been a while, but I don't recall for sure if the Big Bad Wolf in Shrek is ever acknowledged *as* the big bad wolf. Death is certainly bigger and badder than him though.
I love how the movie had crude jokes too like Perrito cursing but it had so much better jokes and moments that it's not a detriment to itself. In other words, the writers didn't get lazy.
"You wouldn't shoot a dog would you?"
"OH yes I would, right in the face"
*cough* live-action Pinocchio remake *cough*
If they got lazy, it could be the laziness of their mid to late 2000’s works.
See Shark Tale and Shrek the 3rd for 2 examples if Dreamworks barely tries and falls back on easy pop culture gags
@@Thomasmemoryscentral Thank God they put actual effort into this movie!
What makes Death so cool (and scary) to me is it's the idea of "what if death had it's own agency and agenda" or "what if death could take something personally" and THAT'S scary to me. The embodiment of Death going out of it's way to kill you is such a cool idea and they nailed it.
ooo thanks for sharing this perspective
I love how he actually drinks his milk like a cat, lapping it with his tongue. It seems so authentic and funny at the same time. They could have made him drink in a more human way, but they didn't do it the lazy way. And the attention to detail is very impressive in most other areas too.
I'm an animation student currently and nothing has ignited my passion for animation quite like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish did quite literally since Gravity Falls ended back in 2016!! I have enjoyed other things released in-between of course like when you mentioned Arcane but this movie has just immensely impressed me so much because it's very rare that we see theatrical animated releases that are this good anymore. Death is just such a refreshing antagonist to see I can't stop thinking about how impressively well written his narrative between him and Puss is! This is why I love animation, it has even recently motivated me to start animating in my free time outside of my student project's.
yesss!! I’m a student in 2D and it’s been so cool watching the new stylized work that’s coming out of 3D, especially now with the last wish. One of my fav things about animation is all the details put into it and it was genuinely inspiring to watch this movie and get to notice all the wonderful aspects put into it(like the timing in the fight scenes!! So cool and visually distinct)! Good luck with your own projects :]
The Bad Guys played around with the same style and I think Last Wish took what they did there and stepped it up to become such a glowing style that distinguishes it from everyone else.
I like the bad guys, but I felt the villain fell into the typical twist villain fail. Then this movie came and fixed that issue with the bad guys with an even better story + characters. Also, I never get tired of Death vs Puss final fight, it is insanely good visually and story-wise.
@@mythicaldragon4354 totally agree
@@mythicaldragon4354 the bad guys is all about its brilliant main cast and how they interact with each other, not the story honestly.
They were heavily inspired by innovative movies like Spiderverse.
19:19 “i really hope that this movie is a slap in the face to other companies and it’s a wake-up call”
thank you, someone who understands the importance of animation with style, i am so sick and tired of the realistic and generic art from movies like Sing, The Last Wish is definitely as much as it is a kids movie as it is an adult film and I will always admire Dreamworks for putting out some of my favorite films. p.s: i am now going to have to watch it again because of the reflection of puss and deaths eyes in his sickles during their fights that you pointed out; see tiny details like that… FUCK I love this film so damn much i need more friends to talk to about this lmao
Just like revenge of the sith and othr movies that achieve this. It keeps you interested and following as a kid due to the action and spectacular visuals but also make adults think deeper like in the last wish where i litterally started self reflecting on how much i cherish my life and what the people i love means to me
dude i agree. the movie Sing is so goofy and it’s like they treat animation like a joke by pumping out such mediocrity. that’s one of the many reasons as to why i appreciate this movie, i love it sm
@@romantheblack-cat my personal favorite Star Wars film
@@awkwardlymajestic yup sing makes me want claw my eyes out
I just now realized that Death, Goldi, and Jack perfectly encompasses the 3 main villain tropes. Death being chaotic neutral. He will kill but he also has morals. Goldi that has a sympathetic back story which makes her very hard to hate. And Jack who kills just for the fun of it and can never be redeemed or have character development no matter how hard they try. All fun villain tropes but if you do it to much it starts to get boring but when you have all three in one movie it becomes fun again.
There is a lot to be said about their design choices, but the fact that they decided that action shots should be done in low framerate is huge. It looks so good! When the shot becomes a fighting scene with characters moving about, reducing framerate sounds like a sin, but it works so well. They really hit the nail on the head.
There are just so many small yet extremely significant details in the visuals, the stories, and the characters that it just makes this movie a stunner. My analysis on Puss's whole story is that it is founded upon the Five Stages of Grief. They are not presented in order but are still there...
1 Denial: When Puss dies and loses his eight life, he denies the fact that he had died and that he will still be an immortal legend
2. Depression and Anxiety: Once Puss faces Death and is nearly beaten by him, Puss gains severe PTSD and runs away, hides in the sanctuary and becomes very depressed
3. Bargaining; One could say the whole journey IS a bargaining session because Puss wants to beat death and figures that if he gets his other 8 lives backs he will not have to face Death
4. Anger: He snaps basically at everyone, especially those getting in the way of his goal, he turns people against him and is forced to work with them
5. Acceptance: His final battle with Death ends with his literal acceptance that Death is inevitable but that it's best to live one meaningful life than several shallow ones.
