By John Corrado

Please note that this is a review of the 4K Ultra HD release of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. For my full thoughts on the film itself, you can read my original review right here.

One of the best surprises of last year, and an enduring hit at the box office, the Oscar-nominated animated film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is being released on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray this week.

The DreamWorks Animation sequel finds the legendary Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) down to the last of his nine lives and setting out in search of a “last wish” that will restore them, joined by old flame Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and the adorably optimistic orphan dog Perrito (Harvey Guillan).

As I said in my review, The Last Wish is almost shockingly good. The first film from 2011 was a decent enough spinoff of the Shrek franchise, but this sequel manages to surpass it in every way, from its visually inventive animation to a story that allows for richer character work and packs in some surprising deeper messages about confronting death. It’s a film that dazzles the eyes with its stylized, painterly look, and the 4K edition (with HDR10) is the way to go for the best visual experience.

Film Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)

Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD):

The 4K disc includes a wide array of bonus features, from a brand new short film, to deleted scenes, some featurettes, and even an extended cat video. A regular Blu-ray is also included in the package, which ships with a slipcover.

• The Trident (4 minutes, 1 second): Puss tells Perrito about one of his eight deaths in this new short film, which plays almost like a deleted scene (and features alternate voices for Puss and Kitty).

• Deleted Scenes (Play All – 7 minutes, 57 seconds): Three moments cut from the final film, presented with rough animation and temp vocals, and introduced by director Joel Crawford and co-director Januel P. Mercado.

• Potty Break (2 minutes, 10 seconds)

• Love and Death (2 minutes, 18 seconds)

• Wall O’Snakes (3 minutes, 27 seconds)

• A Cast of Characters (Play All – 13 minutes, 24 seconds): The cast members talk about each of their characters in this collection of brief, enjoyable featurettes.

• Puss in Boots (2 minutes, 10 seconds)

• Kitty Softpaws (1 minute, 56 seconds)

• Perrito (1 minute, 59 seconds)

• Goldilocks and the Bears (3 minutes, 34 seconds)

• Jack Horner (1 minute, 58 seconds)

• Wolf (1 minute, 45 seconds)

• In the Beginning (9 minutes, 12 seconds): This featurette offers a solid overview of the origins of the Puss in Boots character, the film’s unique storybook animation style, Heitor Pereira’s musical score, and the deeper themes of the story.

• Jack Horner’s Line-O-Rama (1 minute, 44 seconds): John Mulaney offers a variety of different line readings, edited together in rapid succession.

• “Fearless Hero” Lyric Video (3 minutes, 1 second): A lyric video for Puss’s song from the opening of the film.

• How to Draw the Purrfect Pawtrait (Play All – 11 minutes, 53 seconds): Crawford and Mercado teach us how to draw the three main characters, surrounded by adorable rescue cats.

• Puss in Boots (4 minutes, 20 seconds)

• Kitty Softpaws (3 minutes, 21 seconds)

• Perrito (4 minutes, 9 seconds)

• How to Make a Paper Perrito (7 minutes, 14 seconds): Instructions on making a square Perrito craft out of cardboard.

• Kitty Cam (14 minutes, 28 seconds): Real life footage of some adorable little kitties playing around with a variety of toys on a white set, interspersed with film clips. As Perrito says, “cuteness overload!”

• Feature Commentary With Director Joel Crawford, Co-Director Januel P. Mercado, Producer Mark Swift, Editor James Ryan and Head of Story Heidi Jo Gilbert

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a Universal Pictures Home Entertainment release. It’s 103 minutes and rated G.

Street Date: February 28th, 2023