50 Fun Facts About Puss in Boots: the Last Wish

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is which numbered film in the Shrek series?

Four Shrek films plus two Puss in Boots films; Puss himself first appeared in Shrek 2 in 2004.

How many of his nine lives has Puss used up when the film begins?

The town doctor tells him to retire; he refuses until a duel with a wolf leaves him wounded and terrified.

What kills Puss at the start of the film, right after he defeats a giant?

He is crushed during a party in the town of Del Mar, moments after singing 'Fearless Hero'.

What is Perrito really, beneath his cat disguise?

He wants to become a therapy dog, and ends the film adopted by Puss and Kitty.

Who voices Perrito?

The What We Do in the Shadows actor plays the film's comic relief and its emotional heart.

What name does Mama Luna give Puss when he moves into her cat rescue?

Da'Vine Joy Randolph voices the elderly cat lady who takes him in.

Who is the wolf bounty hunter revealed to be?

He wants to take Puss's last life personally as punishment for wasting the other eight; he wields twin sickles that join into a glaive.

Which Narcos actor voices the Wolf?

The Brazilian actor's whistle became one of the most-discussed villain sounds of the year.

Why did the filmmakers choose a wolf to personify Death?

Producer Mark Swift drew on the Brothers Grimm's 'cautionary tales that took you somewhere dark to make you appreciate the light'.

What does Puss want to find in order to wish for a fresh set of nine lives?

A map to it is held by Big Jack Horner, and everybody wants it.

Who leads the Three Bears Crime Family?

Florence Pugh voices Goldi, the adopted human member who secretly wants to wish for a human family.

Which Oscar-winning actress voices Mama Bear?

Ray Winstone is Papa Bear and Samson Kayo is Baby Bear.

What does Goldi secretly want to wish for?

She abandons the map to save Baby Bear and realises the Bears are her true family after all.

What is 'Big' Jack Horner's profession?

He collects magical artifacts to make up for being known as 'Little' Jack Horner as a child; his henchmen are 'the Baker's Dozen'.

Which comedian voices Big Jack Horner?

The character is written as an unapologetically insane killer who regularly murders his own men.

Who is the Ethical Bug?

Kevin McCann based the voice on Jimmy Stewart; the bug ends up calling Horner an 'irredeemable monster'.

What is the Dark Forest, where most of the quest takes place?

Goldi and the Bears are distracted there by an illusion of their own woodland cottage.

What does Puss suffer during the clash in the Dark Forest that makes him flee?

The filmmakers felt having Puss talk about his fears would be insincere, so a panic attack forces the facade down; Crawford drew on his own experience.

Why is Kitty Softpaws resentful of Puss?

She reveals she never turned up either, believing he loved himself too much to love her.

What ridicules Puss inside the cave of lost souls?

They mock him for changing his outlook, just before the wolf reveals his true identity.

What does Kitty say she would have wished for?

By the end she declines the wish altogether, now able to trust him again.

How does Puss survive his final duel with the wolf?

He disarms Death briefly and declares he will never stop fighting for his last life; both agree they will meet again.

How is Jack Horner finally defeated?

He had escaped the bag by eating a magic snack that turned him into a giant.

Where are Puss, Kitty and Perrito heading as the film ends?

They steal a ship to get there, teeing up a return to Shrek's kingdom.

Which Spaghetti Western was cited as a particular influence on the plot?

Director Joel Crawford said Puss has one foot in the Shrek fairy-tale world and one in the Spaghetti Western world.

Which animated film inspired the painterly, storybook visual style?

Production designer Nate Wragg suggested it, as he had for DreamWorks' The Bad Guys earlier in 2022.

Which Into the Spider-Verse co-director was originally set to direct The Last Wish?

He had been head of story on the first Puss in Boots; Joel Crawford, fresh from The Croods: A New Age, replaced him in March 2021.

Who directed the finished film?

He wanted Puss's mortality and fear of death to be 'the engine that drives the movie'; Januel Mercado co-directed.

What was the sequel's announced title back in 2014, before it went into development hell?

Guillermo del Toro was executive producer of that version, which was to take Puss to 'a very exotic locale'.

Which Illumination boss became an executive producer of the revived project in 2018?

He was also attached to Shrek 5 at the same time.

Which rock frontman did the writers use as inspiration for Puss's celebrity swagger in the opening?

The producers wanted to introduce Puss as a larger-than-life star before stripping the facade away.

Which Colombian singer performs 'La Vida es Una' on the soundtrack?

Antonio Banderas sings 'Fearless Hero' and Gaby Moreno performs 'Por Que Te Vas'; Dan Navarro covers The Doors' 'This Is the End'.

Who composed the score, replacing the first film's Henry Jackman?

Cues from Harry Gregson-Williams's Shrek 2 score are also reused in the film.

Which Illumination film's original date did The Last Wish take when it moved to December 2022?

It had been scheduled for September 23, 2022, and long before that for November 2018.

How much did the film gross worldwide?

It opened to only $12.4 million against Avatar: The Way of Water, then grew 35% in its second weekend and became a sleeper hit.

What unusual thing did the box office do in the film's second frame?

Word of mouth, school holidays and no family competition kept it in cinemas until April 2023.

Which weather event was blamed for the film's soft opening days?

The Hollywood Reporter also cited fears of a 'tripledemic' of COVID, flu and RSV.

Which Oscar was the film nominated for?

It was also nominated at the Golden Globes, Critics' Choice and BAFTAs in the same category, losing each time to Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio.

IGN called the film the Shrek franchise's answer to which R-rated superhero film?

Its 9/10 review praised a 'poignant, surprisingly mature story'; the film sits at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

What is the name of the short film released with the digital Collector's Edition?

Eric Bauza voices Puss in it, reprising his role from the Netflix series The Adventures of Puss in Boots.

Which two Shrek characters return in flashback cameos with their original voice actors?

Conrad Vernon and Cody Cameron reprise them; Shrek, Donkey and Imelda appear silently.

What did the film debut ahead of its opening scene?

The new logo parades characters from The Bad Guys, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Trolls and Shrek to a remastered fanfare.

Who voices Kitty Softpaws, Puss's ex-fiancée?

Kitty is a street-savvy tuxedo cat who wants the Wishing Star so she can find somebody she can trust.

Which Little Women and Midsommar actress voices Goldilocks?

Kailey Crawford voices the young Goldi seen in flashback.

Which British actor voices Papa Bear?

Samson Kayo voices Baby Bear, rounding out the grizzly crime family.

Which future Oscar winner voices Mama Luna, the cat lady who takes Puss in?

Anthony Mendez voices the doctor who breaks the news of Puss's eight deaths and tells him to retire.

Whose voice and speech patterns strongly influenced Kevin McCann's performance as the Ethical Bug?

Over the film the Bug loses faith in Jack Horner and finally brands him an irredeemable monster.

Where did the film hold its premiere in November 2022?

Universal then released it in US cinemas on December 21, 2022.

Which filmmaker, an executive producer, revealed in 2012 that a sequel would take Puss to an exotic locale?

He said a couple of screenplay drafts were already done, though the project then spent years in development hell.

The first thirty minutes of the film were previewed in June 2022 at which festival?

Critics there noted the darker tone, and director Joel Crawford agreed that Puss's fear of death was the engine driving the movie.