“I wrote my books, especially The Bad Guys, directly for my youngest son because I knew what would make him laugh. Happily, they seem to have made a lot of other kids laugh, too,” says author Aaron Blabey of his bestselling Bad Guys children’s book series that has been adapted into the films The Bad Guys and The Bad Guys 2, born from a desire to make something cool, funny, and emotionally resonant for kids—while sneaking in a love letter to grown-up genre films.
The first Bad Guys film (2022) was inspired by a mix of personal, cinematic, and literary influences that gave it its unique charm and swagger. The Bad Guys 2 (2025) carries significant weight as both a cultural sequel and a thematic evolution of its predecessor.
The first film ended with the animal outlaws choosing the path of good. In The Bad Guys 2, that choice is tested. The gang is pulled out of retirement by a new crew—the Bad Girls—forcing them to confront whether their transformation was genuine or just circumstantial. The addition of an all-female criminal crew isn’t just a plot twist—it’s a thematic mirror. The Bad Girls were inspired by the original gang’s exploits, raising questions about Gender dynamics in villainy.
If the first film was about choosing to be good, this one asks: Can you stay good when the world still sees you as bad?
DreamWorks partnered with Sony Pictures Imageworks to push the visual style further, blending tactile textures and stylised action. This mixed-production model marks a shift in how DreamWorks approaches animation going forward.
The film’s themes of reinvention, public perception, and moral ambiguity resonate in a world where second chances are often scrutinised. It also continues to adapt Aaron Blabey’s bestselling books, which have grown from 8 million to over 30 million copies sold since the first film’s release.
“What makes The Bad Guys franchiseso remarkable is its ability to balance outrageous comedy with real emotional depth,” says Margie Cohn, President of DreamWorks Animation. “Pierre and his team have created a new chapter that speaks to kids’ sense of fun while delivering meaningful themes of redemption and second chances for adults. With The Bad Guys 2, they have taken the energy and style of the original and built on it in bold and surprising ways.”
The story picks up at a pivotal moment for our reformed antiheroes. Having served their time and embraced the possibility of a new path, Mr. Wolf and his crew now face their greatest challenge yet: becoming functional members of society. “At the end of The Bad Guys, they are getting out of prison and Governor Diane Foxington shows up at the gates asking, ‘Are you ready to get to work?’” returning producer Damon Ross says. “We do not know exactly what that means until this new film begins, and it turns out, she just wants them to get literal work, that is to say, jobs. They are living in the real world now and going ‘good’ proves harder than they imagined.”
This premise opens a trove of comedic potential while tapping into something more poignant: the uncomfortable, often absurd challenge of reinvention. The film finds rich humor in watching these once-unstoppable master criminals—who pulled off elaborate heists with ease—now fumbling through job interviews, apartment applications and the mundane realities of a nine-to-five existence. Suddenly, their signature mischief and criminal cleverness feel irrelevant and useless.
For Perifel, the opportunity to revisit these characters in this unfamiliar setting offered irresistible creative possibilities. “The idea of these lifelong criminals trying to follow society’s rules, like paying rent and driving the speed limit, was so funny to us, we couldn’t wait to explore that concept,” Perifel says. “But it also felt emotionally rich. This cast has such great chemistry and putting them in this new situation gave us the chance to explore how they would evolve under these new societal pressures.”
The journey for The Bad Guys 2 began with an unusual decision. Unlike most productions, which wait for box office results before starting to think about the next installment, The Bad Guys 2 entered development five months before the first film even reached theaters. “Starting a sequel that early is almost unheard of,” Ross says. “You have no idea how the first film will perform or how audiences will respond, but we were confident in what we had built, and the studio leadership was supportive. We gathered a brain trust of artists, writers and key creatives who understood the tone and spirit of the original, and spent days brainstorming: What would surprise audiences while staying true to these characters and to the heart of The Bad Guys? How do we take them somewhere they have never been?”
