How to (and Not to) Show Panic Attacks On-Screen 

I also love how _Puss In Boots 2_ correctly portrayed therapy dogs. In the movie when Perrito notices Puss having a panic attack he _doesn't_ tell a joke nor start licking Puss' face, he rests his head on Puss' stomach and helps him steady his breathing and allow him to pet him.

I had no idea Paw Patrol was such a cinematic masterpiece worthy of multiple mentions of textbook storytelling

"Shyness isn't cowering in a corner and not wanting to speak. Shyness is wanting to speak at every moment and not being able to. That's what anxiety is". So true

Everything in Velma is a good example of how not to execute a concept.

I know very little about anxiety, but Puss’ panic attack just felt so raw and real- you could feel and understand how pure the fear was. The technique was wonderful

Yes, I loved that "Puss in Boots" treated their audience like adults, while "Velma", which is nominally an adult animation, did the complete opposite!

The "shyness is wanting to speak but being unable to" hits WAY much harder than it should for some reason.

Puss in boots really made me realize how painful it must be to see someone going through moments of panic. I have had episodes of anxiety before and had to rely on others to help me. I've never realized how hard it must have been to not understand what is happening to someone and not know how to help

To be fair, Velma did almost nothing right.

I really admire the Puss in Boots panic attack portrayal as someone with a panic disorder because the use of the dolly zoom really shows how it feels to have that sort of tunnel vision. You can only focus on your own panic and what's causing it, nothing else around you seems to matter in that moment.

I think you missed the part of this conversation that stuck with me the most. How to deal with anxiety as a THIRD person. That's how I spot who did their homework of knowing what anxiety really like and portray a responsible message on a topic people are very uncultured. Puss had the dog. Caught that the cat was troubled and instead of loudness, obnoxiousness or being overly cartoony/memey. Just sat there. Not saying anything. Just shared warmth and another rhythmic lung/heartbeat. You know what Velma's writers say when your friend has a panic attack? That's right. Kiss them on the mouth. Because f your problems, my hot lips will make it go away, because its me you need to deal away your problems. So selfish and immature.

Tw: Death Anxiety My favorite part of Puss' portrayal of anxiety, is when Perrito, someone who is normally upbeat and frantic, recognizes Puss' stress, and just lies his head on Puss' stomach to just be there for him. Its a portrayal of how to help someone having anxiety as an outside person. Its a portrayal of grounding techniques, which includes touch. Perrito's head on Puss' stomach would be a light weight (think like lightly weighed blankets, or plushies) which can be very calming. There's also the subject of what exactly is giving Puss anxiety, and that answer is Death. Not just Death as a character, but as a concept. Death anxiety is something that can be especially hard to shake, as it is the one thing that we all know for an undeniable fact, will come for us. And when it does, we won't be able to stop it. But it's hard to think of that aspect of death as a comfort, rather than freaking out over it subconsciously. I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and it's so bad that I have to take medication for it to stop. And believe me, I've tried other techniques. Breathing, Grounding, Talking myself out of it, taking warm showers or baths, having plushies to hold, cuddling the dog, etc. And death was one thing I've had incredibly bad anxiety about, and kind of still is, because I have art to make, stories to tell, a message to send and people to reach. I have food to try, and hobbies to try, and I- And it could end that quickly. So I could relate to Puss' anxiety over death so hard, that when he was having the panic attack, I started having a mild one. I understood the feeling of laying still and breathing, feeling your heart race against your hand and trying so desperately to be calm enough to slow it down. But I also felt so seen, so heard. I knew there were others out there like me, and there were people out there who would understand and comfort me if need be. I'm starting to cry writing this comment. Anyway, nice video, could've touched on other aspects of why this was so good, but still a nice video.

I feel like Tony Stark's panic attack in Iron Man 3 is often overlooked. Presumably it's his first panic attack and his immediate reaction is to assume he's been poisoned, by retreating to the suit and having Jarvis do some checks. It helped me identify what was going on when I had my first attack. It felt like my body was fighting *something*, like I was in danger but just couldn't see what was causing it. For some reason the scene in Iron Man 3 crossed my mind, and I realised I was having my first real panic attack. Now that I knew I wasn't in any actual danger, I could focus on getting my breathing under control. I guess what I'm saying is that accurate portrayals of things like panic attacks can help people. Seeing a show/movie portray something otherwise invisible or hard to describe can help us, either if we experience them ourselves, or by being able to show more empathy for others who experience them. Also fuck Velma, that show was a dumpster fire.

