As far as kid movies go, The Bad Guys is one of the more welcome diversions of the year. The film is a slick and funny caper for the pre-teen set that is blessed with a cast of talented actors and animation that is so much fun that it almost makes the fart jokes forgivable.
Based on the graphic novel series by Aaron Blabey, the story focuses on a group of anthropomorphized animals led by Wolf (Sam Rockwell). The gang is feared across their city because of their unending string of robberies. When a mission goes awry, Wolf makes a bet with Governor Foxington (Zazie Beetz) that his pals can go straight and win the city’s affections. It’s all a ruse to get his hands on a priceless bauble, but it’s not long before Wolf learns that being a good boy might just be more enjoyable than being a bad dog.
It is a simple moral, and The Bad Guys won’t earn any comparisons to the nuanced, emotional work of Pixar. But what it lacks in depth, it makes up for in style. Longtime DreamWorks animator Pierre Perifel makes his feature debut here, and leans hard into the vibe of grown-up heist films (one character even warns a character not to turn on the charm and go “the full Clooney”). The action sequences are broken up into split screens, and move with energy. The score is jazzy and engaging, and the visual style blends computer imagery and flourishes mimicking hand-drawn animation, similar to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and The Mitchells vs. The Machines (2020). While it doesn’t quite have the stylistic ambitions of either of those films, The Bad Guys has its own slick look and fast pace that make it a great deal of fun to watch.
The cast is also one of the better to populate a kids’ movie, and Perifel doesn’t go the standard DreamWorks route of making all of the characters exaggerated versions of their real-life counterparts. Rockwell, in particular, brings charm and heart to Wolf, a slick conman who is surprised to find that doing the right thing makes his tail wag. He has strong chemistry opposite Beetz, whose character has a few secrets of her own. Marc Maron brings welcome sarcasm to the curmudgeonly Snake, and both Craig Robinson and Anthony Ramos earn laughs as master of disguise Shark and the agile but flatulent Piranha, respectively. Awkwafina continues to prove that her presence is always welcome as tech whiz Tarantula, and Richard Ayoade is fun as the seemingly good natured but potentially devious guinea pig Professor Marmalade.
Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina, and Anthony Ramos in “The Bad Guys.” © 2022 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Too many animated films go loud and frantic in an attempt to keep eyeballs on the screen; others decide that kiddie attention spans are already a lost cause, so they pepper the film with pop culture gags that will keep the parents entertained. But The Bad Guys is amiable and fun without being too over-caffeinated or snarky. It’s funny, but the jokes are tied into the visuals or the characters, not gags that will age poorly in five years. And the film’s cool vibe and slick action make it an ideal first heist movie for young movie geeks.
That’s not to say The Bad Guys is a masterpiece. Its world-building is confusing, and the tone is more pleasant than uproarious. It’s not going to wrest too many kids from the bouncy beats of Encanto (2021) or the frantic antics of Turning Red (2022). But for young moviegoers, it provides enough action and fun to be engaging, and parents might also find themselves swept up in the caper.