During these sessions, the team found their answer in an unlikely place: a fan-favorite moment from Blabey’s book series that had kids in hysterics. “When we were brainstorming, someone brought up this scene from book five that Aaron says is the most talked-about moment in the entire series,” Perifel says. “Piranha and Wolf are trapped in a spacesuit, Piranha has eaten too many burritos, and the resulting gas nearly suffocates Wolf. But Wolf cleverly punctures the suit and uses the escaping air to propel them back to safety. It is absurd and brilliant at the same time, and we knew we had to find a way to include it.”
What began as a single outrageous gag evolved into the creative anchor for the entire film. “That space moment became our North Star, but figuring out how to get our Bad Guys to outer space is where the story really came to life and this narrative challenge helped to define the tonal identity for the film,” Ross says. “The first movie was our love letter to heist films like Ocean’s Eleven,with a touch of Quentin Tarantino. For the sequel, we wanted to go bigger and explore other genres. We looked to Mission: Impossible and James Bond for inspiration—bigger action, bigger spectacle and much higher stakes.”
The expansion required new villains worthy of the film’s elevated scope. Enter The Bad Girls—a crew of ruthless criminals who become the catalyst for the Bad Guys’ reluctant return to their old ways. “The Bad Girls represent what our guys were before they found their morals,” Perifel says. “They are brilliant strategists who recognize the talents of The Bad Guys and manipulate them through elaborate schemes and psychological pressure. They kidnap the gang and force them into one last job to steal a rocket from a tech billionaire’s aerospace facility. Even though our heroes have committed to staying good, they are presented with an impossible choice.”
That collaboration extended to working with author Blabey, whose books provide the franchise’s foundation. “Aaron has been incredibly generous,” Sans says. “His books have this amazing balance of sophistication and silliness, with a lot of heart underneath the outrageous humor. The illustration style has this energy and personality that we wanted to honor visually, even as we expanded the world. He has given us creative freedom, but we have always stayed anchored to the spirit of what he originally created.”
That push and pull between mischief and meaning is at the heart of the franchise. “We describe our creative approach as ‘sophisticated stupid,’” Ross says. “It is about balancing smart and rich storytelling with moments of pure, unfiltered absurdity. The books are full of this, and we have made it central to our filmmaking philosophy. Pierre typically gravitates toward sophistication; I lean toward the more outrageous elements and JP finds the middle ground.”
Beneath the action and comedy, the film wrestles with a universal question: can people truly change? “This is ultimately a story about second chances,” Perifel says. “How do you rebuild your life after a history of mistakes? Even if you have changed, how do you prove it—especially when the world keeps pulling you back toward who you used to be? Our characters are learning to use their old skills in new ways, to serve rather than to harm. That tension is what drives their journey.”
These themes elevate the film beyond its genre roots and into the complexities of identity. “At its core, the story explores what truly makes someone good or bad,” Sans says. “How do we define goodness? Is it who you were or who you choose to become? In a world that often encourages cynicism, these are the kinds of questions we wanted to pose—wrapped in a package that is still hilarious and wildly entertaining.”
For Perifel, The Bad Guys 2 was both a creative challenge and a personal milestone. “I feel incredibly lucky to have had the chance to return to these characters,” Perifel says. “To take them on another wild ride, push them into unfamiliar territory and see how they grow. Of course, making a sequel always comes with inherent pressures: self-doubt, second-guessing, sleepless nights. It is like solving a thousand-piece puzzle without knowing what the picture looks like. What got me through was our remarkable team. Any time the process felt overwhelming, I would look around at this extraordinary group —the artists, technicians, producers, musicians, animators, sound designers and actors. They brought passion to every frame. That is our real superpower.”
Director Pierre Perifel and the creative team drew heavily from stylish crime and action films:
- Quentin Tarantino: The film was pitched as “a Tarantino movie for kids,” especially drawing from Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction
- Ocean’s Eleven, Snatch, Baby Driver: For the slick heist mechanics and ensemble energy
- Anime & Manga: Lupin III, Sherlock Hound, and Cowboy Bebop influenced the animation style and character dynamic.