Seeing anxiety portrayed correctly makes me smile. It’s a pretty horrible condition. No matter how “strong” you think you are or how smart, once it gets to you you’re stuck with it till your body determines it’s not in danger and relaxes.

I cried after that scene in puss in boots. It brought up a lot of suppressed emotions. That is PRECISELY what it feels like when you feel like you're running from death.

As someone who suffers from panic attacks, the portrayal in Puss In Boots seemed really well-done to me. It really captured the moment where the fear sets in, when everything else fades out, because your world rapidly shrinks to you and the terror and nothing else. The dog just laying there, not saying anything, absolutely works. No amount of questions, jokes, or-god forbid-kisses will end a panic attack. (fuck velma)

Another factor is the sound. Not just the heartbeat, but at 0:01 the ears ring and the little crackling background noises add so much to the feel. And that's what got me the most.

something else that I feel is important to note is that anxiety can sometimes look and feel very different for different people. I've had pretty severe anxiety for pretty much my whole life, but I don't have a panic disorder and very rarely get panic attacks, which some people think is strange considering how bad my anxiety is. What I really liked about puss in boots is that even though the panic attack scene is the one that people mostly reference in regards to his anxiety, there are lots of other, more subtle nods to his fear throughout the whole film, a lot of which I can really relate to and appreciate. It was a theme that I wasn't expecting and it was one that really hit close to home!

Velma's portrayal is just a straight up insult to people who suffer panic attacks. Something that would have made the Velma scene accurate AND heartwarming would be if Daphne actually helped Velma through her panic attack by giving her reassurance and care, and then once Velma calmed down, Velma would be the one to kiss her. It seems a lot more heartfelt than smooching someone having a hallucinatory panic attack and expecting that to work. Ted Lasso is easily the best in terms of realism and fear. The music mutes and rings, Ted's fingers start to curl and he runs. And when his his friends find out, they support him and talk him through it to calm him down. It's superb character building! I love the subtle details of the Puss in Boots one. The heart beat slowly getting fainter, the dry mouth as he swallows and catches his breath before talking, the brief moment where just has to process what happened before he’s able to let out a sigh of relief and speak. There’s a lot conveyed the instance where there’s almost nothing. It deeply humanizes the character and helps me understand his actions. Especially the way they tie back Perrito's wish to one day be a therapy dog! And the way Perrito slowly approaches and allows puss to determine if that is something he needs or wants to help him in that moment is just chef's kiss.

I loved Frozen long after every other adult was sick of it, bc Elsa's ice powers develop into a magical -- and therefore visual -- internally produced symptom of her social anxiety. "For the first time in forever - reprise" is basically a magical panic attack. Later, Elsa tells herself over and over, "Don't feel. Control it," as the ice spikes of her palace glow an eerie and threatening magenta, visually demonstrating how much she fears her own fear. After I was dianosed with panic disorder, I actually would use the "reprise" scene to explain to loved ones, "When I feel this storm, I can't process what you are saying, like how Elsa can't hear Anna telling her it will be ok because the wind -- the fear -- is so loud". Frozen was a very helpful analog during those conversations.

I honestly believe the opening of Saving Private Ryan - though not explicitly depicting a panic attack - does a really good job of using all the important cinematic techniques when it comes to depicting anxiety and being overwhelmed (especially the use of the tinnitus ring which makes everything seem far away) and has been extremely influential when it comes to modern filmmaking conventions on those topics.

Something I absolutely LOVE about the Puss anxiety attack is how tired and drained he is afterwards. I've suffered from panic attacks for about eleven years now and I've never really seen any show or movie tackle the after-effects of them.

It's still crazy to me that Puss in Boots ended up being one of the best movies about mental health in recent memory and it started as a Shrek spin-off.

