Puss In Boots and The Three Villain Types | Puss In Boots : The Last Wish (2022) - Video Essay

Sorry for the delay. I really appreciate you all for your patience. After a few months of dealing with a lot of personal stuff, here is a new video about Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, specifically about how the film handles its villains. I hope you enjoy or at least find this a little educational. Keep in mind, this is all merely my opinion, if you disagree, feel free to let me know in the comments below.
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Big thanks to my lady Ecmcookiez2 for helping me write this video!
/ @ecmcookiez2
Also check out the amazing covers by John G. Music used in the video:
• Puss In Boots: Death's...
• Puss In Boots: Jack Ho...
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:54 - Goldilock and The Three Bears
05:30 - Jack Horner
08:51 - Death
12:19 - Conclusion
No copyright infringement intended. This was a fan project made solely out of my love of the movie.
#pussinboots2 #pussinbootsthelastwish #dreamworks

[@Gab2671]

I just wanna give a huge thanks to everyone for watching this vid. Glad you all enjoy it! If you wanna see more, be sure to check out the rest of the reviews on the playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLd0R3TVLYKElS8-brKN71SwA2u30Xl2g7 And if you wanna choose the next video, be sure to also check out the recent poll on the channel!

[@Joshuajacobson95]

@Gab2671 i have some sad news but i sure have guessed that you've already heard about it, theshadowedone1 had passed away in november 2022, yet i feel that you and him were friends, am i right. all the things you did together with him in the past

[@Gab2671]

Thanks, I really appreciate your kind words. I already knew since I was the one who found out and told Shade and several others who helped spread the word.

[@Joshuajacobson95]

@@Gab2671 i guess that makes sense cause i really love his bionicle videos, its ashame that he never finished salvation 6 he was so close too. it took forever for him to work on, so much delay, not to mention he might never finish reign of mesodax. in case i feel like i should download all his videos and merge them together into movies or something.

[@daveshoe4574]

@@Gab2671 no one’s talking about how this film has all three villain types. Man versus man: jack dealing with a mortal threat that just uses violence and in term violence is the only solution Man versus himself: goldilocks Dealing with an internal problem and must grown in order to survive basically The human element man vs nature: death an unstoppable force you can’t win against it you have to learn to deal with it. Although this is similar to Man versus and himself difference is there’s no intelligence behind it it’s just A force.

[@rivaldovillegas3725]

@@Gab2671 Me and my Friend had a topic like this man, damn they were balanced so well.

[@masterboa6321]

I personally like the idea that Death is usually really friendly, trying to comfort people as they die, but he just really freaking hates Puss.

[@seanwhitman8353]

He loves his job, but he also seems to like it when a person truly appreciates the life they are given as well.

[@Navoii.]

Literally me

[@Lyarrah]

I think he might just hate cats in general for having more than one life. It's gotta be a complete tease to him to have to wait through 8 phonies.

[@bogdanieczezbyszka6538]

Death form Diskworld is exactly like that. There’s even a book about Death taking days off and having somebody work as a replacement.

[@NearAir]

Death: Puss, life is in TEARS. You lost your Life to an OVEN PUSS, A NORMAL OVEN!

[@giornojoestar5032]

People always say that Death is just doing his job. That's actually not true. Death actual job is to guide the souls of the dead, not collecting. He was just soo annoyed at Puss wasting his lifes like garbage that he broke the rules of his role and decided to end Puss's last life immediately. There's even a scene where Death says, "Shh, Don't tell." When one of Puss's lives said "That's cheating!".

[@megablueflash1816]

Technically, he said it himself. He's just death, nothing extra like a ferryman of souls or anything like that. Death, full stop. Meaning his purpose is simply to be the end of life.

[@uncroppedsoop]

@@megablueflash1816 not even purpose, he just _is_ it. think about that. imagine if the literal end of your life manifested a physical form and begun hunting you down to try to happen earlier

[@history-jovian]

​@@uncroppedsoop Not even a random physical form, the thing that is associated to cats fear dogs or in this case wolf.

[@rachelrodriguez573]

@@history-jovian I’m sure others have thought of this, but I like to imagine death as being the big bad wolf in the shrek universe

[@domainhami5253]

If death didn't meet puss then he would actually die

[@Rediscool9]

Goldilocks: The Sympathetic Villain Jack Horner: The Iredeemable Villain Death: The Morally Grey Villain

[@MrCrystal09]

So a full, “good” Neutral, and bad villain set up?

[@shadeblackwolf1508]

I would probably not call Death morally gray, but more a Force of Nature villain. Death does as it will, for it is Death. He follows a strict moral code about it, though that moral code is not one we would ever consider in human morality.

[@shybandit521]

Morally Grey, Morally Black, Morally Clear.

[@ewanstewart2001]

@@shadeblackwolf1508 Yeah I agree completely that he's not morally grey. Though I wouldn't say he follows a moral code, since his decisions are ultimately linked more to the thematic principles of the movie than any understanding of "good" or "bad" actions. Death didn't choose not to kill Puss because it was in line with Death's moral code, he chose not to kill Puss because Puss had defeated the thematic principle of death, and no longer feared it.

[@Juju2927]

If we go per alignement, Goldy and the Bear would be Chaotic neutral (as they don't forcibly act to be a threat to others, only to serve their objective), Jack Horner is Chaotic Evil (his objective are to destroy anyone who comes his way for the sake of his own egotistical pleasure), and Death is Neutral / Lawful evil (he does enjoy toying with the disrespectful and is the bringer of death, but in the end, he only follow his rules)

[@OrangeSlices185]

The simplest way I can think of to explain each villain's role in the story: Goldi learns something Death teaches something Jack Horner learns nothing

[@blackheart.multiverse6728]

I personally would classify Death as a "force of nature" villain. One to be avoided, not defeated, but I definitely see your point.

[@abztrackt]

He stops being a force of nature villain, when his goal becomes personal.

[@pansebacheckmark]

"Annoyed nature force who decides to kill the main protagonist"

[@donellebullock7404]

unless it is about defying nature. I mean that would likely make nature push back.

[@kentonbaird1723]

I'd call it more an "Existential" villain. Goldie might try and maim or kill Puss incidentally to see him out of the way of her own goals, Horner would want to and try to off Puss as a matter of convenience and gleeful, sadistic satisfaction, but Lobo is there FOR puss's life. Everything about him is focused to that point, unwavering. It is less a danger or even a threat, but a promise. A force of nature is uncaring, i'd argue. It's chaos and havoc born of process, cause and effect. It doesn't care for who, it has no interest in individuals, it's simply an inevitable happening. Ordinarily death WOULD fit into that category, but not when it's given a character and a voice.

[@darthjayder9914]

yes. you deserve a like

[@solezeta1314]

How this movie managed to have 3 completely types of villains and never felt overstuffed at a single moment is probably one of its most impressive achievements.

[@catprog]

Not having the annoying side kick chracter actually likeable?

[@vampir753]

I only ever saw scenes of the movie on KZbin before this video and thought that the parts with Jack Horner were from a different movie than the parts with death and Goldie would be in both...

[@purevessel4506]

I think it’s because they all support the main message of the movie to appreciate what you have not take things for granted. Goldie learning that what she wanted she had the entire time Death in a way teaching Puss to value what’s really important in life and Jack showing the consequences of greed wanting more than what you need

[@insertsomememereferenceher8483]

I love Death's design. You can immediately look at him and think "creepy wolf dressed up like the grim reaper." It's a simple design, but it's unique and striking. The way he looms over Puss, animates quickly and unpredictably, and hijacks every scene in which he appears make him just as terrifying to the audience as the concept of death is to Puss.

[@just1luckyguy229]

Hes desing also involves a primal fear, with visual restrictions, because its a kids cartoon. His big teeth, clearly predatory demeanor, sudden, jerky movements, and the sometimes reflective eyes (like what our ancestors had to deal with, the two shiny orbs glinstening in the campfires light) Hes design activates something deep within our brains, and our inner caveman goes "Uhh"

[@rebecca4680]

And the music was the cherry on top. I'm 20 and I got the chills whenever the whistle sounded and the screen turned red right before Death's appearance.

