With a story that may not be as enjoyable as the original, The Bad Guys 2 is still able to bring back the lovable characters with animation that’s able to absorb you into their world.

DreamWorks is back with their second installment featuring the characters from the Aaron Blabey books.  When The Bad Guys was released in 2022, I was impressed by the storytelling because it was able to suck me in.  While the sequel falls a little short of my expectations when it comes to an enriching story, it is still a wonderful world that makes you want to spend all day with these characters and their beautifully mixed animation style environment.

After deciding to venture on the path of being good guys, the Bad Guys find themselves struggling to do so.  Bills are starting to pile up as finding jobs with their criminal records is nearly impossible.  The bad life cannot seem to escape them, however, as they get mixed up in a new heist with a group of Bad Girls in order to save themselves.  

The best aspect about both the original and this film is the mixed animation style.  It improved upon itself from 2022 to now and it is something that deserves all of the praise.  Our main core characters are always designed as if they are being lifted directly from a comic book.  When they are in scenes with humans, they still keep that comic book aesthetic while the humans feel more cartoony.  This works perfectly with the story they are telling and done so well that it does not take you out of the film.  Then the fight scenes are inspired by anime, again adding to how worldly this film feels.  One specific art style is not done too much because every second is perfectly designed.  There is a beauty to the balance of multiple animation styles that makes the film feel so alive in a way animation has not felt like in a long time.

The main focus of the story is that the Bad Guys are down on their luck after turning good and that they are tricked into performing one last heist for a new group of Bad Girls so they can continue to live their new lives they are trying to build.  This is a concept that seemed probable for a sequel so I wasn’t surprised when the commercials came out with this idea.  And it was done well. But there were aspects of the story that felt drawn out for the story and it made the film drag a bit towards the big third act conclusion.  It went to lengths I was not expecting it to and even though it was cute in idea, in execution it did not work as well as I would have liked it to.   

The messaging of this film I feel is very strong.  Wolf, the main character out of the titular Bad Guys, is trying to find a job and realizes how hard it is because of his criminal record.  He is trying to do things “the right way” and keeps failing because no one is willing to give him a chance.  That is until the Bad Girls come around.  Kitty Cat, their leader, tries to convince Wolf to go back to a life of being bad because that’s when he seemed the happiest.  He had money and could do basically anything he wanted, while nowadays he’s driving around a car that keeps breaking down the more he uses it.  It does seem tempting to Wolf as we see him contemplate what Kitty Cat is telling him.  But Wolf knows that being good is the right way to approach life even if it does seem like a struggle.  He wants to work on himself and go about life the right way, which is a very admirable thing to see in a movie about heists and how easy it could be to get money doing bad things.  

Overall, this film is a quality followup to its predecessor.  It builds upon its characters that allows them to go through major life changes while still having the same charm that made you fall in love with them in the original.  The story may have its drawbacks in its execution, but it is impossible not to get pulled into this wonderful world that I hope continues for years to come. 

Grade: B+

Oscar Prospects:
Likely: Best Animated Feature
Should be Considered: None 

Where to Watch: In Theaters