“The Bad Guys” are here.
Based on the book series by Australian author Aaron Blabey, DreamWorks Animation’s “The Bad Guys” follows a group of animal criminals – Mr. Wolf aka the Big Bad Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson) and Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) — as they try to turn the corner and become (gasp!) good guys.
Director Pierre Perifel brings a wonderfully offbeat sensibility to the movie, which could have been another villain-goes-straight animated fable, of which there have been plenty (“Megamind,” “Despicable Me,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” the list goes on). By folding in a range of influences (everything from anime to Steven Soderbergh) and upping the stylization to incorporate more 2D flourishes, “The Bad Guys” feels wholly unique and might be the most enjoyable DreamWorks Animation film since “How to Train Your Dragon” back in 2010.