Psychological Foundations
Fear acts as a bridge between detecting a threat and the behaviours that follow, initiating a chain reaction of events. Ralphs Adolphs, professor of psychology, neuroscience, and biology at the California Institute of Technology, concluded the distinction between fear and anxiety. Fear is the immediate reaction to a present danger, for example, a spider in the room, while anxiety is about anticipating and preparing for potential threats, as in worrying that a spider might be in the room.
In the brain, the amygdala serves as the starting point for fear, receiving sensory information and responding by sending signals to other areas in the brain. The prefrontal cortex regulates the fear response by evaluating how imminent the threat is. The expression of fear is most likely a leftover action that was previously a crucial response for survival.
About Puss in Boots
Puss in Boots originates from a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for his penniless and low-born master.
DreamWorks Animation adapted this fairy tale within the Shrek movies, and in 2011 Puss received his own standalone film, Puss in Boots. In this movie, Puss is a Spanish-speaking anthropomorphic cat and a fugitive on the run from the law, seeking to restore his honour.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
After 11 years, Puss returned in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022). The story follows Puss as he teams up with Kitty Softpaws and Perrito to find the Last Wish of the fallen Wishing Star, in hopes of restoring eight of his nine lives. They race against other fairy tale characters seeking the same treasure, while a sinister wolf, the personification of Death, hunts Puss himself.
Depicting anxiety
Depicting internal feelings externally is difficult, but Puss in Boots: The Last Wish manages it remarkably well. There is a scene in which Puss hears Death’s iconic melody and has a panic attack.
It begins with everything around him slowing down. He hears the wolf’s whistle, and his fur stands on end. A dolly zoom is used, a technique designed to disorient the viewer. When the camera turns to reveal the wolf, there is a stark contrast in colour: the battlefield around Puss is brightly lit in red hues, while the wolf stands in shadows with darker, blue tones – even though the same space had a red hue moments earlier. The wolf’s red eyes intensify the effect. When Puss turns around, he too is cast in a blue tint.
The wolf is framed with a lot of negative space, creating a sense of stillness, while Puss is surrounded by chaos. Chromatic aberration becomes pronounced, simulating how detached from reality someone may feel during a panic attack.
Puss runs away mid-battle into the blue, foggy forest. As the camera follows him, the environment appears blurry and distorted, again enhanced by chromatic aberration. The wide-angle lens exaggerates the distortion of close-ups.
As Puss runs, he believes he sees the wolf in the forest, but these figures turn out to be shapes merely resembling the wolf. This reflects pareidolia, the human tendency to perceive faces in patterns where none exist.
Perrito then finds him lying at the base of a tree. This calm moment, following intense visual exaggeration, underlines how Puss is feeling and highlights the dissonance between his internal and external worlds.
Death
If one were to ask how another ‘sees’ death, there are overwhelming majorities: Death is male, Death is cloaked, Death is macabre. Literature as early as the 13th century feature the appearance of the Grim Reaper – a skeletal figure with black robes holding a scythe. The images of death ‘harvesting’ lives reflects the 20th and 21st century attempts to showcase death as something to be feared, that can simultaneously be conquered. Death remains the villainous obstacle to be overcome, and is personified in ways that demonstrate its wickedness, as well as its ability to fall at the hands of the story’s hero.
The wolf’s terrifying image, haunting laughter, and deadly weaponry demonstrate that Puss should be afraid of Death – because death is inherently frightening. The cloaked figure with blood-red eyes only ever appears in darkness, announces his presence through whistles or menacing laughter, and is always seen with sharp, deadly weapons in hand. Associated with colours signalling danger, morbidity, and violence (in addition to his sheer dominating size in comparison to the hero), Death is a frightening sight to behold for all viewers.
Source
Adolphs, R. (2013). The biology of fear. Current Biology(23(2)), R79–R93. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.11.055
Lammon, Marissa. (2024). The Big, Bad… Grim: Personification of death in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Mortality. 1-13. 10.1080/13576275.2024.2308881.
Nurcahya, Radhitya & Juanda, Juanda. (2024). Puss’ Anxiety and Defense Mechanism in The Puss In Boots: The Last Wish Movie. Mahadaya: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Dan Budaya. 4. 187-196. 10.34010/mhd.v4i2.13748.