A good example of anxiety being portrayed in a fresh way is in the Silent Voice, when they use the Xs to cover up other people. I’d never seen it used before but it depicted the feeling of isolating urself from others out of fear of what would happen so well

I think the thing which ultimately resonated with me so much about the Puss in Boots scene was Perrito The thing is, I personally don’t suffer from panic attacks. However I know many people closely who do. Therefore, whilst I sympathise with Puss in the scene, I relate to Perrito more because he is the character I would be in the scenario. I would be the one who has to try and help the person suffering The scene always breaks me emotionally because it shows me the importance of being that person who’s able to calm the victim down

The Owl House also does a decent job of showing a panic attack in the later portion of season 2. The character Hunter has a couple anxiety attacks in episodes S2E16 and S2E18. While they don't show the internal effects, instead opting for hyperventilation and physical signs of panic, the show has the characters around him react in a healthy way. I appreciate they did this, because it's a kid show and it could help teach younger audiences how to help in the case of a panic attack. One character explicitly says "don't crowd him" and reaches out to Hunter from a safe distance to give him proper space, and in another episode, they teach him something like square breathing techniques (counting to 4 using your fingers for in/out breath). While the portrayal was only external, I like that they took the panic attacks seriously, and had the characters reacting appropriately.

The scene in Puss and Boots is so raw and real. I had a panic attack a few months ago when my brother was sick. Not only did Puss and Boots potray the beginning of the panic attack well, but it also portrayed the ending very well too. It's the rising panic you feel and you try to run from it, your heart beats rapidly and you lose balance or motor functions. Everything around you is a blur. And when it ends, you're lying on the floor and hyperventilating. (That's how my panic attacks go, though simplified)

Panic attacks are something that fairly new to me, but it's connected to my PTSD. I survived a house fire last year. I thought I was alright, so I because a volunteer firefighter. When I went for my training earlier this year they had us don all of our protective gear, with full air tanks, and put us into a shipping container. They lit a bunch of plywood on fire a few feet from us and brought it to what we call "flashpoint" Flashpoint is an event in a fire where the air itself heats up so much that it basically combusts. It is not survivable without maximum protective gear and plenty of water. That was my first PTSD attack. So when I saw the Puss in Boots scene I choked up a bit, because a children's movie just showed what I felt. Same thing with Iron Man 3 when he has a PTSD attack on the sidewalk. It's not something I ever wanted to understand in such a personal way, but it's a part of my life now. And I'm glad there are shows and movies that can accurately show what it feels like.

I recently had a panic attack with my friends around but because it happened at an inconvenient time for them they saw it as me being selfish and immature and running away for no reason. I wish and hope I can make something so they can understand how it feels like to be in my place at that moment. Update: She wants to talk to me about what happened and warned me that it's going to hurt my feelings. She's either going to stop being my friend or blow up at me while telling me how years of my depression and anxiety have messed her up. On one hand I understand that's a lot to deal with and she should be upset but I just wish she didn't say triggering things when she's mad. But, most likely she's ending the friendship so I'll just tell her I understand and I'm sorry. Update 2: So we are no longer friends I got message that we needed to talk about what happened and I kind of had a feeling where it was going. So I talked to some people and realized that the only reason we were friends still was because we knew each other for 16 years and now we're holding each other back and hurting one another in different ways. So I texted that we should stop the friendship and they agreed . Update 3: I've notice people congratulating me and I feel bad because yes I did cut the friend off but a month later we eventually talked it out and we're better now. I'm not gonna lie and say I trust my friends when I have a panic attack in public. But, one is my oldest friend and the other is my roommate. I do hope I find someone who'll be there for me even if I have a public panic attack but I just wanted to be honest.

I really like the portrayal of panic attacks in the game Celeste

I’ve always loved puss in boots, ever since i watched it. As someone with bad anxiety it felt nice being represented correctly, i felt a connection with puss during his attack. The spider verse movies also portrayed it very well, for me at least.

I loved the way Puss in Boots created the scene, to me, it felt like the absolute truth. Both my wife and I experience panic attacks and it made me tear up at just how accurate it was. They say you don't know how you would react in situations portrayed in action movies, but when it comes to pure unadulterated panic, it is a feeling we KNOW and FEEL. In a way, it is a feeling that is both panic and loneliness, you're stuck inside your head and you wish for everything in your power to just have it end, the only thing you can hear is your own thoughts, your heart, and the sound of your brain killing itself. My wife had a service dog (she's still alive just retired, she's an old girlie). Seeing Perrito give comfort really hit a mark in my soul, we truly don't deserve animals. Side Note: The time distortion effect is indeed a dramatic effect, however I believe this is more of a representation of the sudden onset of confusion when it happens, it's almost like losing track of where you are spatially and suddenly unable to perform any action whatsoever, it's as if you were standing there for 5 minutes when in reality only a few seconds has passed. So while it is indeed dramatic, it is basically a reality.

