Two unexpected film opponents had a one-on-one, in December of last year, when facing each other in movie theaters. Is about Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Y Avatar: The Way of Water. Although it might seem strange to compare them, the release dates so close made it inevitable that this would happen. Today, Puss in Boots It has a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. by critics, while Avatar has 77%. That surprised many, then, how is that The cat with bootsthe DreamWorks animated film, “beat” the sequel to Avatarby James Cameron?
It should be noted that Rotten Tomatoes is not the ultimate parameter for deciding that one film is better than another, and in this case, there is even a disparity in the number of critics who have evaluated the films on the site.. SHowever, the difference between percentages did draw the attention of several users on social networks. In fact, it would not be strange if you have already seen videos on Tiktok about this unexpected fight.
Having said that, here are some of the reasons why Puss in Boots: The Last Wish –which already has an Oscar 2023 nomination– connected very well with the audience and critics.
The “Spider-Verse style”
From the trailer it was very clear that the animation that we would see in the film would not be the same as that we had seen in the last installment or even in Shrek. Instead, this new installment is much closer to the style of the Oscar winner. Spider-Man: A New Universe.
In a recent interview with Cruz Antonio Contreras, one of the Mexican animators who worked on Spider-Verse and other productions such as sea monsterhe mentioned the impact that the arachnid movie has had on the industry:
“I feel that there is a before and after Spider-Verse. I was recently reading an article where it was said that animated films used to seek to have the ‘Pixar look’. I mean, they all wanted to look like Pixar. But that starting with Spider-Verse, new movies are looking to have the ‘Spider-Verse look’. And we already see movies like The Mitchell family vs. the machinesor even Pixar productions, such as [Turning] Gridwhere the characters change their eyes to anime type “.
No wonder this phenomenon is occurring in the animation industry. Spider-Verse was received in the best possible way by critics and audiences: 97% and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, 87/100 on Metacritic, A+ on CinemaScore. In addition, it swept all the awards: the Annie, the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, the Oscars.
The sequel to The cat with boots have a clear influence of this style «Spider-Verse«. The result is an energetic film with exciting and well-executed action sequences. A visual spectacle that plays with the conventions of animation and that reminds us of the universe of possibilities that it presents.
Panic attacks and mortality in The cat with boots
Although there are still those who believe that animation is a “genre” for children that parents are forced to put up with, the perspective is thankfully changing. Animation is gaining respect as a language through which stories of all kinds can be told.even those that touch on more adult themes.
The cat with boots seems to understand this well. There is comedy and action. youThere is also an important plot line in which the Cat faces his fear of mortality (physically represented by a wolf with a great character design). The fear that Gato suffers manifests itself in anxiety and reaches its climax in a panic attack suffered by the protagonist.
The sequence touches on this facet of mental health in a respectful and moving way. In times like ours, in which you act like ted lasso, Bojack Horseman either Euphoria put a spotlight on topics that were previously ignored and even taboo, it is clear that the young and adult audience connects with stories who dare to speak about complicated but real issues.
Antonio Banderas is our favorite hero
The film also has the support of a first-rate cast giving voice to the characters: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Florence Pugh, Harvey Guillen, among others.
The case of Antonio Banderas is particular. The actor has voiced the titular character since his first appearance in Shrek 2. With a diverse and successful portfolio under his belt, Banderas brings a charismatic personality to Gato.
Also, The fact that he not only does the English voice, but also the Italian and Spanish dubs, gives the film the opportunity to convey its messages with coherence and a distinguishable personality..
cameos and surprises
In The cat with boots a small gift is also offered for lovers of the franchise from which it arose. We see a small clip of Cat enjoying the company of Shrek and Donkey.
Another related point is that, although there hasn’t been much news about a new Shrek installment in years, The cat with boots It certainly leaves open the possibility that Gato’s story will cross over with that of his old friends..
The sequence in question is short, but effective enough to stir excitement for the possibilities of see such beloved characters in the current animation scene and movies in general.
The stealth of Puss in Boots
one last point that might help to understand how The cat with boots won over Avatar has to do with the unexpectedness of the movie. The original came out over 10 years ago and closed out the main character’s arc in a satisfying way back then.
There were no expectations around the film, as there were for Avatar, for which there was a production period of 13 years. And, in agreement, with the movement that has generated The cat with boots, the movie was a pleasant surprise.
Andrea Alexandra The girl with the mole next to her mouth, with wavy hair and who keeps talking about movies and series; that’s her.