[@wjzav1971]

@@rebecca4680 I wonder if the whistle was a play from the harmonica of Once upon a Time in the West.

[@wjzav1971]

@@just1luckyguy229 I also love that Death isn't overdesigned and kept simple. But also that he doesn't always look creepy. When he first introduces himself and when he exits the film, he has a somewhat normal look to him and is just a red-eyed wolf. He only looks menacing when he stares down Puss. (I would honestly love to see early concept arts of this character and see how he evolved in the production stage)

[@seantaggart7382]

Indeed Also wolves have been associated with fear in our culture for a long while

[@Sir-J-Raposo]

"You Already Have It"

[@GalekC]

Before that: "WANT FAMILY" (Their wanted poster introduction says that after it gets slashed through)

[@Trewq79]

An interesting concept is that you can compare/contrast each villain's ideal with a protagonist's ideal. -Puss initially doesn't value his life, while the Wolf clearly opposes those who don't value life. -Perrito is a genuinely good/selfless character, while Jack Horner is a genuinely terrible, selfish character. -Both Kitty and Goldi struggle with the concept of comradery and having a family unit to trust. The film doesn't quite feel overloaded with characters because a lot of similar characteristics and values exist between them.

[@Gab2671]

Beautifully put :)

[@dylanzlol7293]

Tbh i would compare puss to jack horner because they did everything to get a wish at first, but they didnt because of reasons. Comparing perrito to death would also make sense: theyre dogs, perrito is innocent while the other one is death itself, perrito likes puss while death wanted to kill puss because he disliked him.

[@kennyholmes5196]

Even more comparisons can be drawn than what you've listed; some of the villains' ideals and goals have similar relationships to the ideals and goals of other villains! -Everyone but the Wolf wanted the wish for a selfish reason, with all of the individuals in question except Jack having what they actually wanted right in front of them without realizing as much. -Both Jack and the Wolf had "nothing personal, but..." attitudes towards Puss. -Perrito and the Bears are kind at heart, caring for their companions even when it leads them down dark paths. -Jack, Goldi, and Puss all don't value what they have for what it's genuinely worth at the start of the film.

[@megumintobuna-4537]

​@@dylanzlol7293 i would not say death or the concept of it is necessarily evil or opposing to perrito's goodness and innocence. I thought perrito kind of embodied death's concept of life and how one should live it thru. Perrito has had only one life, terrible childhood, bad environment and yet he still maintains optimistic outlook on life, remained kind humble, and always strived to enjoy what he has to the fullest unlike puss who grew arrogant and took everything he had for granted. In that way he also opposes puss and kinda stand as living example of how one should live life according to death whilst puss embodies how one should not live their life.

[@jessicapinkman-hd4bw]

there is also the fact that perrito had an absolutely traumatic backstory with abusive owners that tried to kill him yet he ended up being the most moral character in the movie perhaps the entire shrek/puss in boots franchise as a whole whereas Jack meanwhile has had basically a perfect life with loving parent's a thriving mansion and pie factory that he inherited has a lot of wealth and fame yet he is the most evil character in the entire film possibly the entire shrek/puss in boots franchise as a whole

[@saulkid7232]

Nice touch adding in the death whistle very subtly in the background leading up to Horner's death at 8:30

[@Gab2671]

Actually you can praise John G. Music for that detail since he's the one that did that amazing cover :)

[@weskintime4177]

Did Horner even die though? It seemed more like he was trapped in an infinite void of nothingness for the rest of time.

[@myleswelnetz6700]

It suits his situation.

[@ttd0000]

@@weskintime4177 Unless the infinite void of nothingness removes the need for sustenance, yeah, he dead.

[@zeal9442]

@@weskintime4177 It's a fate worse than death, suitable for someone like Big Jack Horner

[@josephhelms2362]

I like how Death, though having a physical body throughout the movie, has little details that defy nature or physics, hinting at his supernatural being. Things like how eyes briefly turning glassy and dead, or how his eyes turn white with the lightning strikes, or how he seems to instantly and silently manifest next to Puss in his first scene.

[@512TheWolf512]

also his is the only voice that reverberates, in any scene

[@S-Fan2006]

Or how he doesn’t show up on the map to the wishing star.

[@ihavekalashnikovyoudomath9275]

Don't say Death enjoying his job is a bad thing. He found a fulfilling career, loves what he does, has plenty of job security, and does it to the best of his ability. Be like Death

[@VanNessy97]

Death technically is his own job security

[@Justin-qj7fk]

@@techpriestessmicaela8441 I’d watch something like that

[@natecgames4612]

Jack Horner really helps put the heart into the parody of fairytales. One of my least favorite things that many people say about him is that he should have had an arc when clearly that was never looked after. He was petty and selfish for most of his life and horded the most powerful items in the world. He tried his luck to have it all, and in the end, he got exactly what he wanted and died for it. It fits so well because he's a fairytale villain without being in a fairytale himself. From his perspective, he's in a cautionary tale where he still has little of the magic he desired and died from not being able to recognize all of the chances he was given to have a change of heart.

[@cameronjosephvideos5942]

Him being even slightly sympathetic would have ruined him. Like the guy said, Jack is so funny because he's so horrible. Some of the best jokes in the film rely on him being a collossal prick. I also think anything more complex with Jack would've made the film feel overstuffed. The three villains balancing act is tough to pull off, but it works here because two of the villains barely need any screen time for them to be understood. They did enough to make Jack three-dimensional while not needing to make him sympathetic. A man-child who can never be satisfied with what he has holding the most petty grudges imaginable is complex enough. Also call me cynical, but kids need to be taught that some people are just bad people who really should get their comeuppance. It's not good to teach them that everyone is just misunderstood and needs a hug.

[@apenasmaisumdiogo.7115]

Furthermore, Jack Horner being a greedy and selfish brat isn't as far from the character as it first appears. Since his nursery rhyme was popularized in the 18th century, Little Jack Horner has been used to satirize spoiled behavior and self-congratulatory politicians due to the "what a good boy am I" verse, with the plum being replaced by something else. Big Jack being an entitled and petty narcisist who loves stealing while never admitting his fault is closer than it seems.

[@steven7936]

The film already has 2 other villians, plus some people are just evil for the sake of it.

[@feickpehbehehy]

Being an "anti-character development" is the whole point of the character.

[@cynxmanga]

I just wish he could hold the map at least once, for a moment, so we could see what kind of places the Star planned for him

[@obitosenju3768]

For Goldie and the bears them not doing crime would weaken them as charachters honestly. They are the classic trope of" villians who love their family". They are earnest and care for eachother but are still evil and don't care for others. And we need more villians like that. Villians capable of love are dying out. Either they are sadistic and never feel empathy or they were never evil and just missguided.

[@wjzav1971]

I mean...the film has a different understanding of criminal though. Technically, Puss and Kitty are also criminals however more in a Robin Hood/Zorro style. So it could be reasoned that Goldielocks and the Three Bears may be in a similar vain.

[@caileyrookids]

I get their gold star idea of being a crime family would be money laundering. Doing illegal things (they seemed excited about the idea of illegal business practices), and maybe threatening people, but mostly just kicking back. It doesn't seem super _evil_ to me. Edit: For example, they grew to care for Perrito extremely quickly, offering to adopt him after a single conversation.

[@l.n.3372]

How can you argue Goldilocks and the 3 bears don't care for others? Maybe at the beginning. But by the end, Goldilocks winks at the dog because she agrees with him: his former speech made her realize she was a lucky orphan after all. Goldilocks and the 3 bears also help our protagonists to defeat the evil villain, destroying the wish so that the evil villain can't reap the benefits. If Goldilocks and the bears didn't care about others, then they wouldn't have bothered to help Puss and Kitty to prevent the evil villain from obtaining that wish. But they DID care, so they offered their help to prevent a great evil from happening.

