Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Blu-ray Review

The 1080p video presentation of "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" on Blu-ray is a visually stunning display that embraces its unique art style with precision and charm. The elegant animation, designed to steer away from photorealism, is beautifully rendered to highlight intricate textures and complex details. This captures environments, character models, and props with meticulous precision, showcasing the film's rich artistic elements. The Blu-ray makes full use of its 2.39:1 AVC HD transfer to deliver colors that are both rich and bold. From the vibrant hues of magical sequences to natural earthy tones, the palette is impressively vivid throughout the range, achieving near-maximum color excellence under SDR parameters.

Moreover, this presentation adheres to the high standards expected from contemporary animations on Blu-ray, free from source or encoding issues. The detail is remarkable, bringing out nuances like individual white hairs on Puss' auburn coat and the glittering attraction of magic beans. Black levels and contrast are expertly managed, maintaining clarity even in shadowed scenes and avoiding any undesirable crush effects. The 1080p resolution fully satisfies the film’s aesthetic demands, ensuring that each visual element is both engaging and satisfying on screen. This release from Universal is a testament to their ability to deliver exemplary visual fidelity for home audiences.

The Blu-ray release of "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" features an exemplary Dolby Atmos audio track that provides an immersive and dynamic listening experience. The audio presentation is engaging and thrives during action sequences, where each channel is utilized effectively to deliver a comprehensive soundstage. While the overhead speakers tend to complement rather than dominate, their subtle contribution enriches the overall atmospheric feel. The bass performance substantiates the audio with assertive yet balanced low frequencies, providing depth without overpowering accompanying details. Notably, the clarity and spatial distribution of the film’s musical score enhance the surround engagement, contributing to a robust auditory landscape.

Dialogue is delivered with precision, anchored in the center channel for consistent clarity even amid the most intense scenes. Antonio Banderas' voice performance is particularly highlighted, resonating richly across multiple channels to great effect. This meticulous prioritization ensures that vocals remain prominent against the backdrop of a busy and bustling soundtrack. In quieter moments, the Dolby Atmos track skillfully unfolds a wealth of atmospheric sounds that establish a convincingly detailed world, maintaining immersion from beginning to end.

For technical audio enthusiasts and casual viewers alike, this disc stands as an outstanding example of what modern sound design can achieve. It meets the high expectations set by an animated action/adventure film and delivers a pristine auditory experience without any notable deficiencies. Whether appreciated for its technical prowess or its sheer entertainment value, the audio elements of this Blu-ray are commendably well-executed.

The Blu-ray release of "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" enriches the cinematic experience with an impressive array of bonus features presented in high-definition 1080p. These engaging extras delve into the movie's creative processes and character developments, offering both entertainment and educational elements. Standout features include a captivating mini-movie titled "The Trident," showcasing one of Puss’s daring escapades, and "In the Beginning," a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at the film's evolution from its predecessors, focusing on its unique visual style and sound design. The disc also provides interactive content—such as drawing tutorials and craft projects—that will appeal to family audiences. Accompanying these are humorous outtakes and insightful audio commentary from the film's creators, offering an in-depth understanding of their creative journey.

Extras included in this disc:

• The Trident: A mini-movie recounting one of Puss's adventurous deaths.
• Deleted Scenes: Compilation includes "Potty Break," "Love and Death," and "Wall O'Snakes."
• A Cast of Characters: Insights into the characters and their voice actors.
• In the Beginning: Behind-the-scenes look at the film’s creation and evolution.
• Jack Horner's Line-O-Rama: Humorous line compilation featuring Jack Horner.
• Lyric Video: Musical segment "Fearless Hero."
• How to Draw the Purrfect Pawtrait: Tutorials on drawing key characters.
• How to Make a Paper Perrito: Craft instructions led by Puss in Boots.
• Kitty Cam: Captures playful moments of real cats.
• Audio Commentary: Filmmaker discussions provide deeper insights into the movie.

"Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" emerges as a lively and engaging sequel that distinguishes itself with its unique animation style and vivid storytelling. Released in 2022, this sequel to 2011's "Puss in Boots" revitalizes the franchise with vibrant visuals, crafted in a painterly storybook style that breaks from the expectations of photorealistic animation. The artistry gives the film a hand-painted aesthetic that complements the narrative's fairy-tale essence. Antonio Banderas returns as the charming feline hero, Puss, bringing a continuity in vocal performance that instantly draws the audience back into this whimsical world, now enriched with new and returning voice talents, ensuring a seamless and dynamic ensemble.

The plot sees Puss confronting the existential dilemma of his dwindling nine lives, with only one remaining after experiencing eight adventurous deaths. Following an epiphany spurred by fear and encounter with a mysterious antagonist, Puss retreats into the mundane life under Mama Luna's care. However, adventure calls when he learns about Jack Horner's quest for a singular magical wishing star. This quest propels Puss into a thrilling journey alongside his ex-fiance Kitty Softpaws and the endearing dog Perrito, offering rich narrative layers and character depth. Their journey is filled with humor, action, and introspective moments that explore themes of friendship and the profound value of life.

The film's storytelling combines engaging new character arcs with traditional adventurous elements, though linear in structure, expanded through robust character development and thematic exploration. It transcends merely entertaining, delving into the innermost motivations and relationships among its vivid cast. Fans of the original will appreciate this continuation of Puss in Boots' story, which deftly creates space for future installments while standing proudly on its own merits as a fresh take born from its unique liberation from "Shrek" lineage constraints.

"Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" on Blu-ray is a visual and auditory delight, perfectly embodying the enchanting charm and wit of its titular character. The animation remains vibrant and crisp, with vivid colors and intricate details that convey the whimsical yet adventurous tone of the story. Each scene is rendered with precision, capturing the essence of a fantastical world that is both engaging and visually stunning. The audio quality complements the video impeccably, offering a rich soundstage that enhances the viewing experience with clear dialogue, dynamic range, and immersive effects.

The narrative continues to expand the beloved universe originally brought to life in the Shrek series, introducing a fresh storyline while maintaining the humor and warmth that fans expect. The film's engaging plot and character development are supported by strong voice performances, making it an endearing journey for audiences of all ages. This Blu-ray edition is not just a testament to superb storytelling and animation, but also a celebration of technical excellence in home entertainment.

Even if the future comes again slowly, the future is bright for Puss in Boots and the surrounding storybook worlds that exist within its universe. A sequel to this, and a new Shrek film in this style and with this level of story and character excellence, would both be most welcome. Universal's Blu-ray is full of life, offering first-class picture and sound paired with a healthy allotment of bonus content. Highly recommended!