The Bad Guys (film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Bad Guys (film)
US theatrical release poster
Directed by	Pierre Perifel
Produced by	Damon Ross Rebecca Huntley
Screenplay by	Etan Cohen
Starring	Sam Rockwell Marc Maron Awkwafina Craig Robinson Anthony Ramos Richard Ayoade Zazie Beetz Alex Borstein Lilly Singh
Music by	Daniel Pemberton
Editing by	John Venzon
Studio	DreamWorks Animation
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	April 12, 2022 (2022-04-12) (Los Angeles) April 22, 2022 (2022-04-22) (United States)
Running time	100 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$69–80 million
Money made	$250.8 million

The Bad Guys is an exciting animated comedy film from 2022. It is based on the popular children's book series by Aaron Blabey. The movie was made by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Pierre Perifel. It tells the story of a group of animal friends who are famous for being "bad guys." When they get caught, they pretend to change their ways. But their leader, Mr. Wolf, starts to wonder if being good might actually be better.

The film's creators began working on it in March 2018. They took inspiration from many different crime movies and anime shows. The unique animation style was inspired by films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Production happened at DreamWorks Animation, and voice actors recorded their parts from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bad Guys first came out in theaters in March and April 2022. It was very popular and earned over $250 million worldwide. Critics enjoyed the movie. Many new adventures for these characters have followed, including a sequel film, The Bad Guys 2, which was released in 2025, and several TV specials and a TV series.

The Story of The Bad Guys

The story takes place in a world where humans and talking animals live together. Mr. Wolf is the clever leader of "The Bad Guys." This famous group includes his best friend, Mr. Snake, who is great at opening safes. Ms. Tarantula, also called "Webs," is a super hacker. Mr. Shark is a master of disguises. And Mr. Piranha is the strong, energetic member of the team.

After another daring plan and police chase, Governor Diane Foxington points out how predictable the gang's actions are. Wolf convinces his team to try and steal the Golden Dolphin award. This award was going to be given to Professor Rupert Marmalade IV, a guinea pig who helped rebuild the city after a meteorite hit.

While trying to steal the award, Wolf accidentally helps an elderly woman. This makes him feel good inside, which delays their escape. The gang is then caught. To avoid jail, Wolf suggests that Professor Marmalade try to teach them how to be good citizens.

Marmalade's attempts to reform the gang don't go well at first. After a failed attempt to rescue guinea pigs from a lab, Diane gets upset. But she also understands Wolf's struggle. She sees that he feels pressured to be the "big bad villain" everyone expects.

Wolf later saves a cat from a tree. Marmalade records this act, and the video helps change the public's opinion of the gang. However, Mr. Snake worries that Wolf is forgetting their original plan to pretend to be good.

At Marmalade's big charity event, the gang plans another heist to steal the award. Wolf, who has started to like Diane, decides he truly wants to be good. But then, the meteorite is stolen instead! The Bad Guys are blamed and arrested. A regretful Wolf tells Diane where their hidden loot is.

Marmalade then reveals that he was the one who stole the meteorite. He set up the Bad Guys, even pretending to be the old woman Wolf helped earlier. Wolf gets angry and exposes Marmalade in front of everyone, including Diane.

In prison, Wolf explains that he believes they can have a better life. This causes a fight with Snake, who thinks society will never accept them. Suddenly, Diane rescues the gang. Wolf realizes she is the Crimson Paw, a famous former thief who has also changed her ways. Diane now believes Wolf is truly good.

Wolf agrees to help Diane stop Marmalade from using the meteorite as a mind-control device. The other Bad Guys go back to their hideout, only to find their stolen treasures are gone. Snake comforts Shark with a Push Pop, and they all realize Wolf was right about a better life. But Snake, still in denial, pretends to join Marmalade.

Diane and Wolf discover Marmalade is using the meteorite to control an army of guinea pigs. He sends them to steal money from his own charity across the city. Diane shares that when she tried to steal the Golden Dolphin herself, she realized she didn't want to be the person society expected. She then left her criminal life behind.

While trying to get the meteorite back, Marmalade and Snake capture Wolf and Diane. Webs, Shark, and Piranha arrive to rescue them. Together, they race to deliver the meteorite to the police, but they decide to bring Snake back to their side first. Chased by the guinea pig army, Wolf has to give up the meteorite when Marmalade throws Snake out of his helicopter.

After reuniting with Snake, the police confront the gang. Marmalade's mind-control device is destroyed. Before Diane can reveal her past to defend the Bad Guys, Wolf and his friends willingly turn themselves in. Marmalade tries to take credit for finding the meteorite. But Snake reveals he only pretended to join Marmalade. Snake had swapped the real meteorite with a fake lamp.