[@obitosenju3768]

@@l.n.3372 Others as in anyone besides the family. Like they do not care for civillians and people like that

[@cameronjosephvideos5942]

We already have a villain like that in the movie, we don't need another. Goldie and the bears are nothing like you describe. First off, you seem to be forgetting that Goldie didn't start out as family. The bears literally have a backstory where they show kindness to a complete stranger who broke into their home. They also aren't sadistic, they hurt people because it benefits them not because they enjoy hurting people. They are never once shown to get any pleasure out of it. With the cricket going off with the family in the end and trying to act as their conscience, it is literally set up for them to become better people.

[@conorfrost6866]

One of my favourite things that I don't think anybody has touched on with Jack is that Jimminy was also the consciousness of Pinnochio which is such wonderful irony and symbolism on multiple levels. Firstly it signifies that Jack is a worse human than Pinnochio despite him literally not being human. Second, when taking into account that Pinnochio was the "reason" for Jack's greed (ignoring him just being a P.O.S) you have to wonder if Jack knew about their relationship and was screwing with Jimmy deliberately as a bit of revenge or he didn't know and was just doing it because it was funny. Finally I like to think of Jack as the bad ending for Pinnochio. If memory serves me correctly then Pinnochio was a brat as a child as well but he had Jimmy from an early age to help teach him. Jack on the other hand didn't and signifies what a lack of a moral compass from youth can result in.

[@angrytheclown801]

I consider Goldi and the bears paralel antagonists. Yes, they are opposed, but without the wish, they'd never interact with hostility with Puss and vice versa. They might even be friends normally. It's a race between them and even kidnapping Perrito to use as a hostage, there's no aggression. I don't honestly believe the pup was in any danger and think Puss came to the same conclusion. That's why them being sympathetic works compared to a lot of "sympathetic" villains. It's the difference of reason being a villain and excuses for being a villain.

[@myleswelnetz6700]

There’s only ONE wish to go around for ONE person. They are hardwired to be hostile towards each other in situations like that.

[@xboxoneyes7734]

@@myleswelnetz6700 that's probably why he said that the only time they showed aggressive behavior towards Puss,was the situations were it involved the wish

[@mr.p215]

Let's not forget that at the start they were searching for him to hire him for the star. So they clearly admired or held respect and confidence in his ability to get the job done.

[@raymortamour4086]

They were ready to adopt him....they even said he would fit in well with them. I dont think i ever liked side characters this much and were also rooting for them but knew goldi was never going to make that wish

[@laneminor6240]

I'd classify Death as "A True Threat" and an "Impersonal Antagonist." He's the first person shown to land a scratch on Puss, even if other fights are recorded through legendary (and probably embellished) song; his villainy is impersonal to a degree, he only dislikes Puss for his wasteful (and therefore, meaningless) lives/deaths; and though beaten, he's not really defeated or done away with (he himself chooses to leave Puss alone... for now); and he's really just doing his job (while loving it, which makes him more threatening than the others). I think your other labels are right on the money as anti-villain and mustache twirler. Good video, I hope your channel blows up cause of it!

[@Dookieman1975]

It’s very personal. Death attempts murder simply because Puss annoys him. He hates puss for wasting his lives because he lost them due to thinking he’s above death. That’s he’s immortal when he’s still got limited time. He stops when he finds puss boring, he isn’t cocky and has learned his lesson. There’s no fun in attacking someone you hated but now they’re a better person. Also attempting murder when it’s not Puss’ time is not his job, he’s supposed to wait, the movie is even points this out. “That’s cheating” “Shhh, don’t tell”

[@FlorentiusIV]

@@Dookieman1975 Yep! Spot on! He's even frustrated when he realizes Puss learned his lesson since he doesn't get his "satisfaction". Implied by the lines of "Por qué diablos fui a jugar con mi comida?!" meaning "Why the hell did I play with my food?!" and "You're ruining this for me!". Really showcases his own indulgence in the whole affair.

[@sebastianaristizabal3871]

emmm im pretty sure that killing Puss forcefully instead of waiting for his last life to end is not his job

[@spinosaurusstriker]

I can't take seriously anyone who says death is just doing his job, like they havent seen the movie.

[@gimmeyourrights8292]

I would also consider him a villain because he was pretty sadistic when fighting Puss. Who sniff blood and says "I love the smell of FEAR" when they're just doing their job?

[@orbracha25]

Probably my favorite line in the film relating to Jack is: "Are you really gonna shoot a puppy?!" "In the face, yes"

[@robxholicfoxyfan8552]

Goldi and the Bears are definitely just antagonists that are also kind of protagonists of their own story, Death is completely in his job while enjoying it, but other than his want to teach Puss in Boots a lesson he really isn't a bad guy all things considered. Just a force of nature. Jack is just completely leaning into the villain role and knows it and despite feeling nothing somehow elicits the most negative feelings out of basically everyone he comes into contact with, all the way down to no feeling at all anymore because most everyone who works for him he lets due or kills himself, or injures.

[@alexisislas-gonzalez5991]

Even tho death wasn’t intending to teach puss a lesson, he or it just straight up wanted to killed him Considering he “WHY DO I ALWAYS PLAY WITH MY FOOD?!?!” In Spanish

[@DelightfullyMADD]

@@alexisislas-gonzalez5991 THANK YOU! I don't really get why people are so intent on rationalizing away Death's villainous qualities. Death was not trying to "Teach" anything to Puss; he just hated Puss for being wasteful with his lives, so had decided to just stop wasting time and go kill him. There was no secret test of character, no ulterior motive or noble goal. Death was just sick of Puss' s**t and had decided to just skip to the end of the story. Death was outright f**king with Puss the whole movie, and it wasn't for the purpose of trying to get Puss to realize the value of life and start cherishing it. It was for the sake of slaking his own enjoyment of the hunt, a hunt that now had personal stakes for Death on top of him just getting to do his job. Which is why, at the end of their second fight, the Wolf gets irate after Puss displays a true change of character, because now Death can't justify killing Puss and while he IS a villain, he's an example of what one could call a Noble Demon type villain, a villain that while evil follows a strict code of conduct. If Death had been doing all this to teach Puss the value of life, then when Puss displayed how he'd learned that, Death's reaction would have been far different. He wouldn't have said "Why did I have to go and play with my food" while throwing a little tantrum. He would have maybe glared... then smiled, stood up and sheathed his weapons right away, then would have left with a "Good, you finally figured it out~" or some other pithy response. Simply put, Death IS a villain in this movie. He's not simply an antagonist, he's not an anti-villain, he's not misunderstood, he is a true villain "straight up". And there is nothing wrong with that.

[@gimmeyourrights8292]

Death teaching Puss a lesson was accident.

[@seantaggart7382]

​@@DelightfullyMADDbut i do believe a little bit of that can occur In the end he recognized he valued his life in the end and decided to go

[@cybertramon0012]

With Death acting rather sadistic towards hunting Puss, intentionally letting him go just to scare him even further, I feel this ties a lot into his motives. Puss has never feared or respected him; he thinks he's more or less untouchable. So Death is going out of his way to fix that. It's not just about claiming his last life; it's about making Puss tremble at the fact that he's one step behind him. I feel that when he was telling Puss to pick up his blade, he was actually pleased that Puss ran instead. Because it means that he's afraid for his life, likely for the first time ever. Death likely wanted the proud, arrogant Puss to die begging for mercy, stuck with the knowledge that there's no way out this time. And that's why he's so mad that Puss actually learned to respect him, and his life.

[@iantaggart3064]

Corre corre, Gatito.

