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Nowadays, Hollywood releases an infinite number of unoriginal boring animated movies. But every now and then, one of those movies winds up being pretty damn good and grosses $250 million. And three years later, it gets a sequel. This is the 1st trailer for The Bad Guys 2.
In a world of anthropomorphic animals, The Bad Guys (Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina & Anthony Ramos) were famous robbers living the high life. Five years later, they’re reformed good guys committed to being on the right side of the law. But being law-abiding isn’t easy for once-famous robbers, and the animals find themselves yearning for the glory days.
So when an enigmatic new gang’s leader (Danielle Brooks) swoops in with an enticing offer, these Good Guys are forced to break bad one last time, for the last and possibly most dangerous job of their careers. But will their newfound law-abiding lives go down with them?
The Bad Guys 2 (2025) – source: Dreamworks Animation
2022’s The Bad Guys had no right to be as good as it was. Despite budgetary constraints and AWFUL marketing, the film managed to provide an aesthetically pleasing competently written animated heist caper for the whole family.
Three years later, the sequel’s trailer suffers slightly from the increased hype. The comic book-esque animation style is gorgeous as ever, and the returning voice cast’s chemistry still crackles thanks to whip-smart dialogue (at least for a children’s movie). But, the film’s “one last ride” plot and rehashed themes place the 2nd film’s trailer firmly in the shadow of the first. Simply put, the idea just doesn’t feel as fresh and the characters’ emotional journey doesn’t hint at the same introspection that leveled up the first film beyond a simple children’s film.
The film looks competently made, and should notch a tidy profit for Universal next fall. But, I worry that the law of diminishing returns will hit this one hard if they don’t pull any new tricks in the script.
Directed by Pierre Perifel, The Bad Guys 2 will release theatrically in the United States on August 1, 2025. The movie stars an ensemble cast led by Sam Rockwell.
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