Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has been the second most successful movie in the world in January. But what makes the furry feline so popular with demographics of all ages? Brendan Preisman talked to Northwestern students to find out.
“Fear me, if you dare!”
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR MOVIES IN THE WORLD SO FAR IN 2023, GROSSING OVER 340 MILLION DOLLARS SINCE ITS THEATRICAL RELEASE ON DECEMBER 21, 2022. IT’S BEHIND ONLY THE AVATAR SEQUEL AS THE HIGHEST GROSSING MOVIE IN THE US IN JANUARY, AND IS GENERATING OSCAR BUZZ FOR BEST ANIMATED FILM AFTER RECEIVING A NOMINATION LAST WEEK.
BUT WHAT EXACTLY MAKES THE SEQUEL AND ITS TITULAR FELINE SO POPULAR? I SAT DOWN WITH NORTHWESTERN STUDENTS TO FIND OUT.
“I was astonished…I laughed, I cried, I had the time of my life.”
HELEN BRADSHAW, A MEDILL SENIOR, IS ONE OF THE STUDENTS WHO BELIEVES THAT THE MOVIE IS WORTH THE HYPE. SHE SAID THE MOVIE BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN AND THAT…
“It was as robust as any movie in any genre ever”.
“And also it was about a cat, so that was awesome”
WEINBERG SENIOR KADE KELLEY AGREES ABOUT THE QUALITY, PARTICULARLY OF THE ANIMATION.
“in the same way that everyone went crazy with into the spider verse, I feel the same way about this animation. It’s something that has not been seen before. It’s not just another Shrek movie.”
THE ANIMATION HAS INDEED DRAWN RAVE REVIEWS, WITH MEDILL FIRST YEAR ELLA BARNES SAYING THE QUALITY OF THE ANIMATION, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, ADDS TO THE REALISM.
[realism quote]
BRADSHAW, THOUGH, DOESN’T WANT TO FOCUS SOLELY ON THE ANIMATION QUALITY, SAYING THAT MANY PEOPLE UNDERESTIMATE THE QUALITY OF ANIMATED MOVIES AS STORYTELLING VEHICLES. ANDREW YOUNG, A WEINBERG SENIOR, ALSO EMPHASIZED THAT THIS IS A MOVIE FOR ALL AGES.
“Bring the family, bring your college friends, bring your high school friends, bring your lover”
PERHAPS THE BIGGEST REASON THIS MOVIE IS BELOVED ACROSS ALL DEMOGRAPHICS IS THAT IT GRAPPLES WITH THEMES OF MORTALITY AND ENJOYING LIFE. DEATH IS REPRESENTED BY A WOLF (INSERT SOUND OF WOLF DOING THE WHISTLE THING), WHO IS AFTER PUSS IN BOOTS BECAUSE PUSS HAS WASTED HIS PREVIOUS EIGHT LIVES WITH NO REGARD FOR WHAT THEY MEAN.
“Main villain is literally death, it’s really interesting to see how they put that on screen”
ASIDE FROM THE THEMES OF MORTALITY AND LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST, THERE’S PLENTY OF OTHER THEMES TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE MOVIE. A BIG ONE IS FRIENDSHIP, WITH PUSS TEAMING UP WITH FORMER RIVAL KITTY SOFTPAWS, AS WELL AS A NEW CHARACTER NAMED PERRITO, IN ORDER TO FIND A WISHING STAR THAT WILL GIVE PUSS HIS LIVES BACK.
WHILE THERE IS A LOT OF FAIRY TALE INFLUENCE, THE MOVIE GOES BEYOND THE BASICS. BARNES THOUGHT THE MOVIE HANDLED ITS CHARACTERS OF GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS VERY WELL, SAYING THAT THE FILM DELVES INTO WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED AFTER THE FAIRY TALE AS WE KNOW IT ENDED. THERE’S ALSO A JIMINY CRICKET-LIKE CHARACTER THAT SOME INTERVIEWEES SAID STOLE THE SHOW, BUT ONCE AGAIN, THE CHARACTERS DO NOT MERELY FIT INTO THEIR FAIRY TALE ARCHETYPES.
BARNES SAID THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT STRUCK HER AS EARNED, AND SAID SHE APPRECIATED THE MOVIE TOOK A SHOW, DON’T TELL APPROACH WITH REGARDS TO ITS CHARACTERS’ MOTIVATIONS. KELLEY CALLED THE MOVIE A “MASTERPIECE” AND THAT SEEING THE ANIMATION IN A THEATER REALLY BRINGS THE STORY TO LIFE.
THOSE I INTERVIEWED GAVE THE MOVIE HIGH PRAISE. BARNES SAID THE MOVIE IS ALREADY IN HER TOP 5 DREAMWORKS MOVIES EVER, AND MANY OTHERS EXPRESSED SIMILAR SENTIMENT.
“I’m putting this on the Kung Fu Panda tier…I think it’s my favorite”
SO, IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO SPEND A COLD WINTER’S DAY THAN CURLED UP INSIDE WATCHING THE LEGEND OF PUSS IN BOOTS CONTINUE. FOR ME PERSONALLY, THIS IS EASILY ONE OF THE THREE BEST MOVIES I’VE SEEN SINCE RECENTLY, WITH THE HUMOR AND EMOTION PUSHING IT UP A NOTCH. THE ANIMATION IS SOME OF THE BEST I’VE EVER SEEN, WITH THE FIGHT SCENES ALONE WORTHY OF AWARD CONSIDERATIONS. I GIVE IT 1.8 OUT OF 2 BOOTS, AND I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND SEEING IT IF YOU CAN. JUST REMEMBER:
“The legend will never die!”
FOR WNUR NEWS, I’M BRENDAN PREISMAN.
