Excuse me? Anyone care to explain why the sequel to 2011’s Puss in Boots, a spin-off to the 2010 film Shrek Forever After, itself the fourth instalment in the long running Shrek franchise, slaps this hard? The animation is incredible (y’know, not Spider-verse but it occupies the same wheelhouse while holding its own), the script is poignant, emotionally engaging, and imaginative. Even the performances are charming and vivid with a villain that gave me actual chills (no, not that one, the other one). Puss in Boots just went through an existential anxiety arc and it worked. From what I’ve heard about The Bad Guys, 2022 was Dreamwork’s comeback year.