And the best part is that a lot of other messages go for the other characters; Goldi and the Bears talk about chosen families and how a traditional family isn't always the key to happiness, with Jack Horner it's how some people can't be redeemed, with Perrito about how one may lead a harsh life and still see the good in life and people. Just so many details put into this movie that just stuns me.
I don't see enough people talking about Perrito and what he means in this adventure, what values he brings to the story. Thank you. ♡
@@Kozinu It also helps Perrito become an empath because he has gone through a lot but still has a fun, optimistic, and even silly outlook on life. If Perrito didn't have that outlook he wouldn't have been able to help Puss had that major panic attack in the forest. Often the most hurt people with the most tragic backstories are the one that do the most healing because they know how it feels to be sad and broken and don't want anyone else to go through it.
Unironically one of the best films I've seen in the last 5 years. I was blown away at the animation/artistry the entire time. It made me fall back in love with animated movies (which I've taken a break from since Disney opted for this weird 3D style a few years ago).
My partner can't watch through films for anything, she finds them WAY too difficult to keep her attention, she was glued to this film for the entire duration, it's absolutely stunning
Does she use tiktok
@@homosexualitymydearwatson4109 being alone with thoughts is too scary
@@Emilia-gw8so and it stays that way if you never get to know em
"Mediocre is not okay anymore" is exactly the line everyone needs to hear we are no longer okay if a movie is just Mediocre our eyes are minds have seen so many that now movies feel less exiting we lust for excitement we need movies that exel at something that are unique or have more of an identity that are their own creation puss in boots exels in every possible way plot,storytelling,script,dialogue, animation,characters,settings everything is beautifully made and knead together to make something smooth and fresh I couldn't help but watch my eyes and ears were glued to it, it made me love movies again we need more films like it
Fun little detail I loved is how in the bar scene we see 8 empty glasses next to Puss to represent the 8 lives he's already went through. God, the attention to detail 😚👌
The shot where Death puts the coins over his eyes gives me chills just to look in this video, let alone with the whole context of the film. This is an amazing video that summarised why I liked this film so much in a way I would never be able to put into words! Thank you!
Another great detail in the opening scene with death. You can hear bell tolls while Puss drinks. It’s not till the 8th time that death shows up. Signaling that it’s the 8 life have gone and death now appears. It’s a wonderful little touch in a film absolutely filled with them
In german the reveal of Deaths Identity is even cooler. In german he says: „I am Death. Pure, without Ice“
It would be cooler with the ice.
As someone studying and pursuing animation. 2d overlays and overall truly using the medium to throw in any and all stylings to make characters feel unique is 1000% the future of the industry and im so here for it
It's actually wild how much this improves on the artistic style to the point where Puss from the original films looks off-model to me. So outside of artistic choices for the fight scenes and such, which were _super effective_ , something has to be said for the subtler changes to character design on top of that. His face just feels more expressive and alive the way they lean into the cartoon aspects of the expressions.
I teared up when the little brother bear thought he was going to be forgotten by goldilocks only to still be saved by her at the end.
I’ll be honest, the first 10 minutes of this movie makes me tear up just from the animation and visuals alone. This is definitely one of Dreamworks best in a long time.
I literally couldn't look away from the screen. One of the best movie openings I've seen. I was giddy the whole time
I had the same thing happening to me and couldn't figure out why! Interesting stuff
I have only cried at one 1 animated movie and it was up, but as of this week, I really cried at an animated movie. The moment when perro rests his head on puss's chest is adorable, wholesome, and amazing as someone who has experienced panic attacks. It's such a tender moment and I'm proud to say ive cried at the funny cat movie.
You mean the cat coming to terms with his mortality movie
I watched this movie about an hour or so ago and I have to say that it is single-handedly the BEST animated movie I have ever watched. The scene where Death first appears was so interesting to watch and I even forgot I was watching a “kid’s movie” because it felt more like a scene from a horror movie. And I have never had nor witnessed someone having a panic attack but, while it took a second to sink in, even I knew Puss was having one because of how well executed that moment was. And Perrito’s backstory was so sad and shocking that my jaw legit dropped. And to be honest, I was kinda expecting Goldi and the The Three Bears to just be more antagonists that I wouldn’t be that attached to but they just completely subverted my expectations. Plus, as someone who has three younger siblings, Goldi and Baby’s relationship felt so real it was just plain entertaining and honestly warmed my heart a bit to watch. Another expectation subversion was Jack Horner because I had a feeling they were gonna pull the whole ‘redeemed’ shtick with him but nope, guy is genuinely a terrible person and that also felt real because not everybody is redeemable and it’s important to be reminded of that. Though that one is just how I felt and interpreted it.
Also I completely agree with what you said about the recent Disney and Pixar films, they really have been really lackluster. If you like them, that’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with that and we can agree to disagree. But in my eyes, Disney had it’s peak and it ended with Encanto.
I love how much impact Death has considering he appeared so little. If I'm not mistaken, he only appears 6 times, 3 of which he doesn't even speak, he's just there, as a constant threat.
1- his cameo before Puss' death (there is a shot showing the crowd cheering him up as he fights the giant and Death is back there)
2- his actual introduction, in the bar
3- the scene where he puts coins in his eyes (after Puss, Kitty and Perrito are running from Jack Horner after stealing the map)
4- when they're fighting Jack (when he turns his guys into confetti) and Puss sees Death in the distance, causing him to ran away and to have a panick attack
5- where he reveals he's Death
6- his last fight against Puss