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Karen Idelson The subtleties of war. The struggle with loss and grief. The search for a home and belonging. The terror of puberty. The realization of mortality. This year’s Oscar nominees in the animated feature category never shied away from the big issues. Underneath the bold exteriors of their artistic and technological achievements, each one embraced difficult, rich themes. “I think there’s a way that young and old can both feel the emotion and the meaning of the story,” says “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” helmer Joel Crawford. “Puss’ story is something we can all relate to in a way. He’s this fearless hero who has this moment where when he comes across the wall, feels fear for the first time because he knows he’s run out of lives and that he’s mortal — like all of us — for the first time. That moment is an impression of fear that I think everybody can feel. But then we are also able to tap into to some brighter kind of themes as well like hope through this impressionistic style we used in the animation. 

Netflix in July 2023. From theatrical releases that made waves — such as James Cameron’s “Titanic” to DreamWorks’ “Puss in Boots” — we’re running down some of the best new movies to stream on Netflix this month.Those in the mood for family fun should check out “They Cloned Tyrone,” “The Out-Laws” and “Happiness for Beginners.” “Tyrone,” starring John Boyega and Jamie Foxx promises thrilling scenes and an overall suspenseful setting.

Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster tournament took a hiatus during the pandemic as movie theaters closed for the majority of 2020-2021 and theatrical day-and-date titles on both the big screen and studios’ respective streaming platforms became more prevalent. Coming back from that brink, the studios have largely returned to their theatrical release models and the downstream monies they can bring. Not to mention their power in launching IPs around the world with big global marketing campaigns. When it comes to evaluating the financial performance of top movies, it isn’t about what a film grosses at the box office. The true tale is told when production budgets, P&A, talent participations and other costs collide with box office grosses, and ancillary revenues from VOD to DVD and TV. To get close to that mysterious end of the equation, Deadline is repeating our Most Valuable Blockbuster tournament for 2022, using data culled by seasoned and trusted sources.

It’s contest time again!  Earlier this week, on February 28, 2023, DreamWorks and Universal Home Pictures released the newest film from the “Shrek” universe, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” on 4K UHD, Blu-Ray, and DVD. For the first time, though, everyone’s favorite adventurous cat is found in a collectors edition featuring exclusive bonus content!  READ MORE: Antonio Banderas On ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ & Whether He’s Down for ‘Shrek 5’ [Interview] The film, directed by Joel Crawford and co-directed by Januel Mercado, has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Film.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will soon head to Peacock after a staggeringly successful run both in theaters and on PVOD. The film bows on the streaming platform on March 10, there joining a series of Puss In Boots shorts, as well as other films in the Shrek franchise, and such additional DreamWorks favorites as The Croods and Trolls World Tour.

It’s contest time again!  Earlier this week, on February 28, 2023, DreamWorks and Universal Home Pictures released the newest film from the “Shrek” universe, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” on 4K UHD, Blu-Ray, and DVD. For the first time, though, everyone’s favorite adventurous cat is found in a collectors edition featuring exclusive bonus content!  READ MORE: Antonio Banderas On ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ & Whether He’s Down for ‘Shrek 5’ [Interview] The film, directed by Joel Crawford and co-directed by Januel Mercado, has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Film.

Karen Idelson When director Joel Crawford considered including a realistic panic attack in “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” he knew it would be an important moment for kids and adults alike. “We know so many people who struggle with anxiety or we struggle with it and have panic attacks ourselves,” Crawford says. “Children can handle these scenes, maybe sometimes better than adults, and it can help everyone to feel seen if we create a scene that feels like it’s drawn from something that really happens.” In the scene, Puss is overwhelmed by fear as he considers that he’s used up eight of his nine lives. Though the character’s signature state of mind is that of a daring, playful and extroverted cat, this new film takes him in a more vulnerable direction.

For helmer Joel Crawford, the story told in “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” needed something new and distinct from what had been done in DreamWorks Animation’s “Puss in Boots” film, released in 2011. It had been more than a decade since the first film delighted audiences with the story of a cat who was often too big for his boots. Puss, who was walking onto the screen this time would be humbled, even frightened, by coming down to the last of his precious nine lives. ¶ Crawford and his team decided to lean into the amount of time that had passed between the two films. They embraced the opportunity to create a fresh take on the animation in the second film and let themselves be inspired by favorite films and treasured fairy tales.

At the publication of this interview, director Joel Crawford is likely on his way across the Atlantic to attend the 2023 BAFTA Awards. Crawford, a 17-year DreamWorks Animation veteran, is up for Best Animated Film for “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” A word of mouth wonder that surprised many not only critically, but at the box office.

Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish had a happy Valentine’s Day, swashbuckling to a new global milestone. The spinoff sequel crossed $400M with Tuesday’s numbers bringing the worldwide kitty to $401.5M. The split is $160.1M domestic and $241.4M at the international box office. 

Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is a bonafide puss in loot, as it will cross the $300M mark globally with today’s grosses included. 

gorgeously animated too, employing a unique visual style that director Joel Crawford described as a “fairy tale painting look.” And if you’re wondering just how they pulled it off, we’ve got some exclusive videos on the making of the movie.This time around Puss in Boots (voiced once again by Antonio Banderas) realizes he is on the last of his nine lives. This sets the ridiculously high stakes and sends him on a quest to find a wishing star, to restore his other lives.

After earning the highest grossing Tuesday of 2022 with $24.1M, 20th Century Studios/Disney/Lightstorm’s Avatar: The Way of Water also notched the best Wednesday of the year yesterday with $20.4M beating Top Gun: Maverick‘s June 1 take of $14.8M, and Avatar 2‘s first Wednesday of $14.4M. At a running total of $337.9M through 13 days, the James Cameron directed, Jon Landau produced sequel is pacing 1% ahead of Top Gun: Maverick at the same point in time.

Coming into a franchise as storied as the Shrek series, director Joel Crawford was thrilled at the opportunity to show a new side of the iconic Puss in Boots. A sequel to the 2011 Puss in Boots film, DreamWorks Animation’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish takes place after Shrek Forever After, when Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) is accidentally killed by a bell and discovers he is down to his ninth, and final, life. After a brush with a mysterious wolf who is determined to take his last life, Puss decides to live the rest of his life in hiding. However, he soon learns about a wishing star that could help them get his lives back. Crawford wanted to take the story of Puss in Boots into a darker direction than the other films in the Shrek franchise, using inspiration from Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Puss In Boots: The Last Wish has secured a China release date on December 23, two days after its North American bow. Apart from Avatar: The Way of Water, this currently appears to be the only other Hollywood title dated through the end of the year in the PRC.

DreamWorks Animation on Friday unveiled a new, 32-second curtain raiser that will open its films going forward. 

Ben Croll Nearly two decades after the character broke out in “Shrek 2″ and 11 years since his last solo outing, Puss in Boots – that Antonio Banderas-voiced rapscallion who wields his saucer eyes as dangerously as he does his sword – made his swashbuckling return to the big screen at an Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival presentation that saw the first 27 minutes of DreamWorks’ upcoming “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” screen before a packed auditorium.Cheering before the opening song gave way to an action scene, the Annecy crowd greeted their feline friend with a pop idol’s welcome – neatly mirroring the energetic musical number happening on screen.“At the forefront of our minds was not just reintroducing Puss to the world, but introducing the world to where the character is now,” director Joel Crawford tells Variety.

In the wake of Illumination’s Nintendo movie Mario moving off of Wednesday, Dec. 21, Dreamworks Animation’s sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will now take over that slot, moving back from its Sept. 23 release date.

EXCLUSIVE: The cat is out of the bag.

Universal has reserved two 2022 release dates for its upcoming Dreamworks Animation movies.

Terry Flores The directors of nine of the animated films under consideration for Academy Award nominations will discuss their craft in a free online PreVIEW event Friday, March 5, beginning at 10 a.m.

While directing The Croods: A New Age, Joel Crawford often found himself chasing that ‘Wow’ factor, which all great films (and sequels) have in common.

It took seven years for a sequel to come to fruition from DreamWorks Animation for its 2013 hit The Croods, but as it turns out the timing was just right. The coronavirus pandemic not only impacted the production process for the follow-up The Croods: A New Age, it also actually wound up giving it more gravitas and relevance.

Janet W.

EXCLUSIVE: DreamWorks Animation has extended its relationship with Joel Crawford, director of The Croods: A New Age. The studio has made a first-look development and directing deal with Crawford, an animation vet, in a deal made by Margie Cohn, President, DreamWorks Animation. This comes after the Croods sequel was released in theaters and will be premiering on Premium VOD on Friday.

DreamWorks Animation/Universal’s The Croods: A New Age looks set to lead the weekend in China where the cume an estimated $11.6M through its first two days, and pre-sales are solid. This portends an FSS frame of $20M, per Uni, with family uptick throught the weekend . Six other markets are also getting a first look at the prehistoric family pic that’s directed by Joel Crawford, and are expected to round out the global session total to $21.3M.