The Bad Guys is definitely the movie that should be on your watch list! It has a really amazing
voice cast, a well-crafted story, great animation, and it is highly entertaining to watch! Moreover,
it is one of the first really enjoyable movies of the first time that was produced
by DreamWorks. In this video, we will cover all the important things that made this movie
absolutely amazing and we will show you the most significant behind-the-scenes of The Bad Guys.
Number 6: References and the story background If you have watched The Bad Guys movie,
you have probably caught that the entire story has a lot to do with one of the best
Hollywood heist movies like Ocean's Eleven. This story is also about the thieves whose
reputation speaks volumes. When they enter the room, everyone is thrilled and it gives us Ocean’s
Eleven’s vibe. Their big plan of stealing the golden dolphin, a prestigious award given to the
city’s good Samaritan, is going to be one of the biggest heists ever, just like in Ocean’s Eleven,
they also had a heist of their lifetime. Another reference that we in this movie is Zootopia. As
you may have already noticed, there are so many similarities with this movie as the characters
kinda look like the ones from Zootopia, but still, The Bad Guys movie has its own unique style. But
as for the background, the movie is based on Aaron Blabey’s series of children’s books of
the same name. It is safe to say that the books series is a huge success, and, according to a 2018
Variety report, millions of copies have been sold over the years! To date, there have been 14 books
released in the series, with several more slated for release in 2022 and beyond.
Number 5: Animation inspiration As we have already discussed, The Bad Guys'
animated movie reminds us of Ocean’s Eleven a lot. According to the film director, Pierre Perifel,
the animation of the movie was something that he has been wanting to see in American animation
for quite a while now. As for the inspiration, Pierre shared that it comes from the heist movies,
like The Italian Job, Snatch, Lock, Stock, and obviously Ocean's 11. Getting into the details,
Pierre said, “But also, I think the very first influence for me was Quentin Tarantino films and
cinema. And it really came out of the look of that cover. The cover of the first book,
The Bad Guys, is really those animals in black suits, and they look like gangsters. And to me,
it was Reservoir Dogs. I'm like, "Oh my God, this is perfect. Animals, gangsters, driving cars,
robbing banks, money flying - it was exactly that." I would picture that right away, and so
that was Reservoir Dogs meets fun animation.” Have you caught that Tarantino movie vibe? Let us know
in the comments section down below. Number 4: The Voice Cast
The Bad Guys’ voice cast is diverse and the actors lend their talents to make the animated film all
the more memorable. Sam Rockwell played Wolf, Snake was voiced by Marc Maron, Anthony Ramos
voiced Piranha, Awkwafina was Tarantula, and Craig Robinson played Shark. Of course, there were other
actors, including Zazie Beetz who voiced Diane Foxington, and Alex Borstein as the chief of
police, Misty Luggins. Everyone who participated in the casting made lists and decided who would be
good at voicing. Pierre, the director, was super happy to realize that every actor he has chosen
was on his list. He also shared that every actor had a huge influence on the character they played.
“They are so powerful and so strong that they defined their characters almost on the first day,
reading for us. Sam and Awkwafina and just Alex Borstein - every single one of them would be there
and just bring up the character; just bring them to life,” said Pierre. He then continued, “They
brought so much to the point where we rewrote some lines for them to really match their voices and
their acting style. And frankly, we managed to record them together, so that there'd really be
some kind of improvisation and some kind of banter between them, and make sure that the flow of the
read was organic and felt right.” Number 3: Acting process
It goes without saying that the actors really loved their characters and according to Awkwafina,
she enjoyed her time as a spider really a lot! Alex Borstein also revealed that she
has always liked to play no-nonsense characters, especially women who know what they want and her
character was exactly like that! AS FOR Lily and Zazie, they enjoyed the entire working process
because they are ‘incredibly expressive people’, and film can usually force you to stay very subtle
so being behind the mic was freeing. As for Craig Robinson, the most surprisingly great
thing about doing animation was the fact that he could keep the energy up in different ways.
“If you've got to run in place or whatever - just things you can't do in live action,
you can do to keep your energy going. It adds so much more to the character without people
having to know that you did it”, Craig shared. For Marc Maron, the greatest thing in his entire work
on this animated movie was… convenient commute! “For me, it was that DreamWorks was literally an
eight-minute drive from my house. I could go... They could need me at 10, and I could leave at
10 to 10 and have a couple of minutes to have a sip of water. The convenient commute was the
unique thing for me”. Anthony Ramos revealed that he really enjoyed watching his character develop,
“It's just the process, you know? Seeing your character develop. You come in and there's
nothing - there's no sketch, really, or anything. They're like, "Yo, this is just the idea. You come
in, you start voicing the character and you start to see them. Every session you come in,
you see how your character is being developed more and more and more and more. And then
eventually they start to set the animation to your voice. You start to see the mannerisms;
that face you made when you did that line that one time. You're like, "Oh man, that's crazy!" Just
being able to see that translation.” Number 2: Choreography
When you watch this animated movie you definitely think that everyone
on the team did their job absolutely perfectly. From voicing to animation,
the result is brilliant. But here is one important detail behind the scenes that we definitely need
to talk about – choreography. Susan Misner, the choreographer of the Bad Guys revealed that it
was really important for her to make every actor feel their character. So, she tried to
start with the story first and she leaned into the competitive and playful nature between Fox, Diane,
and Mr. Wolf (Zazie and Sam). She said, “I kept thinking: a fox and a wolf, what they can do”.
Well, it seems like she got plenty of ideas as eventually the choreography was absolutely amazing
and we are pretty sure you agree with us. But not only a fox and wolf but a huge Shark
and other large animated creatures had to look absolutely stunning. So, Susan revealed she had
to push the actors to their limits so they will make every viewer feel their character’s energy.
Number 1: Is there a space for a sequel? Shortly after the movie debuted,
it became clear that it was a huge success as the movie made excellent box office. Moreover,
the fans all around the world are curious now if there’s going to be a sequel as there are
probably even more books are going to come. In his interview with Screen Rant, the movie director,
Pierre Perifel said that he is definitely thinking about creating another movie but as for now,
it is very difficult to predict anything, so he’s just enjoying the entire process here and now.
He said, “That is definitely something to do, and of course, we're thinking about it. Of course, we
want to see those characters be there again, and come back. Honestly, I just enjoy the ride with
them so much myself, bringing them to life - and I see my children's or friends of my children's
reaction to this and wanting more, and really wanting to embark with these characters”. He
went on, saying, “Because you really fall in love with them, I think, during this film. You want to
see them and what's next. Yeah, we're thinking about it. Nothing's done. We don't know. But,
in a way, fingers crossed. You kind of hope”. Have you already watched The Bad Guys?
What do you like the most about this animated movie? Do you think there’s a space for a sequel?
Leave your thoughts in the comments section down below and see you in the next episode! Bye-bye.