The machine then destroys the real meteorite, showing Marmalade as the true thief. He accidentally frames himself as the Crimson Paw when a diamond he stole from Diane falls from his pocket. This leads to his arrest. As the police take the Bad Guys to jail, Wolf reveals he left the Push Pop to show there was good in Snake. The gang is happy, knowing they are no longer "bad guys."

Who's Who in the Cast

The titular group of criminal animals are voiced by Sam Rockwell (Mr. Wolf), Marc Maron (Mr. Snake), Awkwafina (Ms. Tarantula), Craig Robinson (Mr. Shark) and Anthony Ramos (Mr. Piranha) respectively.

• Sam Rockwell as Mr. Wolf, the smart and charming leader of "The Bad Guys." He is also their getaway driver.
• Marc Maron as Mr. Snake, a grumpy snake and Wolf's best friend. He is very good at opening safes.
• Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula, also known as "Webs." She is a quick-witted tarantula and an expert computer hacker.
• Craig Robinson as Mr. Shark, a friendly great white shark who is a master of disguises.
• Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha, a small but strong piranha who is the "muscle" of the gang.
• Richard Ayoade as Professor Marmalade, a rich guinea pig scientist. He pretends to help Wolf's group do good deeds, but he is secretly greedy and evil.
• Zazie Beetz as Diane Foxington (also known as The Crimson Paw), a red fox who is the state governor. She was once a master thief but changed her ways. She becomes Wolf's friend.
• Alex Borstein as Misty Luggins, the determined human chief of police. She wants to arrest The Bad Guys at all costs.
• Lilly Singh as Tiffany Fluffit, a local news reporter who sometimes exaggerates her stories.

How the Movie Was Made

Developing the Story

On July 22, 2017, news reports mentioned that several studios wanted to turn Aaron Blabey's The Bad Guys books into a movie. In March 2018, DreamWorks Animation announced they were making the film. Etan Cohen was chosen to write the script.

The next year, Pierre Perifel was named as the director for his first feature film. The team worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The movie was designed to be a fresh take on the "heist" movie genre, much like Shrek changed fairy tales.

Creating the Look and Feel

The film's animation style was inspired by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. DreamWorks wanted a more artistic and stylized look than their earlier films. The characters' designs were influenced by various crime movies and anime series.

Most of the animation was done by DreamWorks Animation. Other companies helped with creating additional parts of the film. The opening scene in the diner is the longest continuous shot in DreamWorks Animation history, lasting over two minutes.

The Music of the Film

Daniel Pemberton composed the music for the film. He also worked on the soundtrack for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. A song called "Good Tonight," performed by Anthony Ramos, was released on March 18, 2022. The full soundtrack album came out on March 31, 2022. It included other new songs and a cover of "Feelin' Alright" by Elle King.

Other songs heard in the film include "Stop Drop Roll" by Can't Stop Won't Stop and "Howlin' for You" by The Black Keys.

Getting the Word Out

The marketing for The Bad Guys started on December 14, 2021, with the first trailer. A second trailer was released on February 23, 2022. A TV ad shown during the Super Bowl pre-game gained millions of views online.

The film also partnered with the March Madness basketball tournament in 2022. They created a virtual bracket for the characters and showed commercials during game coverage. Special online filters and trends on social media platforms like Snapchat and TikTok helped promote the movie.

When and Where It Was Released

Theatrical Release

The Bad Guys was first planned for release on September 17, 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its release date was changed several times. It finally premiered in theaters in some countries on March 16, 2022, and in the United States on April 22, 2022. Universal Pictures decided not to release the film in Russia in March 2022.

Watching at Home

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released The Bad Guys on DVD, Blu-ray, and for digital download in the United States on June 21, 2022. The film became available on the Peacock streaming service on July 1, 2022.

As part of a deal, the movie also streamed on Netflix starting November 1, 2022. It later returned to Peacock on September 1, 2023, and then moved to Amazon Prime Video on January 1, 2024.

More Adventures for The Bad Guys

The Next Movie

A sequel to The Bad Guys was officially confirmed by DreamWorks Animation. The Bad Guys 2 was released in the US on August 1, 2025. Pierre Perifel returned to direct, and JP Sans co-directed. The original cast reprised their roles. On July 13, 2024, Natasha Lyonne was announced as part of the cast for the sequel. A trailer for the sequel was released on November 21, 2024. It showed the returning cast and introduced new voice actors.

Holiday Fun

A holiday special inspired by the characters, titled The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday, debuted on Netflix on November 30, 2023. This special takes place before the events of the film. It shows the Bad Guys reluctantly bringing back holiday cheer to Los Angeles after Christmas was unexpectedly canceled. A Halloween special, The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist, was released on October 3, 2024.

A New Series

On October 8, 2025, a prequel series called The Bad Guys: Breaking In was announced. Inspired by the film's characters, the series premiered on Netflix on November 6, 2025.

See also

In Spanish: Los tipos malos para niños