Ted Lasso shows his panic attacks VERY well

Puss in boots panic attack no joke brought me to tears. They got it perfectly, I wanted him to feel better so much. Loved Purrito just being there for him, thats what any true friend or loved one should do in a situation like that. I still remember my first panic attack from when I was younger. All I could do was lay there while freaking out internally, luckily my mother was there and helped me calm down. I remember her standing there with her hand on me telling me it would be ok. I don't think she realizes how much that meant to me. I am actually tearing up a bit right now thinking about it.

A absolutely love the depiction in Iron Man 3 in the restaurant scene. It starts with calm conversation with Rhodes, then he gets agitated/defensive when Rhodes try to inquire about his well being. Then he has to put on a face when two kids walk up and ask for autograph, and that's when Rhodes says the trigger word "New York" and he starts losing it as the anxiety escalates. It has a very deliberate build up. It also shows one very important aspect of panic attacks, the social stigma of it. The scene ends with a crowd looking at him wondering what is going on and him leaving without being able to give an explanation.

I’ve suffered form death anxiety-related panic attacks in the last few years and this movie was the first time I felt tat side of me has been truly seen. It made me feel less alone in the struggle.

I recently had a very bad panic attack after my landlord and mother came both at me with severe accusations and more than aggressive behavior. It all came so suddenly that I tried to call my therapist but halfway through I couldn't speak, I started to hyperventilate, my doctor said to shut myself away from the source of the problem, drink water if I could and let her hear the source of the panic attack (my mother yelling like she had gone mad). Panic and anxiety attacks are never the same and varies from person to person. Some shut down completely and don't say a thing, others explode and react wildly. To say that a panic attack in a story MUST be done a certain way is dismissive; the important thing is that it feels natural, works for the story and characters presented and aids the development. Admittedly, people over-hyping the panic attack in Puss in Boots did annoy me for a bit since it's just but ONE example and there are many ways one can happen. I still commend the filmmakers for being genuine in this and not saying they shouldn't get the praise they deserve, but that people need to understand that panic attacks can't be all the same since everyone feels differently. And yes, Velma is the worst of them all because the attacks are easily dismissed after Velma laughs at Shaggy s genuine comments and then she gets kissed by Daphne. It never works that way.

I think the sound component as even more important than visuals. A clever team of filmmakers could use the sound perfectly to include us in the anxiety on the screen. Our eyes see the screen, the chair in front of us, the thin dust on the air, the sides of the screen ... but our ears hear only the movie.. the thumping heart, the fast breathing, the panting and talking with panic....they must also be perfect.

The best depiction of panic attack i've seen in a TV show was Druck 3x03. The uncomfortably loud sounds overshadowing the background music, the character's frantic attempts to calm down, camera's rapid cuts, and then the character being absolutely exhausted after; as someone who used to suffer from anxiety attacks i felt this scene SO damn much

When that one heart attack scene came up in puss in boots, i was genuinely convinced, by the change of the visuals, the colour pallets, and even the style of animation in that particular scene, that puss was indeed in danger, and that he was doing his best to keep it calm. The moment his therapy dog rested his head on his stomach i immediately bursted into tears, that was very well done... good job dreamworks.

Bocchi the Rock is one example of social anxiety done right in a comedic scene. For example, the protagonist, Bocchi, freaks out when asked about posting on social media. The art style changes, which makes it funny, yet her friends are so supportive of her.

Another good example of proper panic attack scene portrayal was Hunter’s panic attacks in The Owl House

I once had a mini panic attack at work and my friend literally told me that I didn’t because it wasn’t the same as theirs. I looked up the symptoms and remember feeling all of them but because I didn’t lose complete control and feeling like I’m about to die, I didn’t have one apparently. It hurt so much. It made my mini (and first) panic attack feel so invalid and like nothing. Like I should’ve just shrugged it off and continued working. I physically couldn’t.