[@superspider64]

"it's hard to call Goldilocks a straight up villain" I believe the word you're looking for is Antagonist, an Antagonist does NOT have to be the villain, simply a character who works against the Protagonist

[@therewasoldcringe]

a lot of ppl think "villain" and "antagonist" mean the same and they rly need to watch death note or smth

[@jessicapinkman-hd4bw]

but she leads a crime family steals stuff tries to kill the heroes breaks into someone else's and kidnaps perrito at one point as Ransome she's the most redeemable villain in the film but she is still a villain

[@misfits9294]

Here's the thing with Jack Horner: he isn't just one-dimensional in the sense that he has no character, or even motivations. Like, he's really not just evil for the sake of being the embodiment of evil for the story; he's a rotten, selfish kid who always got what he wanted, and the one time he didn't (losing to Pinocchio in terms of popularity for his shows) he made it his ENTIRE life's mission to gain as much magical items and abilities as he could JUST to one-up him and get his way again. That's what makes him iconic; they made a villain who WASN'T sympathetic, yet actually had a character. It's something that seems so baseline that every story should have, yet it's so hard to come across, because people think to make a good character you have to be sympathetic to them. But, you really just need to understand them; they have a set character, and the things they do fall in line with it, just like any other character.

[@somepepperonyoutube8374]

Mulaney is definitely the main reason Jack is such a good character, as a comedian, he knows how to make such an irredeemable villain liked by the audience, and let's be honest, he's just really damn funny. Reminds me of RDJ as iron man

[@TheBigBadRaven]

There are 3 types of well written villains 1: The ones you almost feel sorry for 2: The ones that you hate with a burning passion 3: The ones that are just too cool to hate.

[@Fishpasta4]

They all also reflect Puss' character in a way. Goldilocks: Puss' tendency to lie to his friends even if it's to protect them Jack: Puss' selfishness where he uses people to get what he wants Death: Puss' fear of situations beyond his control and a manifestation of his fight or flight reflex Each is explored, exposed and ultimately resolved throughout the film.

[@storyteller0633]

The redeemable, the unredeemable, and not truly evil, the archetypes of villains, ahhh…classics.

[@Simon-A.-Tan]

Their placement in the story is actually pretty genius. Normally you'd have a protagonist accompanied by a supportive character when facing an antagonist. In this movie, that formula is being played with in a creative way. Puss, Kitty (who is initially falsely hinted at as a supportive character) and Goldi (who is initially falsely hinted at as an antagonist) all serve as protagonists of their own story: they try to get to the wish first so they can end up overcoming a personal issue in a quick-and-easy way. However, near the end of the story, they learn to deal with their issues in a more profound manner. Therefore, they no longer need the magic of the wish. This allows them to team up in the end, destroy the wishing star and thus defeat the actual antagonist. Jack is the antagonist who would cause disaster. Perrito is the supportive character who plays a crucial part in making all of the protagonists come to realise that they don't need the wish: halfway through he basically gives Kitty the first push in making her realize that she could just stop having her guard up around people all of the time, he tells Goldilocks that she's won the orphan lottery, and basically lays out the value of life for Puss right before the Wolf appears. As the titular character however, Puss is the main protagonist. Thus his personal issue gets to be the most complicated one: having to learn to accept the reality of Death, then overcoming his fear of it by getting to understand that he can just come to evaluate life in a different way then he used to, deriving meaning from the bond with his loved ones rather then from superficial adoration by anonymous masses. For this reason: - his story gets to be the one we follow from the start of the film; - he receives a more personal antagonist as an extra catalyst for his personal growth. The movie then balances out it's two antagonists (Jack and the Wolf) by making the primary, general antagonist a goofy one and the secondary, personal antagonist a scary one, with following consequences: - they're easy to differentiate tonewise and thus don't go in each other's way in the story like in certain Spiderman-movies; - the main tone of the film gets to be light-hearted due to the goofy main antagonist, which allows the film to be dark without feeling dark; - the secondary antagonist gets to be leave an impact due to his frightening nature, making sure that the audience stays on it's toes whenever his impending entrance is announced by Puss' shivers and the haunting whistle; - the fact that this scary secondary antagonist is an 'inner antagonist' allows for the inner struggles of the main character to feel like the 'real' battle front, making the film about more then just the quest for a wishing star.

[@theelephantintheroom69]

I think one additional reason why Jack Horner works despite being cliché, 1 dimensional and basic is because he's not just the one single villain. If there wasm't death or Goldilocks, this film would be known as having a weak, lazy lack of emphasis on the villain. But he works because Death and Goldie are the more serious/intimidating and complex villains respectively. If anything, these three are parts of a single villain. The writers brilliantly chose to perfectly divide one villain's simplicity, evilness, complexity, tragic backstory and seriousness into three characters (excluding the bears). You could have done Puss in Boots with just death but it wouldn't have been as good. You definitely needed all 3 to make it as good as it is.

[@tiablue9106]

I agree, jack, goldi & the bears are needed to add comedy, add to the theme/message and to add stakes. If death was the only villain, they’d either have to give him way more screentime and detract from his ominous presence or it’d just be puss & co. going to get the wish w/o it feeling like anything could get in their way for most of the movie

[@apenasmaisumdiogo.7115]

Well said, having Jack Horner and Goldi and the bears as antagonists helps to keep the stakes without overexposuring the wolf, at the same time they serve as comedic relief so the scenes with the Wolf can get more intense.

[@kameronbailey6939]

This movie showed you can have multiple villains you just have to have good writers.

[@MatsuyoRific]

In terms of the theme of the movie, I'd say Jack represents the theme of what happens if you never learn to appreciate what you have. Puss learned to appreciate what he had and already lost and then regained it, Goldie learned to appreciate what she currently had and then kept it, and Jack learned nothing and then lost everything. He's essentially a warning to the audience about what will happen if they don't learn the lessons presented in the film.

[@Ainz-Ooal-Gown_]

Death from this movie, in my opinion, has made me feel actual fear from a villain in a VERY long time. Still does and I love it!

[@P1r4n]

I'm not even joking when I say that Big Jack Horner might be in my top 5 favourite villains ever. His unapologetic evilness is easily the funniest thing in any Dreamworks movie

[@jjstarrprod]

Great breakdown of the role of each villain. I'd argue that there's still more to dig, though. If you look at it not close, but from a bird's eye view, this whole movie is built on mirrors. If Death is Puss's arch nemesis, philosophically speaking (Death, as opposed to Puss's 9 lives), Goldie is Kitty's opposite (she already has a "family" she can trust, even if she doesn't yet realize it, which is something Kitty never had and is desperately yearning for, to the point she hunts down the wishing map for it), and Perrito is the exact opposite of Jack Horner (Jack had everything ever since his childhood, but always wants more, while Perrito had nothing from its youth, and is perfectly content like this and wishes for nothing more), having this perfect symmetry of 3 good guys/3 villains that just balances the movie perfectly ! You could almost say this movie is structured like a six-way star, with 2 perfect triangles crossing each other. It's even shown, since each one of these opposites has at least a single vs moment against the other ! It's not a coincidence if the last vs of the movie is Perrito vs Jack, with the contrast between them being that Perrito, who began the movie solo, has the support of all the friends he made along the road, while Jack, who started with an army of minions, is now all on his own, having dispatched all of his army. The more I watch this movie and understanding the craftsmanship that went into it, not just the art, the animation, and the voices and music, but also the writing, the more it's blowing my mind. This movie is a freakking masterpiece ! It's easily in the top 5 of Dreamworks movies of all time, and it's putting Dreamworks right up there again, side by side with Pixar instead of just being the eternal number 2.

[@dylanzlol7293]

Ehh, i'd compare puss to jack horner and perrito to death instead tbh

[@sooyster4033]

You make a very good point. I agree, this movie definitely benefits from many rewatchings.

[@logan_wolf]

I'd say Dreamworks exceeds Pixar with this movie.

