“The Bad Guys 2’ Is A Criminally Good Time

In 2022, DreamWorks Animation released “The Bad Guys,” which is loosely based on the children' s book series of the same name by Australian author Aaron Blabey. The animated movie received great reviews and became a decent box office success - grossing $250 million worldwide.

Now, a few years later, we get to see what everyone’s favorite bad guys are up to in “The Bad Guys 2.”

In the new action-packed chapter for DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed comedy smash about a crackerjack crew of animal outlaws, our now-reformed Bad Guys are trying (very, very hard) to be good, but instead find themselves hijacked into a high stakes, globe-trotting heist, masterminded by a team of criminals they never saw coming - The Bad Girls.

Just like the 2022 movie, “The Bad Guys 2” delivers a lot of energetic fun and humorous moments that the entire family will surely enjoy! This animated sequel does an amazing job retaining the spirit and style of the original while really raising the stakes with a bigger adventure.

“The Bad Guys” follow up has quite a few moments scattered throughout that will give the crows a real good laugh. Even though a good amount of the humor has quite a few gags that are considered slapstick, they will really have you and the kids laughing.

There’s a small subplot involving a sappy romance between Snake and a new character that has some twists and turns as well. This romance subplot of those two characters definitely brings quite a few laughs. This animated sequel delivers some of the usual gross out gags that the little ones will enjoy, especially as the movie gets to the third act with Snake and Piranha.

“The Bad Guys 2” also features amazing animation that’s also mixed in with a bit of 2D animation style. The animation style also gives the action scenes a truly unique look and helps the action-packed sequences in a big way. And, speaking of action, this animated sequel also delivers a good amount of fun action.

The opening sequence which takes place in Cairo really reminds me of some of the big budget action set pieces that we can see in huge action movies and this action-packed opening sequence also shows us the first heist for the Bad Guys. The movie also gives us an action-packed introduction of The Bad Girls and the third act (which involves a speeding rocket and a helicopter) is an explosive way to conclude the movie!

In between the hilarious moments and visually incredible action-packed sequences, the sequel also does a fantastic job delivering some fairly emotional elements. “The Bad Guys 2” explores some themes such as growth, friendship and second chances. The sequel also continues to build on some themes from the first movie, which explores the courage to change and the strength to stay the course - something that the Mr. Wolf character has been trying to do.

Overall, “The Bad Guys 2” is an enjoyable follow up that delivers a lot of humorous moments and fun action. With a truly fast pace and a beautiful animation style, families will have a criminally good time with this animated sequel! And there is a hint at the end of the movie where a potential third movie could go.

Cast: Sam Rockwell (Mr. Wolf); Marc Maron (Mr. Snake); Craig Robinson (Mr. Shark); Anthony Ramos (Mr. Piranha); Awkwafina (Ms. Tarantula); Zazie Beetz (Gov. Diane Foxington/Crimson Paw); Danielle Brooks (Kitty Kat); Natasha Lyonne (Doom/Susan); Maria Bakalova (Pigtail Patrova); Alex Burnstein (Misty Luggins); Richard Ayoede (Professor Marmalade).

Writer/director: Yoni Breener (writer) (Ice Age: Collision Course; Rio 2); Etan Cohen (writer) (The Bad Guys; Holmes & Watson); Aaron Blabey (books); Pierre Pereifel (director) (The Bad Guys); J.P. Sans (co-director).

MPA: Rated PG for action/mild violence, rude humor and language   (runtime 104 minutes)

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• Craig Robinson plays piano and has long featured it in his stand-up act, so he really did have a musical keyboard, while he recorded the scene when Shark disguised himself as the priest in the wedding.

• One of the items stolen by the Phantom Bandit is Po's Mystic Sword, referring to the star of Dreamworks' 'Kung Fu Panda' franchise.

• The first DreamWorks Animation film to be partially animated at Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI).

• The reason why Wolf has been quickly intimidated by Kitty into helping them in the trailer is the fact that in ecosystems where big cats and wolves coexist with each other, big cats are higher in the food chain than wolves and sometimes kill them if they encounter them, meaning that Wolf's fear of her was instinctual.

• Production began in February of 2023. Originally slated for a Spring 2026 release date, the film was rushed into production to be released before Zootopia 2 (2025), after the latter was announced for a Thanksgiving 2025 release date.

• While the first film was made fully in-house at DreamWorks Animation themselves, this will be the first film part of a new cost-cutting initiative where portions of the studio's animation would be outsourced to different companies. In this case, Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) will contribute a portion of the film's animation.