The Bad Guys (film)

Theatrical release poster

***The Bad Guys*** is a 2022 American computer-animated heist comedy film loosely based on the children's book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey, produced by DreamWorks Animation Studios and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was directed by Pierre Perifel (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Etan Cohen, and stars the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Alex Borstein, and Lilly Singh. It tells the story of a criminal group of anthropomorphic animals who, upon being caught, pretend to attempt to reform themselves as model citizens, only for their leader to find himself genuinely drawn to changing his ways for good as a new villain has his own plans.

Work on the film started in March 2018, with Cohen writing the screenplay; the characters and themes drew inspiration from various crime films and anime series such as *Pulp Fiction* (1994), the *Ocean's* film trilogy, *Lupin III*, and *Sherlock Hound*, while the inspiration for the film's animation style came from Sony Pictures Animation's *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse* (2018). Production began at DreamWorks Animation's Glendale campus and some additional production assets were borrowed from Jellyfish Pictures, with voice acting being done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

*The Bad Guys* was released theatrically in several countries beginning March 16, 2022, and in the United States on April 22, in 2D and RealD 3D formats. It received positive reviews from critics for its animation, writing, humor, and voice acting. It was also a box office success, grossing over $250 million worldwide.

## Plot

In a world where humans and anthropomorphic animals co-exist, pickpocket and robber Mr. Wolf leads The Bad Guys, a gang of infamous criminal animals known for their thefts and escapades, especially from the hot-tempered chief of police, Misty Luggins.

After being insulted by Governor Diane Foxington on live television for their predictability, Wolf convinces his gang to pull off a heist to steal a valuable award called the Golden Dolphin before it is awarded to guinea pig philanthropist Professor Marmalade at a gala. During the heist, Wolf inadvertently helps an elderly woman and is praised for the good deed, leading to Wolf having conflicted feelings and failing to do his part of the mission. The gang is arrested, but Wolf persuades Foxington to let Marmalade reform them, but secretly plans to steal the award again.

Marmalade's initial attempts to reform the gang are disastrous due to the gang's nature; an attempt to rescue guinea pigs from a research lab goes awry due to Wolf's second-in-command, Mr. Snake, eating them. Foxington decides to call off the experiment, but relents when Wolf confesses that he became a criminal because he despises being hated for his species; she admits she understands and has hope for him. Wolf contemplates the matter and finds himself rescuing a cat from a tree, which Marmalade records and publishes, turning the public image of the gang around.

The gang plans a new heist to steal the award again during a gala, but a run in with Foxington fully convinces Wolf that the gang can go good, and he ultimately decides to take the offer of a fresh start. Suddenly, a meteorite which was on display is stolen, and the gang is blamed and arrested. Marmalade meets them in private and reveals that he stole the meteorite and had planned for the gang to be framed. He also reveals that he was the old woman Wolf had helped at the first gala.

In prison, Wolf tells his gang that he does not want to be a criminal anymore and that they can all improve. Snake refuses, believing that the world will never see them as anything other than monsters. Their fight is interrupted when a mysterious person, soon revealed to be Foxington, rescues them. Wolf identifies her as The Crimson Paw, a criminal mastermind who suddenly stopped committing crimes.

Now free, the gang abandons Wolf when they refuse to accept that they can change. They find their hideout wholly emptied of their loot, as Wolf had revealed its location to Foxington earlier to appease for his crimes. After Snake willingly gives Mr. Shark his last Push Pop out of kindness, the others realize that they can change their ways and proceed to help Wolf. However, Snake denies it and abandons them to ally with Marmalade, who plans to use the meteorite to power a mind-control device to hypnotize an army of guinea pigs into stealing his own charity funds.

Foxington reveals to Wolf that she reformed when she was about to steal the Golden Dolphin but realized that she was only what everyone saw her as, and then decided to help people. Wolf and Foxington break into Marmalade's home to steal the meteorite, only to be captured by Marmalade and Snake. The rest of the gang rescues them and steals the meteorite while foiling Marmalade's heist. They arrive at the police station to turn in the meteorite, but Wolf decides to turn back and try to bring Snake back. During a chase, Marmalade betrays Snake to blackmail Wolf and retrieves the meteorite. However, the gang rescues Snake and destroys Marmalade's mind-control helmet, before surrendering to the authorities.

Marmalade attempts to take credit for recovering the meteorite, but it is revealed to be a fake planted by Snake, who had faked his defection and secretly switched it for the manor's meteorite-shaped lamp. The real meteorite explodes, blowing up Marmalade's manor and exposing Marmalade as the thief. When the lamp falls on Marmalade, a diamond that he stole from Foxington falls out of his suit, which Luggins recognizes as having been stolen by the Crimson Paw years ago. With being framed, and implicated as the Crimson Paw, Marmalade is arrested.

In a mid-credits scene set one year later, the gang is released from prison early in light of their good behavior and leave with Foxington, ready to begin their new crime-fighting careers as the Good Guys.

## Voice cast

* Sam Rockwell as Mr. Wolf, a witty, charming, pickpocket wolf and the leader of "The Bad Guys" gang, who also acts as the gang's getaway driver
* Marc Maron as Mr. Snake, a sarcastic, cynical safe-cracking snake and Wolf's second-in-command, as well as his best friend
* Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula, a sharp-tongued and sarcastic expert hacker tarantula also known as "Webs"
* Craig Robinson as Mr. Shark, a childish and sensitive master of disguise shark
* Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha, a short-fused, loose-cannon piranha and the "muscle" of the gang
* Richard Ayoade as Professor Marmalade, a wealthy guinea pig philanthropist and scientist who suggests that Wolf's group start doing "good deeds", but is secretly an evil and greedy individual intending to steal from his own charity
* Zazie Beetz as Diane Foxington (a.k.a. The Crimson Paw), a red fox serving as the state governor; a former master thief who eventually helps mentor Wolf to do the same
* Alex Borstein as Police Chief Misty Luggins, the hot-tempered human chief of police who is determined to arrest The Bad Guys at any cost
* Lilly Singh as Tiffany Fluffit, a local human news reporter with the tendency to exaggerate her reports