Dakota Beacon

For a much needed change of pace I went with my (adult) kids to see Puss in Boots.  I would not hesitate to recommend Puss in Boots 2 “The Last Wish” to anyone.  It is a very good movie.  I will confess that I had already seen it once, but the second time was even better.

Yes, it’s based on the timeless Charles Perrault fairy tale about the neglected miller’s son and his most enterprising cat.  In the original, Puss tells him to get him a hat, a cloak, a sword and a pair of fine boots and . . . trust him.  Puss in Boots was my favorite childhood fairytale character.  (Not surprisingly, I graduated to Robin Hood and the Three Musketeers a bit later).  There’s nothing so invigorating as the little guy beating the giants with daring-do and the flourish of a sword and a cape and a hat with a feather.  So the movies, beginning with the Shrek franchise, just build on the dashing and lovable little cat.  Perrault would be envious.

Of course it’s funny and colorful.  You’ve got the unwelcome sidekick, a Chihuahua without a name trying to pass as a kitten in the house of an off-balance “cat lady”, just trying to blend in, so to speak, for a meal and a place to hang out.  He doesn’t fool the hundred other cats but he has “Mama Luna” in the bag.  But how did Puss end up in a home for stray cats?  Well, he died - for the eighth time, leaving him with but one life left to squander on dangerous adventures.  

You’ll find the animation delightful and the writing is witty and in some places hilarious.  If you are old enough to remember the Golden Age of Hollywood you will definitely appreciate the re-creation of the "Jiminy Cricket" character from Pinnochio.  I won’t ruin the surprise if you haven’t seen the movie yet.  My own particular favorites were the Three Bears and Goldilocks, a small-time crime family seeking to beat Puss in Boots to the “holy grail”, a map to the wishing star.  Puss wants his lives back so he can continue to be the legend he’s used to being and Goldilocks wants everything to be “just right” and her “brother”, Baby Bear, wants them to be a bigger crime syndicate - “crime family,” Mama insists.  The bears and Goldi are  wonderful in this.  Through it all, Puss is being relentlessly stalked by Lobo, an incarnation of Death in the form of a menacing and terrifying wolf.  

It is this wolf who is the crux of the story.  Puss has never feared Death - he laughs at it, as he says.  Why not?  He’s a cat and has nine lives, always one or two to spare.  He doesn’t need to value Life.  Along the way he makes a discovery - Life begins to take on special value when you have only one.   It was a powerful lesson for the Gato.  One of the most interesting moments was when, in a sort of hall of mirrors, Puss is confronted by his image in all of his former lives. His former selves are mocking him because he’s afraid of Death.  He is being put down by his former lives in a Kafka-esque kind of twist.  “You are just a bunch of jerks,” he retorts, then, “I’m so conflicted . . . .”  It was a brilliant stroke.  

The cat is adorable, of course.  You want one.  And he is still grudgingly smitten by his rival and love interest, Kitty Softpaws, a tough lady, to be sure, and no less adventurous than Puss himself.  Through the course of the story, Puss is transformed from a kind of superhero to an actual, real hero - one who has known fear and faced Death and no longer needs to be “super”, just himself.  It is a very wholesome message.

I really should take just a moment to recognize the amazingly talented voice actors who brought these characters to life.  Antonio Banderas is the Gato - the essence of mystery and charm in one, Salma Hayek is Kitty Softpaws, his equal in daring and resourcefulness.  Goldilocks is a great foil - played by Florence Pugh, she is brassy and bold, very much up to the challenge.  The other characters are also “just right” for their roles but there are a lot of them - stay and watch the credits.  The music is worth it alone, with a memorable song, “Por que te vas?” by Heitor Pereira, beautifully reprised from the movie score by Gaby Moreno. Don’t miss that!

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