[@AegixDrakan]

Death is such a good antagonist, because he's both so hateable and so lovable at the same time. He's the horrifying juggernaut that cannot be stopped, and who clearly gets a thrill out of terrifying poor puss, and who is very clearly breaking the rules by hunting someone who is still alive, and for a petty reason... But he's got so much charisma, and *actually* backs off when he realizes Puss has finally learned to value his life and earn his respect again. He's barely more than an archetype and YET he's so much fun. :P

[@muh.andianto]

Every character is great, but Goldi really steals my heart. The writer really did a great job for putting her backstory and character arc in a proper and emotional way. Like the scene when Perrito talked about "orphan lottery," damn I dropped tears.

[@jaykanuck1638]

Throughout the film Goldie’s clothes becomes less and less, colourful and more bear like,she even gets a scar near her eye similar to papa bear’s. it represents a Goldie’s realization that she already has what she wishes for. Death’s main issue is essentially that Puss has had multiple lives unlike like everyone else and he did not value any of them. Once Puss begins to value the life that he has Death recognizes the change and whistles off into the shadow. Jack Horner on the other hand. Is just a straight out psychopath or perhaps a sociopath. Regardless, he has a death count in this film for kids. Death is a force of nature. While Jack Horner is malevolent & malicious. With no regard to the value of life in general.

[@kingvulturo]

I do love how long the laundry list of negative personality types is saddled onto Big Jack Horner. Even the fact he renamed himself Big instead of his classic nursery rhythm title of little. The saddest thing is that I've met folks in RL who get a little too close to Jack's point of view in regards to owning/ having it all.

[@Eligon_1965]

I love pure evil villians. They might be simple, but simple doesn't mean bad. Some of the best Villians are just irredeemable monsters. The reason most of them work is first, they are threatning, and second, they have fun personalitys. Some good examples would be; Megatron, Skeletor, the Shredder, Emperor Palpatine, and most Disney Villians.

[@hebiweaponsguy4842]

The thing is: depending on the show/piece of media, Megatron and Shredder aren’t “pure” evil, TF:P/TMNT (2012) are good examples.

[@StarvingGecko]

Megatron in the IDW(?) comics also has a bit of an arc of redeeming his character, considering his history w/ Orion Pax/Optimus, a nastier generation of Decepticons after him, and such.

[@InsufficientGravitas]

The thing about pure evil vilains is that they live and die on presentation more than most others. Charisma and presance can make a simplistically motivated villain better than a complex and sympathetic but tedious one.

[@AlguienCualquieraDelMundo]

I would personally say that the best example of this kind of villain (with permission of Palpatine) is Kefka Pallazzo from FF6. That guy was pure evil but unlike other pure evil villains, he was actually successful and got away with everything until the very end

[@saulesalejos4483]

​@@InsufficientGravitas Oh you are a villain alright, but not a SUPER one! "Yeah? What's the difference?" *PRESEN-TATION!!*

[@tarvoc746]

"So which type of villain do you want in the movie?" - "Yes."

[@VirtuesOfSin]

11:23 - In the ending scene, he gets visibly upset and screamed "Why did I have to play with my food?!" . He even said that hunting him was out of spite and he was breaking the rules to do it. I wouldn't say he was testing him, but in the end he did allow Puss to live because he started valuing his current life more than the lives he simply threw away.

[@HopelessNobody489]

12:50 "Jack as the worst human being" Perhaps this one fits for perito previous owner who tried to drown him

[@butters461]

I still find it compelling that puss could probably have all of his lifes as most of them he lost because of stupidity, but none of them were lost in actual combat. More reasons to love death it seems

[@tiablue9106]

The only ones I kinda give puss a pass on are the one where he was drunk and the one where the dogs maimed him for cheating at cards...and maybe him being crushed by the bell bc no one saw that coming. The rest were on him though lol

[@moony_otter]

I feel like they could all be simplified into 3 villain architypes For Goldie and the 3 Bears, they are 'Alt-Protagonist,' their conflict is directed at Puss due to the situation. However, their self-contained storylines do not impact each other outside the final act. Goldie and the Three Bears are a foil to the situation, their conflict with Puss directed at their conflicting goals and not at Puss's character. For Jack Horner, he is a 'Villain,' his conflict is directed universally toward the story, in-universe world, and all characters. His storyline impacts everyone equally, Puss included. Jack Horner is a foil to the story/world, his conflict with Puss being a conflict Jack has with all characters, and is directed at Puss when the circumstance says so. For Death, he is a 'Rival,' his conflict is intentionally focused toward Puss and no other character. Death's impact on other characters or the world is minimal or nonexistent. Death is a foil to the protagonist, his conflict with Puss being directed solely at Puss and no other characters.

[@SRFriso94]

The final exchange between Puss and Death really reminds of the Fable of the Three Brothers from the last Harry Potter book. “And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.” I also think these characters work as antagonists only because it has all three of them. Death only appears in four scenes, in one of which he doesn't get any lines, (discounting his cameo in the opening song) which is a good thing, because if he appeared more often, he would stop being a credible threat. Goldi is only an antagonist because she's after the same things as Puss, so Jack Horner gets to fill the spaces between them, drive the plot and keep the pace high. So structurally, the movie having three antagonists really works.

[@elin111]

Another detail about Death is that he very explicitly has supernatural powers yet chooses to hunt down Puss entirely through physical prowess, sort of putting himself on even grounds to fight Puss.

[@nicholaus3248]

I think part of what makes the Goldilocks and 3 Bears crew anti-villains is that we are rooting against them only because we met Puss first. If the story was told from their perspective from the start, I could totally see myself rooting for them.

[@establishingthrills]

Its refreshing to see a video that finally understands Deaths character, for some odd reason people seem to confuse his sadistic nature with him trying to teach Puss a lesson, despite the fact he clearly states he wants to kill him, but you go through everything with a clear understanding, great video, keep up the great work👍

[@RyoIsamuGaming]

Precisely this: Death even is rather upset that Puss learned humility and changed for the better at the end - "I came for an arrogant swordsman who believed himself untouchable by death" to paraphrase his disappointment on the fact Puss was now GOING to value his life and no longer would give him the thrill of taking him early. I'd even say Death isn't a 'villain', rather he's the Antagonist that happens to be a force of nature - he's not going for the same goal the other two groups are and his conflict is with the protagonist only. That's my take on it anyways.

[@WolframiteWraith]

I don't know how so many critics miss what almost every casual viewer understood from one watch.

[@cosmicspacething3474]

He also gets mad at first when Puss starts to value life

[@ginsengaddict]

I think we can categorise villains by how their stories are resolved, and each category is mentioned here: 1: Villains for whom the resolution is seeing them turn good 2: Villains for whom the resolution is seeing them brought to justice 3: Villains for whom the resolution is seeing the hero overcome them

[@debby5286]

I love characters like Death here that are essentially what we call personifications in art. They are a stylistic device often used in poetry and painting and are a really great way of exploring an abstract subject. They're not always evil because it largely depends on what they represent, and if what they represent is ambiguous or neutral like death, they will be too. Another that strikes me as such a villain is Smaug. The dragon is plain evil without much reason, but it really still works because he is a personification of greed, and because greed is an abstract concept that humans experience, he continues to haunt the characters even after his death. What I love about this type of character is that they really bring some poetry into films, and many films nowadays really lack poetry. I also really like him in this movie, because while the bears are a satirical version of a fairy tale, Death is much closer to what fairy tales originally were, they strongly symbolised a message, a lesson or a concept.

[@AMightyViciousOlogsFriend]

Throughout the entire story, Jack is getting his comeuppance. His journey through the movie is all showing the consequences of not appreciating what you have. Even at the beginning, we see that he already has countless magical artifacts, and yet he wants ALL of the magic. And he loses a couple of the artifacts on his pursuit for this. Not to mention all the super loyal henchmen he throws away at his quickest convenience.