Inside Out fact many don't know: It's partially inspired by a defunct Epcot attraction. You see, Epcot at Disney World in Florida used to have a pavilion called Wonders of Life. And within this pavilion was a show called Cranium Command where a little soldier named Buzzy had to pilot a twelve-year-old boy by making sure the parts of the body (represented by other humans) were all working together. Wonders of Life closed in 2007. Pete Docter, Inside Out's director, actually worked on the preshow of this attraction. The fact that even a preschool show like Paw Patrol did it better than Velma is so hilarious. It’s torture having to ride it out and wait for the panic to gradually pass. The elevated heart rate & fast breathing, the fact that you suddenly feel completely separated from your surroundings, the simultaneous need for physical space and need for comfort. Velma does a lot of weird dunking on therapists & people who seek counseling in addition to the bad portrayal of panic attacks and it leaves a particularly bad taste. Like how in Rio 2, Roberto has PTSD and he has panic attacks in the film, he even goes as far to start screaming stuff (repeating what he has said during the traumatic event as he relived it) to himself and not being able to listen to anyone. And my biggest issue with that is that it’s mostly played up for laughs bc “haha smooth and suave character is actually a mess” and it does the stupid “snap out of it” trope.

I love your channel, please never change please never go corporate I sometimes compare your channel to nerdstalgic I feel like they're in the same vein and nerdstalgic went from being this homegrown feeling to cookie cutter corporate You are so real and genuine and I hope you never lose the heart that comes through in every episode! I give this one 11 monkeys outta 7 kangaroos

Ive had a few panic attacks, and I think it very much depends on the person. Not everyone experiences them the same, at least from my experience. I personally just completely freeze up (Im talking completely go rigid and can't even blink) Vision washes red in waves, and my mind basically completely dissolves into a pool of anxiety and depression.

I also liked that in Puss in Boots is showed the little dog sort of reacting in an appropriate way, once they realized that there wasn't something they could do to help (it wasn't something external that could be fought or removed) the dog just committed to being there for Puss, resting his head on his belly, trying to be a calming presence and be supportive and just waiting for Puss to get through it, he didn't try to force him to talk or belittle him to "snap out of it" he was just THERE WITH HIM.

For me, Perks of Being a Wallflower has one of the best scenes showcasing panic attacks. It’s scarily accurate

I saw myself in puss when he started having that panic attack I almost bursted into tears because I KNOW how painful it can be and how everything seems to slow down and everything seems to become more intense and harder to handle. Anyone else who is struggling wether it be now or at given point in time, you are NOT alone and we can work together to make it a little less tough! Take care of yourselves and have a great day/night ❤❤❤❤

Was hoping Ted Lasso would make an appearance in this video. I thought they did a pretty good job with this topic.

the Puss In Boots scene always makes me tear up, not because i know what panic attacks feel like, but because the movie gave me a good idea of it, and it's just nice to see a whole gem like this handle adult topics with so much maturity while still being suitable for a young audience too. it respects the viewer so much and that's such a rare thing especially in animation because it's often looked down upon as some sort of genre specifically for children, thus "not needing to be good".

Bojack horseman did an amazing job at tackling a panic/anxiety attack and not only this but how to help someone calm down

As someone who has panic attacks multiple times per week, puss and boots did so so well, it really shows the reality of panic attacks, and the part where he tries calming down is how I feel when isolating myself so I can calm myself.

I'm currently in progress of developing a VR horror game based around someone who strugles with social anxiety. Thanks for the break-down of this, I was having trouble coming up with a way to truly show a panic attack, although this is from the third-person perspective I'm sure some of it can translate well into the first-person

The portrayal of anxiety in puss in boots is genuinely so accurate, the sort of swirling fuzzy vision, the mix of slow breathing and quick breathing, also I REALLY love the detail of when Perrito places his head on Puss' chest / torso, deep pressure therapy is often something therapy and service dogs are taught to do to reduce panic, I really really like that detail.

That scene in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Perrito's response literally made me cry

Hank's panic attack/PTSD/flashbacks are only a meme due to the popularity of the series. I think it did a great job showing a more aggressive attack, shooting it like he's having a heart attack, and his general confusion as to what is even happening. It's also a huge turning point in his character. He starts off as some obnoxious alpha male constantly cracking vaguely racist jokes with his shitty co-workers, then he encounters even worse cop and endures trauma and really ends up humbled to the audience. It really sets him up to become the eventual moral centre of the story. It's not as though panic attacks have some duty to always be something subdued. Sometimes panic is just panic.

