In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, we will explain the film’s ending.
Cast
- Puss in Boots – Antonio Banderas
- Kitty Softpaws – Salma Hayek Pinault
- Perrito – Harvey Guillén
- Wolf/Death – Wagner Moura
- Goldilocks – Florence Pugh
- Baby Bear – Samson Kayo
- Papa Bear – Ray Winstone
- Mama Bear – Olivia Colman
- Big Jack Horner – John Mulaney
- Ethical Bug – Kevin McCann
- Mama Luna – Da’Vine Joy Randolph
The end of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish explained
Recap
The end of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish begins in the Dark Forest, atop the fallen wishing star. There, Puss, Kitty, and Perrito have a showdown against Goldilocks and the Three Bears Crime Family, as well as “Big” Jack Horner. It’s a bit of a slobberknocker as all of them compete for the map to make a wish. Goldi gives up making the wish in order to save Baby Bear from being thrown into the unknown. Puss is about to make the wish, then Wolf shows up, shocking everyone. Wolf has a final fight with Puss. Puss is able to regain his confidence and compete with Wolf. Wolf recognizes this isn’t the same arrogant cat as before, that Puss now values his life. So Wolf relents in his pursuit.
Jack Horner escapes from the bottomless bag Kitty had plunged him into. He’s about to make the wish, but everyone teams up to defeat him. He’s on the Wishing Star when it explodes. Everyone takes a beat to appreciate what they have. Puss with Kitty and Perrito. Goldi with the bears. Puss then offers to give Perrito a name, like Chompers. But Perrito wants to keep Perrito, as it’s, “what my friends call me.”
In a pre-credits scene, we see Puss, Kitty, and Perrito make off with the ship of governor Del Mar. The group is officially known as Team Friendship. Puss and Kitty are a couple. And the team’s about to arrive at Far Far Away land.
Meaning
Puss’s defeat of Wolf, aka Death, marks a turning point in his life. Before, awareness of his own mortality caused Puss to lose a fight for the first time ever. It caused him to move in with Mama Luna and give up. It caused him to abandon his friends during battle and betray them when they trusted him the most. Fear affected him in major ways. So the showdown with Wolf isn’t just about survival. It’s about quality of life. It’s metaphoric for the way people every day have to deal with their own innate frailty. Death is inevitable. What do we do with that information? Sometimes, it can depress us. Sometimes for just a second, other times for years. If you let that fear rule you, it will ruin you. It’s important that Puss doesn’t defeat Wolf, rather, they battle to a stalemate. With Wolf warning he will return one day. There’s no escaping death. But Puss is prepared now to live his life with that knowledge. And instead of having it hurt him, it will only fuel him to live and love all the more.
Then the defeat of Jack Horner is another thematic moment. All these characters had come this far to make a wish. Only to realize that they already had what was important to them. Puss could have love with Kitty and friendship with Perrito, two things hugely missing from his life. While Kitty now has people she can trust. Goldi has a family who loves and cares for her. Does it matter that they’re bears rather than humans? Does she need to wish for a human family? Especially if it costs her the bears she already loves? Ultimately, these wishes are excess. What’s important isn’t gained through a wish. It’s gained through time and attention to the people and things you care about.
But Jack has the opposite perspective. He’s completely unaware of all the amazing things he has in his life. One telling scene is when he explains his backstory involved having loving parents, growing up in a mansion, and never wanting for anything. Instead of being satisfied with any of it, he wants more. It’s the pursuit of excess. And it ends up being a very, very fatal flaw.
The last scene conveys several things. First, that there’s a next adventure. And it might involve Shrek and friends. So there’s a lot of potential and promise there. But the scene also shows that Puss really has grown. The growth he demonstrated wasn’t momentary. He really has evolved and settled into a new chapter with Kitty and Perrito. It’s comforting and provides a sense of longer-term closure.
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