[@fawful7457]

The Last Wish does what Spider-Man 3 failed to do, as in the whole 3 Villains thing was done far better in this Film than Spider-Man 3 ever did it. The whole thing with Spider-Man 3 is that it was not only kind of rushed, but all the plot points overlapped each other to the point of being too overbearing. The Last Wish nails the 3 villains thing perfectly since it felt like the creative team behind this film actually had time, but also all 3 villains had equal screentime and were all unique in their designs, motivation, and personality.

[@BlazingShadowSword]

I heard that it was because the director didn't like Venom and didn't want him in the movie, but the higher-ups demanded he be put in. It was originally a 2 villain movie, but the third was sort of ham-fisted in.

[@JAProductions494]

I think the most fascinating part of these villains is the fact that they are all either entertaining or intimidating which means that when the film focusses on them, you are always excited. I also think having multiple villains really aids macguffin quests like this film as it provides a lot of variety during the fights and can make each scene feel different from the last

[@kaytlinjustis5643]

What I personally enjoy about this movie, is how well-BALANCED everything is! First, you have the plot. It is the continuing lesson of enjoying what you have, and the multiple characters that ride through the plot with the audience. Death as a character, is realistically frightening to the audience as well as Puss, because we tend to fear what that character represents; the End of Life and the Unknown. Goldie strives for what she wants as a family, despite having it already with her, whilst Jack... is the greedy sadist who gets it in the end! You also have Side-characters balancing out the protagonist; Kitty Softpaws, who represents Puss's past, while Perrito represents Puss's life in the Now. Everything about the story can remind you of the ticking clock; Time moves forward, and everyone in life is going to have regrets, wishes for a better tomorrow, but sometimes needs to Live in the Moment. This movie also shows you cannot alter everything in your path, but CAN rise to meet it. Among many OTHER things, this movie was refreshing, hilarious, and very enjoyable to watch! Thanks for making this video! ^^

[@joueurdudimanche760]

Something I find very interesting about the vilains of this movies are their design. Goldie's is very complexe : trinkets everywhere, equivalent of jewelry, her staff that makes a fork and isn't exactly straight. It goes well with her character and her story : the fact that she has a relevant (even unsaid) background. She's not the little goldylock freshly adopted, she's an adult (teenager ?) with her family from a long time. You could imagine a lot of headcanon on every of her part and props of her design, you could even go further in the metaphor by saying that the bears are an extension of her character (therefore charater design) and amplify the feel : she has a story, she's a made character with a rich history. Meanwhile, Jack Horner is a design STRAIGHT FROM THE BOOK. You could ask a character-design student to draw "an evil mustach twirler" and it would end up not so far from Jack (of course I do not demein the work made on this character). Strong shapes for a funny but powerful/intimadating silouhette. Mainly monochromatic to keep him lisible in any scene is in and to part it perfectly from other character's color. Crooked teeth, vile nose because he wasn't a vilain enough. The generous cheecks and his thumb being his quirk, because giving a weird/specific/over the top level/simple "quirk" to your character is the best way to make him unique/attachable/watchable (take a big simple guy, make him likes plant and boom he's loveable or at least identifiable). His design is TEXTBOOK perfect, with little to no accessories (his bag , or at least its contenance, doesn't count, as it's not a full part of his character design). He is Vilain 101, vilain_guy.exe, basic vilain generator first example, and it's genius. And last ... death ... overly simple ? It's litterally just a wolf with a hoodie. Of course the work of animation on him is GORGEOUS but look at him in T pose ? Yeah, hooded wolf. He has cool weapons sure, but despite that ? Wolf+bipede+black hood. And to me it shows two points of his naratives. First : it's simple ... like the concept of death. You can look at it in every way, death is just "the end" or "a new begining" depending your belives, but it's always simple. The concept of death is as simple as its representation. The second thing is : everything about him that ISN'T his direct charadesign. His music, his stances, his movements, his freaking whistle. The wolf is not awesome because he looks awesome (i mean, kinda but not relevant in this argument rn), he's awesome because of everything that surronds him. You have rational way to fear (natural) death : it's coming, one day, you don't know how nor when, but it'll happen ... why being afraid of the inevitable ? And NOW come the surronding. We fear death because of everything around it. We fear that it may be painful, we fear that it may come too soon, we fear what would come next , we fear its presence and so on and so on... even tho the act of dying, in itself, is ... simple, "boring", just letting go of a last whisper (in an ideal setting for human being of course. Being crushed and slowly dying or brutaly killed in a war are options too). The wolf is as simple and powerful as the concept of death, and it feels both in his character design as in his actions (being unmoved by the power of the star at the end, litterally "ends" puss previous life again in the crytal cave, teleportation kind of)

[@MintyIsColdSpicy]

You can also notice Death's change of how he feels about Puss with his whistle. During the entire movie, the melody is in a Minor key, giving a more threatening sound. At the end tho, Death whistles in a major key, making it seem like he's almost happy with the change within Puss

[@WhenGoatsWentBaa]

11:16 On this, I like the idea that someone mentioned before. Death enjoying Puss' fear isn't because he's sadistic, it's because that fear is proof that Puss values his last life and doesn't want to lose it.

[@dm121984]

Jack always makes me laugh out loud, even in short clips, because the writer(s) clearly has tonnes of fun making him so cartoonistly evil, and even tease us constantly with the idea that 'this' is the moment he'll turn babyface and realise he should be a better person, or explain why he is justified.

[@lilslicelive]

I see death as a force of nature, not someone who is specifically a threat to the entire cast of characters but someone who all of them will meet eventually

[@iantaggart3064]

"Is a lot easier to be brave when you have lives to spare," -Spencer Gilpin, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jubgle.

[@deccy_boi5569]

The redeemable/empathetic villain. The irredeemable/unempathetic villain. The antagonist, who is not evil but is against the main character for fair reasons.

[@infernotitan1158]

God, EVERY time I hear Death's whistle, I get shivers down my spine.

[@jak8714]

You know who Jack Horner makes me think of? Handsome Jack, from Borderlands 2. Despite differences in backstory and personality, they've got the same sense of comedic timing, based around their egos and over-all irredeemably despicable natures. They even treat their minions the same!

[@coltonwilliams4153]

Jack: “Hmm… I keep forgetting… what was that last element called…? Oh, right! *EXPLOSION!!!”* Handsome Jack has been my definition of gratuitously evil bastards for a while now. He’s evil, and you want to shoot him in the face, but he’s so damn cool! He always makes you pay attention to him, even when he’s just rambling on about that damn horse.

[@cosmicspacething3474]

Another detail I like is while Puss gets saved from death by his connections through Kitty’s blade, Jack burning his last bridge (The cricket) is what ultimately leads him to his own death.

[@Riasiru]

Death is a Force of Nature Villain. He's a manifestation of nature itself and behaves as such. A prime example of this is when Puss retires and gives up his life of excitement, glory, and 'danger.' Death only showed up when Puss was in danger. Death only followed Puss when he disregarded his own safety. The moment that changed, though? The moment Puss ran and hid far from threats to his life?... Death left him alone. If you honestly believe Death couldn't track Puss down when Goldilocks and her bears did, you're silly. Then when he was getting closer to the Wishing Star his life was put more and more in danger. All those villains closing in as he dawdled in the cave let Death get closer. He had to hurry. When he got to the Star there was no escape. The last of the Baker's Dozen showed just how perilous that situation became. Death was breathing down all of their necks and Puss was finally, truly within his reach... And then Puss learned to rely on his friends' help, and their help would save him from many situations where he would perish as some solitary hero of legend. That's the only reason moving forward that Death relents. More than his life, he's learned to cherish those in it rather than pushing them away like he had before. That's what saved him, and not even against Death itself. RiP Horner.

[@masonlobster]

I like to think that Death would’ve rather chased Puss around for his entire life, rather than outright kill him. He had so many chances to do it, Puss was only alive because Death let him be. Puss is no threat to Death, and they make that known by the end of his arc. He can never defeat him, but he won’t stop fighting. Death never wanted to prematurely take Puss’ last life, but he wanted his last life to be a miserable one, until he realized Puss no longer deserved it.