As someone who has SEVERE panic disorder, I was really surprised at how well Puss in Boots represented panic attacks. The beginning of his panic attack in particular (shown at 0:00) is very accurate to how I experience them. I think a lot of the portrayals of panic attacks and anxiety focus on showing fear, when in reality a panic attack is more like an intense, prolonged sense of dread. I’ve described it to people as being like if that moment of “oh shit” when you miss a step going down the stairs was stretched out to last 10-30 minutes. I think the combination of everything slowing wayyy down, Puss’s hair standing on end, the ominous whistle, and the way he freezes really captures that feeling. I also appreciate that it happens literally in the middle of a fight. Panic attacks come out of nowhere, and usually not when it’s convenient. Instead of having him panic at a time that would fit better in the plot, they accurately showed how panic attacks kind of force stop on everything else. I’ve had a LOT of opportunities to observe my own panic attacks and understand how they work, and i can confidently say I'm not ambitious enough to try representing one in film even though it’s a topic I have extensive personal experience with. It’s such an intense, subjective experience and there are so many moving parts that it’s hard to understand it myself, let alone explain it to someone on the outside. For that reason I find successful portrayals of panic attacks ESPECIALLY impressive.

As someone who used to have panic attacks (one of them causing me to take off running aimlessly into the woods at night) this scene in Puss perfectly encapsulated the result of your fight or flight mode, specifically the flight part. This scene depicts the feeling of fear so primal that you have no choice but to take off running. Where any shadow can be mistaken for a threat. Where your body is so pumped with adrenaline, you dont care if your body trips or falls, you don't register your surroundings even as you stumble. Your body keeps moving. Both mind and body keep scrambling with the sole goal of escaping whatever caused you to feel so scared. And then finally the crash of exhaustion but your body still trying keep the adrenaline going.

I love how puss shows that even if the general panic attack is "over", you still cant escape it. Even afterwards you still feel the effect that it has on your body and mind

Without even actually watching the series, I can already tell that what Velma is really having is not a panic/anxiety attack, rather a psychotic episode

Hank will always have the best panic attack. Harvey specter a close second.

something that made puss in boots 2's panic attack sequence wasn't the hair or the running or the heavy breathing, it was the heart beat for me. when I have panic attacks, I constantly hear my heart beat and not much else in my ears because when we were younger, that's what i would hear to calm me down, my mother's steady heart beat.

kids can enjoy good writing too… like they’d enjoy everything, but it is real special when you grow up and find that something you are nostalgic for holds up really well. This is going to be one of those movies for people.

Your videos are so great. Love 'em! Had to rewatch the Breaking Bad panic attack scenes and especially the elevator one striked me at how well and real it felt. It's not a long one but it captures that sudden attack that comes from nowhere and disappears twice as fast and then you just go with your friends acting as though nothing had happened.

0:29 I super appreciate you spotlighting Bo because hearing about how the closer of Make Happy came about and what it meant to him was so heavy. Even if he walked back some of his comments about his feelings towards the audience (which was good and healthy) the fact that he went through that so many nights while doing something he once did as a joyful passion is heartbreaking.

His panic attacks made me cry, they were perfect, genuinely perfect.

I literally cried so much watching puss in boots, because (1) storyline and (2) how relatable and accurately they portrayed anxiety and other emotions.

Another greate example is Norma from Paranomal Patk were it shows her having a panic attack/autistic meltdown by showing a change in art style and having her behaviour boiling up the whole episode especially shown in how Norma is seeing the characters in a kind of worm eye view wich makes everything seem more scary and also reflects how over welming socialising can be to people with anxiety and autism. Honestly this is probably one of my favourite scenes in any TV show.

Sensory overload is such a huge problem when it comes down to anxiety. I remember the last time I had a panic attack, I was in my house alone, and My house is very quiet, but the AC was blowing and all my brain could do was focus on how loud the air was. It caused me to start uncontrollably shaking and my heart pounded so hard I thought I was dying. I just sat in the same place for almost 20 minutes just doing breathing exercises. The entire time I had this looming sense of dread that came out of no where, that usually doesn’t leave even after you calm yourself down. Puss in Boots perfectly articulates that sense of dying you get when your dealing with a panic attack and the sense of looming dread and isolation that you get.

