Earlier today, Universal released a new trailer for the upcoming Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. This is the long-awaited return to the chaotic and whimsical fairy tale universe of the beloved Shrek films and serves as a follow-up to the Academy Award-nominated 2011 spin-off Puss in Boots. This time around, however, things seem to be headed in a more existential direction.
The film was directed by Joel Crawford, who has worked as a story artist for the Kung Fu Panda trilogy and directed The Croods: A New Age. And The Last Wish is scheduled to be released on December 22, 2022, right on time for Christmas. It features a star-studded cast including familiar faces like Antonio Banderas as the titular swashbuckling cat and Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws. The film also includes Harvey Guillén (What we do in the Shadows) as Perro, a new supporting character.
The trio will face off against storybook villains like a mafia-boss version of Goldilocks played by Florence Pugh, “Big” Jack Horner, played by comedian John Mulaney, and the mysterious Big Bad Wolf, played by Wagner Moura (Narcos).
Much like in the previous trailers, The Last Wish seems to be anchored thematically on the idea that our daredevil feline has run out of lives, which is comically portrayed throughout the trailer. So with only one life left, he decides to unhappily retire in a home for cats in the countryside, where he eventually meets Perro.
After not being able to adapt to his new home, Puss is compelled to go on one last adventure, finding a wishing star to grant him back his lives, which is aptly presented with a musical reference to Smash Mouth’s “All-Star” in the background. The trailer continues showing him partnering with his previous ally Kitty Softpaws and introducing the wide array of villains through action montages accompanied by a Pitbull song as the titular character ponders how maybe having one life is what makes life special.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish releases on December 22, 2022, and promises to deliver a fun return to the Shrek Universe.
Featured image courtesy of Universal Pictures.