[@1kokokala10]

I do love how the film encompasses all of the villain types that you normally see in media. Goldi being the more recently popular morally grey vilian that has a chance of redemption. Jack being the embodiment of evil vilian that were more common back in the days. And Death not really being evil or good but more of a force of nature kind of like a zombie virus.

[@nielsjensen4185]

As I see it Jack is the villain to Goldie. Their motivations are on the abstract level similar, they both want something while Puss, on the other hand, wants to avoid something. Death is the one who can take that something away from him and thus he's the antagonist to Puss. Notice in the last fight that when they rip up the wish Goldie is the one who implicitly gives them the signal that this is the way to go about it while Puss and Kitty merely acknowledge her conviction. Here the difference between Jack and Goldie is that Goldie has completed her arc by realising the thing right in front of her, something that's literally foreshadowed by the fairy tale spelling out "what you seek have been right in front of you the entire time." She finds it within her self and thus stops chasing it externally while Jack is too blinded by his desire to ever change and is thus killed by his desire.

[@prehistorichero2755]

I would say that Jack Horner is a 'complete monster' type villain. When people say that a realistic villain is incredibly tragic and sympathetic that makes it more humans, well, I would agree that real-life humans can be evil because of their trauma they've experienced with, but I disagree as not all villains are made the same way despite they aren't born evil. Some villains in the real-world can become malevolent without any traumatic backstory or other remorseful ways when you think about Stalin Joseph, a malicious leader of the Soviet Union who never had trauma, and he even doesn't care about his own family and people in the Soviets as he cared about power since communism happen in 1925. There are various reasons why humans can be cruel other than being bullied, loss of friends and family, and abused, such as environmental factor, loss of money, lack of proper parenting, supremacy after inferior to others, political discourse, or for pleasure.

[@jessicapinkman-hd4bw]

no because in order to be a complete monster type villain one of the qualities needed to determine if a villain really is this kind of villain is they need to be 100percent treated seriously while onscreen they shouldn't any real comedic moments or attributes and all of their crimes mustn't be played up for simple black comedy this even rings true for villains who are mostly treated seriously and jack is 100percent played for laughs while the characters in universe take him seriously the actual movie itself does not portraying all of his kills in an over the top comedic fashion even his beyond redemption moment where the ethical bug declares him as an irredeemable monster is played up as a joke

[@davidholaday2817]

In the case of Death, “One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.“ But once he turns and faces his fear, he overcomes it.

[@chronred8190]

not gonna lie death in puss in boots is one of my favorite characters; he is mostly chill and neutral, and he only goes after the protagonist because the protagonist is a reckless arrogant dumbass who thinks he's invincible, then when he notices that Puss changed and learned his lesson death calms down and leaves him alone honestly i wouldn't really even consider Death as an actual villain, just someone who teaches a lesson

[@EHthiawn_]

This video is amazing. Thank you!

[@matichagak548]

8:58 saw this movie the day it came out, in my country, and this whistle still gives me the chills. Btw, i love Death's design here, from the start it's so easy to understand what/who the wolf is and symbolizes. The use of the wolf, who's usually the villain in fairytales, is such a simple choice that makes total sense, not going into something too priginal that would take meaning out of it instead of giving. The eyes chill you (to death), his cloak is, once again, simple, putting is role plainly, along with the whatever it is called that he carries as a weapon (english is not my first language and i forgot the word). His speech is also low, slow and almost as if he's constantly in reflection about death and lofe and how people grasp these concepts. It's not his role in myths and lore but here he acts almost like a judge. Then, of course, we have the whistle. Goosebumps, hairs standing, the cinema felt cold each time he whistled, I would not be surprised if some guy found out this is derived from dies orae... Right, I'd also like to mention a detail about his fur. On his head the fur isn't as detailed as the fur of the other characters, could this be some way to show that Death still is somewhat abstract? So basically, I love what the producing team did for Death, he was an incredibly chilling character, capable of stealing the thunder during all the times he was on screen and his design is simple, just like death itself. Genius. (as soon as she heard him whistle my sister hugged me with her head tucked underneath my arm.... She's 8 and has seen movies meant to be scarier, though being the cinema and watching it for the first time has its effect) Alright who am I lidding, I was terrified myself, but my sister didn't need to know that, did she?

[@_laryssa]

My favorite ever trope is having that one rival who directly goes against the main character but isn't the actual main antagonist, yet he's the most memorable. The actual villain, the one who's the main baddie, maybe not just a threat to the MC but to the whole world, his spectale is grand and he is full of power. And then, there's the rival; lesser of a villain, he is only opposing the main character, they're not the main villain yet they always steal the scene, their beliefs confront the MC front to front, he isn't very powerful, but just as powerful as the main character. It's a fair battle, and one you don't forget, despite him having less importance in general. Ex: Death in the puss in boots 2 movie, Jetstream Sam in MGR, Vergil in DMC, V2 in ULTRAKILL, etc.

[@MrTaurenshaman]

Death (who btw is one of my most favourite characters in the last 10 years in entertainment) isn't a villain, but the embodiment of an inevitability, a thing we all must face one day, both ourselves, the as it happens to our loved ones. I like the concept that with everyone else, it's a simple thing for death to come for them as all living things go. But for a character who's died multiple times, cheating death, mocking what he is, that caused the very embodiment of a universal concept to purposely target them. Only by puss appreciating life, did he in turn show his respect to death.

[@JesusIsTheLord.]

Death is legit somehow more scary then most horror movie villains today

[@martijnklaassen3536]

Makes me think about the Shrek Universe Like if "Death" can walk around and fight Puss... is there a character called "Life" that can enter the world of the living?

[@chielvoswijk9482]

Apparantly if one translate's deaths outburst near the end that stopped the fight. He was angrily questioning himself on why he decided to play with his food. I find this interesting as this mostly puts to rest the idea that Death was testing Puss and instead depicts him as just as arrogant as Puss was. Reinforcing his role as an inner antagonist.

[@lonewolf_ace_]

I think we can identify to all the charachters.. .expecialy the vilains... From Goldie who has been blinded by the whole "real family" things (search for happiness), Horner who's.... just egotistical (Willing for the full power or the willing of possessing everything we see) and, of course, Death who's just doing his job and brings some morale and helps revealing important facts (knoledge, professionnalism and probably some kind of willing to help if the possibility of him testing puss in count) And that's why I just love every vilain in this movien they all have their impact, their morale codes, motivations, ...

[@kainuipenaloza9395]

I think this story works so well because it plays into the abstraction of normal story telling structure. In a story, usually a character sets off to get what they want but eventually learns what they need, and in most stories the story ends after the character finally gets what they need. In this way Puss fights a large number of forces to try and get what he thinks he wants (the wish), while running away from what he needs (to appreciate what he has). In this story Horner is like a personification of all the forces working against Puss and Boots, which is why it works so well. He is able to personify what the forest, the people, and all the magic in relation to being an obstacle to Puss. In that sense, the duality of Horner and Death are very simple. Again, Horner separates Puss from wants, Death separates Puss from needs. The biggest source of confusion is the fact Goldilocks is also there. They’re there to have an arc and simultaneously learn about the theme. However if we take a closer look, they are really there to help Puss. In a story telling sense, it’s interesting to see they serve the EXACT same purpose as Kitty Soft paws, being antagonistic at first but ultimately being an aid to his journey. In that sense Kitty, Pedro, the Bears, they all serve as personifications of Puss’ needs being realized as they go from working against his wants to working for his needs. Originally they share his flawed philosophy, and that hypocrisy pushes them all to failure. Once they learn what they need, their wisdom leads them to succeed. So to recap, the reason why it works is because they cover each a fundamental of story telling: -Death, or more specifically, Puss’ fear of death works purely against Puss’ needs. -Horner, or more specifically, the physical obstacles work purely against Puss’ wants. -Goldi, Bears, Kitty, and Pedro all work purely towards pushing Puss away from his wants and towards his needs. They’re all fundamentals of story telling: A want, a need, and a self actualization of going from chasing what you want to obtaining what you need. Neat, huh?

