Puss in Boots (voice of Antonio Banderas) learns that he has used up 8 out of his 9 lives, so he retires and hides out incognito at the home of a cat lady, Mama Luna (voice Da'Vine Joy Randolph), where he befriends a dog disguised as a cat, Perro (voice Harvey Guillén). Upon learning that a wishing star left a wish hidden deep in a forest, he goes on a quest to steal the map from Big Jack Horner (voice John Mulaney). He hopes to use it to regain his 8 lives. Also in pursuit of the map are Goldilocks (voice of Florence Pugh) and the three bears, Papa Bear (voice of Ray Winstone), Mama Bear (voice of Olivia Colman) and Baby Bear (voice of Samson Kayo), as well as his former love interest, Kitty Softpaws (voice Salma Hayek). Meanwhile, The Big Bad Wolf (voice of Wagner Moura) shows up to remind Puss in Boots that death is right around the corner.

      Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a delightful and exhilarating adventure for the whole family. The screenplay by Paul Fisher brims with wit and tongue-in-cheek humor while being unafraid to be a bit zany. Most importantly, though, the story itself remains engaging without losing steam or meandering. There are many characters and subplots, but the film never loses focus of its main storyline: the quest to reach the hidden wish. Also, it avoids becoming uneven or dull which tends to happen too often in animated films these days. Yes, I'm looking at you, Lightyear. There's just the right blend of action, comedy and even a little time spent developing the relationships between the characters, so that they're not just there to serve the plot or to move it forward. Despite the fact that these are animated characters, the screenplay does a great job of humanizing them which breathes life into the film. Puss in Boots, for instance, feels some regret that he left Kitty at the altar in the past. Without revealing any spoilers, there are some small surprises along the way, including a new character who's introduced later in the 2nd act. Although it's true that introducing a new character late in a film is generally a bad idea, it works here because the character makes for a fun and witty sidekick without being annoying. If he were introduced early-on and showed up a lot, he would've overstayed its welcome and become irritated after a while. Thank you, Paul Fisher, for not pandering to younger audiences. Both younger and older audiences will be entertained, so that's not an easy feat to accomplish. Even the 3-hour Avatar: The Way of Water fails at accomplishing that.

      Beyond the compelling story and characters, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish also has stellar CGI animation that not only adds eye candy, but provides the characters with some personality and even a little warmth. The voice acting is terrific too, especially that of Antonio Banderas who has a lot of fun in his role. That makes the comedic timing work more often than not. Kevin McCann does a wonderful voice impression of James Stewart as one of the film's many lively supporting characters. The pace moves quickly, but not too quickly like in many recent animated films, so you won't feel exhausted or nauseated. The fact that the running time is under 2 hours reflects that director Joel Crawford and screenwriter Paul Fisher grasp the concept that less is more and have mastered the concept of restraint. At an ideal running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is one of the best animated films of the year.