After 11 years, a familiar and loveable orange feline returns to the big screen to prove once again that a cat always lands on its feet. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a film that can be enjoyed by viewers of all ages.

This animation film cost roughly $90 million to produce and has made a worldwide gross of over $300 million since its release in December. It has received a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s no wonder Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has done so well. It’s truly an amazing story. “I haven’t seen the movie but I really want to. I’ve heard a lot about it and it looks really good,” sophomore Lola Rothman said. 

In this tale, the main character, Puss in Boots, voiced by Antonio Banderas, discovers that he has gone through eight of his nine lives. Throughout the movie viewers watch in awe as he wrestles with his unpleasant plunge into mortality. Puss, who iconically laughs in the face of death, suddenly finds himself face-to-face with the reaper himself. And this time he’s not laughing. In an act of self preservation, he searches for a fallen star to wish his eight lives back. 

Along the way, Puss becomes so consumed in trying to escape Death that he loses sight of his life’s meaning. Eventually he must come to understand that trying to avoid the inevitable will only lead you to a life filled with fear. In the end, he realizes that mortality can actually be a beautiful thing because it brings value to the relationships and adventures we experience. “This movie, unlike its predecessor, holds a deep meaning to it, about the value of our one life,” junior Bilal Somji said. 

All tender and heartfelt messages aside, this movie has so much to offer its viewers. There are scenes filled with lighthearted humor suitable for any adventure-loving kid, plus several snippets of dark humor that can only be understood and appreciated by more mature viewers. My elementary school-aged brother and I were left with sore stomachs from laughing so hard. The cherry on top of the entire film is not the humor and warm fuzzies. One character in particular absolutely stole the spotlight. “The movie was very funny, although Death was a little creepy,” senior Katrena Huen said.

Death is the main antagonist of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and arguably one of Dreamworks’ best-written villains. This wicked wolf is the center of attention across popular social media platforms. Every aspect of his character incites fear into the hearts of the audience. And who can ever forget that bone chilling whistle? This thrilling character plus the laughs and meaningful plotline wraps the whole movie together. “I absolutely loved this movie. This movie had me interested the whole way through and is one of my favorites of 2022,” Somji said.