[@jessicapinkman-hd4bw]

goldilocks: the redeemable one big jack horner: the comical one death: the allegorical one

[@brianachim2670]

Great video, I love Death! He is the best, straight up!

[@anonymoose6703]

And I don’t mean metaphorically, or rhetorically, or poetically, or theoretically, or any other fancy way.

[@deadman9335]

I would like to see goldi and the 3 bears get their own spin off like pus got but I don't have an idea of what it would be about it.

[@thesardonicpig3835]

Fantastic video! There's one villain type which I think wasn't included in the film, but then I'm not sure whether it's even a type at all. The ambiguous villain. The villain you don't know how to feel about - whose deeds are too serious to excuse, but who is too sympathetic or understandable to condemn. This kind of villain is rarely seen in kids' films for understandable reasons, but it can be done, as characters such as Rameses, John Silver or Pitch Black show. With that said though, this films' antagonists are all great, and Death in particular is absolutely sublime. The way he relates to Puss's anxiety is just stunning - they really committed to making him as terrifying as they could. (And that's coming from someone ... who ... didn't actually love the film that much. I'm probably the only person in the universe who feels that way and I've probably just triggered the beast by saying it XD But that isn't to say it's not an objectively great film and it truly deserves all the praise and love it gets!)

[@WolframiteWraith]

Is Pitch Black ambiguous? He probably has legitimate feelings of loneliness and isolation, but what he does isn't for any purpose beyond revenge and power.

[@shardes]

Jack: the villain. Goldie: the anti hero. Death: the antagonist.

[@thefanvideoer2]

I love this, it's so well done and you explain everything very clearly and to the point. 0:38 is funny xD You probably already know my opinion about Death - that he is neither a villain nor an antagonist - he just is. He's Death, a natural part of life. But I still like how you describe him here as an "inner antagonist." It makes sense, but I'm still kinda firm on my opinion. The fact alone that he actually enjoys making Puss afraid and chases after him could classify him at least as an antagonist, but how often does he really do that kind of thing? We also see the less 'morbid' side of him once Puss starts to value his last life near the end. . After a lot of thinking, I believe I've found the perfect definition to describe death: The Foil. "In any narrative, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character; typically, a character who contrasts with the protagonist, in order to better highlight or differentiate certain qualities of the protagonist. A foil to the protagonist may also be the antagonist of the plot." This seems to fit really well, especially since Puss doesn't value his lives at first until Death starts to come after him, who WANTS him to start valuing his life and is even annoyed by the fact that Puss does not at first. A headcanon I have is that Death was just bluffing about taking Puss' last life that whole time. He could have killed Puss at any moment, but was waiting for the right time. Or was it because he's not "allowed" to take a life before its time? (that "don't tell" scene got me thinking even if he might have just been teasing Puss lol) But however we choose to describe Death in the Last Wish, in the end, he's the best character in the movie! There's so much to talk about and listening to your thoughts was really enjoyable! ^^

[@sooyster4033]

Ah, "don't tell." I hadn't thought about that line before, but I think you're on to something!

[@thefanvideoer2]

@@sooyster4033 Right?! I really wanna know what Life would be like!

[@gimmeyourrights8292]

Death is a villain and an antagonist. He's doing his job but he also abuses his power to chase Puss. He was very sadistic in his fights with him and was angry when Puss learned his lesson. Ge reminds me of Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds technically it could be argued that he "was just doing his job" but his job was to reap and sow death and much like The Wolf, he LOVED what he was doing.

[@thetestdummy4876]

every time I watch the last wish and I hear deaths whistle I get chills because how much of an impact his character has

[@LudiusQuassas]

It's true that Jack Horner doesn't really need a backstory that detailed. Some people just never grow up, and that's it, already more than enough. Personally I can't say I loved the villains of the movie or that I have a favourite one, although I will say I enjoyed the movie itself without issue. The villains just fall seamlessly into the puzzle, it's overall a pretty colourful and fun experience.

[@kaylawoodbury2308]

The transition to Deaths whistling gave me a shiver.

[@tysonvienneau1830]

I see these three as the three alignments on that D&D chart Goldie and the Bears: Lawful; they aren't malicious, greedy, or even super selfish with their desires, they clearly have morals, but the are a bit skewed in their methods Death: neutral; takes his job serious and finds those who defy that literal scum, is in it for the thrills and art, their goal is more or less about themselves Jack Horner: chaotic; he's the bad guy, plain and simple. He's greedy, spiteful, and malicious, does villainy just for both a ""tragic"" backstory and just for the hell of it, takes pride in his act

[@shieldphaser]

It's always nice when a movie gets villains right. A lot of people these days make the mistake of thinking that a villain has to be relatable or realistic, which really isn't the case. A good villain needs to have character and they need to be internally consistent. Jack Horner may be a completely horrible human being, but he's consistent about it. He's funny and memorable in his own way. Nobody envisions themselves as him, but they still want to see more of him. Whether it's Jack using a phoenix for a flamethrower in this movie, the red death delivering that speech about the gentleman villain in venture bros, robotnik being his own self in the sonic movies or even megamind playing villain, there's just something so good about a person who's enjoying being evil. It's so simple, yet so captivating when done right. We don't talk about the ones who get it wrong.

[@HybridMiranda]

The people who think Jack Horner is an unrealistic villain because he's 'too simple' seem to forget that we have gangs, karens, scam artists, certain politicians, drug dealers, etc.... quite a few of those people do things just for themselves for their own benefit and do genuinely act in a similar (if not so violent) manner. There are Jack Horners in the world, and unfortunately, they often bully their way into positions of power.

[@caranostalgico9249]

Puss: Chaotic Good Kitty: Neutral Good Perrito: Lawful Good Jack: Chaotic Evil Death: Neutral Evil Goldi: Lawful Evil

[@gnf_2.056]

I think why all these worked so well is how they interact with each other. See,Goldi is wishing for a proper family that was just right for her. Later on,she goes to Nostalgic Pines so they can show Goldi that the family she wishes for is already in front of her. "To find your wish,adjust your view,what you seek may be right in front of you",the map says to Goldi. They are all happy when they see their cabin back. That is all my example. Im too lazy to write comments now

[@l.n.3372]

Great video analysis! I agree with you that these 3 types of antagonist work so well together in the same film. I think their degree of separation is why they work together within the same movie. They have separate roles as antagonist, they don't compete with each other for any role, and they each fulfill a unique function and purpose. I think half the reason the audience enjoys all 3 types in this movie is because they all coexist together and bring out the best in the plot and theme. Villains like Jack Horner are amusing but also kinda insufferable; he's annoying and unlikable but he's balanced out well by the incredibly likeable Goldilocks. Goldilocks herself is a sympathetic rival/foil: her motivation is selfless but she also realizes that she doesn't need the wish because she already has the family she loves. Death is merely doing his job, while also causing Puss to take his life seriously. Death wants Puss to value and appreciate life and stop throwing his life away carelessly. All 3 have their role and purpose in the narrative. Jack Horner is meant to show selfishness: he only values his own life, but he cares about nobody else. Goldilocks is sympathetic and she grows as a person: she doesn't need the wish because she already has a loving, accepting family. And Death embodies the message of the movie: cherish the life you have, don't take it for granted, and appreciate everything that you have within this lifetime.

[@TheSameGoobyGuy]

I like to imagine that baby bear steals jack’s purple suit after the movie

[@TheTraveler980]

Goldie: Chaotic Neutral Jack Horner: Neutral Evil Death: Lawful Evil

[@F.R.E.D.D2986]

One thing that I realised after watching. Every person's wish was something they already had, other than Jack Horner. That's why hes the only one to die.

[@codalanguez]

Puss's main arc~ Puss: I laugh at the face of Death! Death: and I took that personally.