The Bad Guys (film)

The Bad Guys is a 2022 American animated heist comedy film loosely based on the children's book series by Aaron Blabey. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, the film was directed by Pierre Perifel in his feature directorial debut, written by Etan Cohen, and features 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.

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 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 performed remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bad Guys was released in the United States on April 22, 2022, by Universal Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics for its animation and humor, and grossed $251 million. A sequel, The Bad Guys 2, was released in 2025. It has also spawned a media franchise; with a series of Netflix-exclusive prequels being released between the main films.