Spoiler alert! This article contains commentary on “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.”
I consider myself a bit of an animation buff, if you will. Between Disney classics and underrated Netflix Animation recents, animated films have been my favorite since childhood. The range of art styles, storylines and studios make for unlimited potential and I am obsessed.
Recently, my boyfriend and I were dying to see the DreamWorks Animation “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” Between the internet spoilers and memes we couldn’t avoid, we kind of had to see it. The art style itself is similar enough to DreamWorks’ trademark look, with the choppy action similar to “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.” DreamWorks brought in the talents of Joel Crawford, a storyboard artist for favorites like “Kung Fu Panda” (2008) and “Rise of the Guardians” (2012), along with writer and producer Mark Swift of “Friday the 13th” (2009) and “Baywatch” (2017) to make the film truly live up to its potential. The iconic voice of Antonio Banderas as Puss himself was a welcome sound for long-term DreamWorks fans, along with the voices of Salma Hayek Pinault, Florence Pugh and Anthony Mendez. SPOILER! We get a rare two-villain story, featuring the voices of Wagner Moura and…John Mulaney? Trust me, it works. The plot is well-written, the art satisfying and the score *chef kiss* perfect. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen a movie in theaters I’d watch again, but this is it.
Watching “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” really got me thinking about how animation is treated in the movie industry. I am a die-hard fan of Disney’s post-renaissance period, which is the period between 1999 and 2008 that gave us films like “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” (2001) and “Treasure Planet” (2002) but for as visually stunning and fascinating as they are, they were utter box-office flops. The legacy of Disney’s hits like “Lion King” (1994) truly set the bar high, leaving their more out-of-the-box films to flounder. Studios like DreamWorks gave us hits like “Megamind” (2010) and recently “The Bad Guys” (2022), but it has had its fair share of box-office busts as well, like most of the “Shrek” series. Larger studios hold the monopoly on the animation industry, with successful and unique studios like LAIKA, Aardman and Warner Brothers ending up a little obscure. Even most of Netflix Animation’s films are relegated to the indie list.
Awards season also got me thinking about how animation is treated. Prolific writer Guillermo del Toro just released a version of “Pinocchio,” earning it awards and nominations up and down the list. Despite the success, del Toro commented on the lack of respect that exists for animation in the broader Hollywood scene. Animated films can earn awards at events like the Oscars and Academy Awards, but they win in their own category rather than alongside other films. The domination of animated films aimed at young audiences has left a massive mark on the film industry, leaving many deserving films and their teams without recognition. Although many films have deserved recognition for the challenging and time-intensive work they took, not a single animated film has ever won Best Picture. According to MovieWeb, only three films have ever been nominated for the Oscars’ Best Picture, once again showing off Disney’s tight grip on animation. This is not to say that animated movies don’t win anything, because they obviously do. Pixar Animation holds the most awards for an animation studio, coming in with eleven wins and seventeen nominations. Disney’s “Frozen II” (2019) is the highest-grossing animated film of all time, raking in over 1.4 billion dollars from film fans worldwide.
While I don’t expect Hollywood’s attitudes toward animation to change overnight, I am so excited about how things are coming along. Diverse stories from diverse creators are bringing animation out of the children’s film realm and into the hands of serious filmmakers, and I can only anticipate that more brilliant films will come out of that. Now, while I’ve got your attention, go watch “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”!
P.S. Check out my animation watchlist!