Dreamworks Animation is about to debut its newest feature film and it looks like a hilarious heist movie. It’s also starring an impressive ensemble of voice talent including Sam Rockwell, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, Marc Maron, and more. It’s called The Bad Guys. Check out the trailer up top.
Sam Rockwell is the Big Bad Wolf, or as he’s called here, Mr. Wolf. He’s got a whole crew that he works with to carry off massive scams, that includes Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina). However, when Mr. Wolf gets a taste of what it’s like to be one of the good guys, he decides to change the focus of his team and try to do good instead.
The trailer gives the general rundown on the story, including what appears to be an early caper from Mr. Wolf’s team. We see that Ms. Tarantula is the one at the computer keeping an eye on things for the team from a tech standpoint. Mr. Shark is the grifter in disguise. Mr. Wolf seems to have a particular talent as a pickpocket, while Mr. Snake is the safecracker. All your standard heist tropes are here.
The Bad Guys looks like it could be a great one. It’s got the fun style that always comes with a good heist movie. At the same time, it looks hilarious. I’m not quite sure why all these characters seem to spend a large portion of the movie wearing onesie pajamas, but I can’t wait to find out.
You have to love a good heist movie, and The Bad Guys looks to be an exciting adventure while also being a funny comedy. There are clear Reservoir Dogs inspirations here, even the characters’ names make one think of the Quentin Tarantino movie, and while the younger audience laughing at this one won’t get that joke, it’s likely one of many jokes that will be there primarily for the adult audience.
As with most studios right now, there’s a huge focus on franchises and Dreamworks has been trying to build its own with everything from Trolls to Boss Baby. But every once in a while you need to do something new in order to have new franchises to build. The Bad Guys certainly could be that. If the audience likes this adventure, future heists are always possible.
Dreamworks has put together a remarkable slate of animated features that has been second to Disney in quantity, but the quality is quite usually top notch. From the How to Train Your Dragon adventures to the Kung Fu Panda movies Dreamworks has been able to blend adventure and comedy incredibly well, and The Bad Guys looks like another potential success.