The thing with Puss in Boots is that, throughout the attack, it draws you back to reality. As someone with an anxiety disorder who suffers from singularity triggers like Puss does, watching this scene genuinely gave me flashbacks to prior attacks I had been through. It shows Puss's mind trying to pull him into the attack and his logic trying to pull him away, as we see with the branches being the wolf but then quickly showing they were only ever trees and the wolf statue that his mind distorts into being Death, but when he sees it again after passing the tree he sees what it truly is. The camera switch continuity error is, to me at least, supposed to portray the sense of lost memories when having a panic attack. It is clear that the people who made the film had advisors who have had experience with these kind of things, as often I find myself almost blacking out during my attacks and so one moment I'll be doing one things and then I snap into reality where I'm doing something else. It also displays the use of support animals such as the dog, which is very realistic and the way he calms down is incredibly natural, and not sudden. On the other hand, we have Velma. Everything is a shitty metaphor and the tones are all wrong. It's more like an Artaud PTSD piece, and less like an attempt at a serious panic attack. She also just kind of stops having a panic attack, which isn't how they work, and she seems to be phasing in and out of it at times which, again, isn't what a panic attack is like. It's as though the creators watched an A-Level Drama piece about stress and thought: "This. This is what it's like. This is what we need. Hyperventilation, hallucinations and comic relief. That's not a panic attack. That's asthma, a bucketload of LSD, and that one high friend jumping off a roof into a pool that they forgot to take the cover off.

Indie dev here! I’m trying to portray my character having a panic attack on screen during a cutscene, thanks for this great resource!

katie’s panic attacks in alexa and katie are portrayed really well too

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is one of the best movies I've seen in the last 10-some years. The group of people who made it absolutely pretty much nailed everything in the movie. Haven't seen a near-perfect movie since The 5th Element.

My favourite part of it was the dog. When my anxiety was at its worst I found that cuddling my dog was very helpful. For some reason, watching grand designs also worked.

Great to see panic attacks and anxiety presented in a realistic fashion. I used to get anxiety attacks pretty often and I never let anyone know about them.

Of the examples you used, I’ve only seen The Last of Us and Iron Man 3, both of which had pretty good panic attack depictions. I don’t have them often but I get random panic attacks (maybe 2 a year) and mine cause my hands and arms to go numb and draw up, among other things. Panic attacks are one of the most indescribable sensations I’ve ever encountered, so it’s incredible when media depicts one in a meaningful and understandable way. Puss in Boots seems as if it did a good job.

For me it was how he was lost in himself and the hyperventilating with no real external danger around. I think moving to that objective view from Perrito grounded the scene, whereas other depictions that remain with the subjective camera work don’t make it as clear there’s no real external danger, it’s all internal.

I remember one of my worst panic attacks, I was just chilling with my friends and started to hit, I told them I'd be back and calmly walked upstairs. Though it felt like I had to get to my room like it was dependent on my survival. As soon as I got in I rested on the back of door whilst my heart rate increased even more. I climbed to lay on the bed with my hand on my heart( I think it's why the puss in boots scene hit so hard for me) but my heart was still racing so I don't know why it helped but I got up and turned off the lights and laid back into bed breathing quickly and heavily eventually it slowed down. I don't know why but I know for me that being in the dark helped.

perrito is probably my favourite part of the scene - showing how a service animal or friend could help in the event of a panic attack. it’s very sweet.

I think another good representation of a panic attack is in shadow and bone s2 when Kaz has one in the stadwatch carriage because it shows that he is freaking out but trying not to let others know. It's really subtle at first and the other people around him don't notice something is off until he actually almost throws up. Showing kaz swallowing a lot and trying to not make any faces really depicts accurately what it is like to try your best to not outwardly panic and stop it before it gets really bad. I feel like its a good representation of a panic attack in someone who gets them enough to know what is happening.

I remember learning what a panic attack was at 15 and everything started to make sense. But when I told my mom that I had had 3 panic attacks in one day, she doubted me and told me I was exaggerating. I felt so guilty because I believed her and thought I was just looking for attention or something. It took many years but after taking our mental health course in nursing school, she finally understood. She apologized and started taking me more seriously when it came to my anxiety. Around that time I got diagnosed with severe OCD and got on medication to help. I also have adopted 3 cats who are the best therapy animals I’ve ever had. Chip (my oldest cat) comes and sits in my lap and purrs when I’m having an episode, sometimes he makes biscuits on my leg, and licks my tears when they fall off my face. My husband, when he’s home when I have an episode, gets me a big cup of water and makes me drink it to slow my breathing and help distract my brain. He also sits there in silence and offers me tissues because when I have a panic attack, I start crying with it. It reminds me that even though I may be having a difficult moment, I’m still loved and still worth being loved.

