Death is Near

Image Source: YouTube

On December 21st, 2022, Dreamworks once again brought veteran Shrek lovers the spinoff movie Puss in Boots: The Last Wish! I’m a 1999 kid and grew up on the classic Shrek series. But as I got older, I came to the conclusion that  Dreamworks–like every other animation studio–was trying to prolong a classic series for the money. Despite Puss being my favorite character in the Shrek movies, I never watched Puss in Boots because of the unappetizing storylines.

One night when I was scrolling through Instagram, I saw a video edit of how crazy good the new Puss in Boots movie was featuring a teaser of Death. Immediately the day after I went to go see it with my boyfriend, and not to overexaggerate, but it’s one of the best movies that Dreamworks has made in a LONG time. Animation and the audience have become more sophisticated after the release of Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse. Dreamworks succeeded in creating a bold statement to the world that they are a top player in the animation world by serving us a painting animation style. Not only did it make me feel like I was reading a fairytale, but Dreamwork’s interpretation of traditional fairytales was enchanting and thrilling to watch. Every character was lovable, whether they were the protagonist or the antagonist. 

Speaking of antagonists, Dreamworks released one of the most haunting and frightening ones they have ever dropped. The Big Bad Wolf comes to prey again, but this time, in the form of Death – stalking Puss because he was too arrogant to appreciate his eight lives. Now, Death comes to remind him of his mortality, hunting Puss down with his last remaining life. Wagner Moura, the voice actor for Death, was perfect for the role. His grainy and raspy voice gave Death an unsettling presence on screen. When Death appeared Puss and the audience wouldn’t be expecting it, which aligns with how death truly is – unexpected. What clearly made him a great villain was that he was not a villain at all, but in fact, an employee doing his job. Puss in Boots cheated Death multiple times and Death is just trying to fulfill his duty. Compared to Jack Horner, Death has a code of honor, which brings fans to respect him. After all, he is literally the embodiment of Death.