The animation was inspired by:
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – pushing DreamWorks toward a more stylized, illustrative look
- French and Japanese animation aesthetics, blending cool and silly, sophistication and slapstick
When The Bad Guys burst onto screens in 2022, it flipped the script on animated crime capers with swagger, style, and unexpected soul. Drawing from heist classics and Tarantino cool—repackaged for a younger audience—it reintroduced audiences to a crew of misunderstood “villains” trying to rewrite their reputation.
Now with The Bad Guys 2 hitting cinemas in 2025, the saga deepens: grappling with the fragility of change, the legacy of influence, and the temptations that test even the noblest of turnarounds. Blending snappy visuals with thoughtful arcs, the films aren’t just kid-friendly chaos—they’re redemption stories with bite.
Pierre Perifel is a French filmmaker and animator whose journey from student shorts to DreamWorks blockbusters is a testament to artistic passion and perseverance. He studied at École Émile-Cohl before transferring to the prestigious Gobelins, l’École de l’image, where he co-directed the award-winning student film Le Building—a hybrid of 2D and 3D animation that gained international acclaim. Moved to the U.S. in 2008 to join DreamWorks Animation.Made his feature directorial debut with The Bad Guys (2022), a stylish animated heist film that became a global hit. Perifel is known for blending European visual sensibilities with Hollywood storytelling scale.
The Bad Guys 2 screenplay reflects a collaborative spirit
It’s credited primarily to Kevin Asbury, who took over writing duties for the sequel. Asbury is the son of the late Kelly Asbury, co-director of Shrek 2 and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and his involvement brings a legacy of animated storytelling to the project.
While Asbury is the sole credited screenwriter, the film’s development involved close collaboration with:
- Aaron Blabey, the original book series creator and executive producer
- Pierre Perifel, returning as director, and JP Sans as co-director
- The DreamWorks story team, including Katherine De Vries (head of story) and a large crew of storyboard artists and visual developers
This kind of collaboration is typical in animation, where the screenplay often evolves through storyboarding, voice actor improvisation, and visual development. So while Asbury shaped the script, the final narrative is the result of many creative voices working in sync.
The Books by Aaron Blabey
Aaron Blabey’s journey with The Bad Guys is a masterclass in how personal passion, cinematic love, and a desire to reach reluctant readers can spark a global phenomenon.
Aaron Blabey began his career not with books, but on screen. He was a successful actor throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, best known for his award-winning role in The Damnation of Harvey McHugh (1994). But in 2005, he stepped away from acting to pursue a more personal calling: storytelling through illustration and children’s literature.
Blabey’s first picture book, Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley (2007), won the Children’s Book Council of Australia Award and marked the beginning of a prolific new chapter. He followed it with acclaimed titles like Sunday Chutney, The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon, and The Brothers Quibble—each blending humor, emotional intelligence, and visual flair.
Blabey created The Bad Guys inspired by his children, especially his youngest son, who was struggling with dull school readers. Blabey wanted to write something cooler, something that would make kids laugh and feel empowered. He blended His son’s love of scary animals and fast cars, his own obsession with heist films and redemption arcs, and a desire to tackle prejudice and perception, using misunderstood animals as metaphors.
Blabey wrote and illustrated all 20 books in the series. The books read like storyboards, with dynamic panelling and punchy dialogue. Each book ends on a cliffhanger, encouraging binge-reading and emotional investment. This approach made the books feel like animated films on paper, which naturally attracted Hollywood interest.
He once described the concept as “Tarantino for kids”—a mashup of Reservoir Dogs suits and Looney Tunes chaos, filtered through a child’s lens.
In 2015, Blabey launched The Bad Guys, a graphic novel series about misunderstood animals trying to do good. It became a #1 New York Times bestseller, with over 35 million books in print worldwide. The series was adapted into a hit DreamWorks animated film in 2022, with Blabey serving as executive producer.
Blabey’s work is known for its cinematic pacing, irreverent humour, and emotional resonance. He often writes with his children in mind, aiming to make books that are “cool enough” to hook reluctant readers. His storytelling blends genre tropes with moral complexity, making his books as appealing to adults as they are to kids.