When I watched Last Wish the first time, seeing the portrayal of Puss's anxiety and seeing Perrito acting like how a real-life therapy dog would really hit a personal chord. I have anxiety myself, and have even thought about a therapy dog, and it just felt so raw and genuine and personal. Very few scenes have struck me in such a way before. It almost feels comforting to see it portrayed so genuinely and to see Perrito make good on his therapy dog dream. I barely even have the words for it, honestly. I had to pause the movie for a minute after that scene.

When i saw the movie i simply could relate to that scene, how your heart beat runs, you get anxious, you start thinking incoherently, is a visual experience that i saw and it was beautiful. The whole movie, in a visual way, is a blessing to your eyes.

The Sopranos discusses panic attacks through generations and the triggers for them. Great video ❤️

I remember my first panic attack really vividly. I woke up and was just immediately in defense mode. Shaking, sweating, on the verge of throwing up, and the weirdest part? I felt like there was someone, SOMETHING, actively hunting me down both inside of my brain and inside of my house. I started basically tumbling down the steps, almost hyperventilating, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It wasn't until I nearly kicked my cat after he meowed at me and I went into fight-or-flight mode (and chose fight) that I realised that something was deeply wrong with me and nothing else, and eventually I managed to force myself into taking deep breaths until it stopped.

this film was incredible, they portrayed it so similarly to how i’ve felt during panic attacks, the blurring, frantic movement but feeling like you’re barely moving, everything feels distorted, the dutch angle also being used to show how unstable he is feeling, the clarity coming back to him once perrito is helping him breathe; it made my heart hurt watching him panic, because i’ve felt like that.

That scene made me want to cry. It's very accurate and I'm glad it's getting the recognition it deserves.

"shyness is not cowering in a corner not wanting to speak, shyness is wanting to speak at every moment and not being able to" - Bo Burnham (Damn dude, well said)

This scene is when I instantly went this film is amazing.

This video explains it so good! I haven't seen this Puss in Boots movie yet, though I wanted to watch it at the cinema. Now I'm really glad I didn't get the chance, because I'm sure I would've bursted out in tears. I had my first real panic attack while watching "Kung Fu Panda" at the cinema back in 2008 when I was 15... The visuals here describe the helplessness and the feel to faint during a panic attack so well. The feel when a freezing chill goes down your spine, the racing heartrate and the fear of death. Really great wrap up and explanation of yours! Now I really need to watch the movie!

As someone with a lot of anxiety problems, including agoraphobia, i cried when Peurito(sorry if i misspelled) set his head on Puss. Reminded me when a pyschology class had a therapy dog in and some of us sat down next to him and he instantly set his head on my lap. His handler asked if i was okay, and i was anxious from being triggered in the class earlier and thought of leaving if i didnt already know the dogs would be there and thought seeing them would be enough to help me calm down, and him setting his head on me and petting him definitely helped. That scene reminded me so much of that moment it made me happy to see.

Ah yes, the masterpiece of our time: Paw Patrol the Movie But fr, this guy can really analyze the amazing moments in movies that I often overlook

Love this. One of the craziest panic attacks I've ever seen on screen is Joaquin Phoenix in You Were Never Really Here. I've never felt something so intensely through the screen while watching a movie.

As someone who's suffered from anxiety and panic attacks, I've never felt more spoken to than how puss experienced a panic attack

I’m actually glad you showed Iron Man 3’s example of a panic attack I don’t think people give RDJ enough credit for how well he portrayed going through a panic attack

Puss in Boots: Last Wish is a great movie overall. Story, characters, animation. All great. Plus this scene is very well made.

Hands up if you know what it feels like for your fur to stand on end like that, even though you don't have fur.

not really related but i noticed how puss in boots lowers the framerates during battles and i just thought it was genuinely such a cool detail and i love it

I will keep this in mind when animating. Thanks so much for this video!