The American computer-animated crime comedy film The Bad Guys, produced by DreamWorks Animation, hit theaters last April 22. The film was directed by Pierre Perifel in his feature directorial debut with a screenplay by Etan Cohen and loosely based on the New York Times best-selling book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey. It features the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Alex Borstein, and Lilly Singh. It follows a group of criminals who attempt to appear as good citizens to avoid prison sentences after being caught in a recent heist. The film received relatively positive reviews so far earning an 86 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a Critics Consensus saying, “Fast-paced, funny, and full of colorful visual appeal, The Bad Guys is good news for audiences seeking options the whole family can enjoy.” RogerEbert.com also published a review of the film and wrote, “The animation is colorful and lively—almost incessant, really—and the physical comedy is at its most inspired when it subtly toys with the natural instincts of these anthropomorphized creatures.” If you had fun watching the animated film and you’re looking for similar movies to watch for your next family weekend, here are five more movies that involve similar elements and themes such as anthropomorphized creatures and villains.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Just like The Bad Guys, who are villains trying to pretend to be good citizens, the 2009 American stop motion animated comedy film Fantastic Mr. Fox features a fox who tries his best to leave his previous thieving ways as he starts a family. But this becomes a difficult task for Mr. Fox. The film is directed by Wes Anderson, with a screenplay, he co-wrote with Noah Baumbach and is based on the children’s novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. It features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, and Owen Wilson. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score and earned relatively positive reviews. In a film review by The Guardian, they praised the aesthetics of the film saying, “In Fantastic Mr. Fox, the world itself seems just a little bit weird, but gloriously so. Ash’s bedroom has a tremendous toy train, which looks for all intents and purposes precisely like the real train we see periodically beetling across the landscape. This is a cosmos crying out to be played with and enjoyed.”
Despicable Me
A film that also features a villain as the protagonist is the computer-animated film Despicable Me, directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin from a screenplay by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio based on a story by Sergio Pablos. The film centers on a supervillain named Gru who adopts orphan girls. Gru with the help of his yellow minions attempts to steal a machine from his rival Vector in order to complete his plan of stealing the Moon. The film features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, and Julie Andrews. The film was well-received by critics and viewers and became the highest-grossing animated film franchise with three sequels after the first film in 2010: Despicable Me 2 (2013), Despicable Me 3 (2017), and Despicable Me 4 (2024). It also had two spin-off prequels: Minions (2015) and an upcoming film Minions: The Rise of Gru to be released this year. A review by The Hollywood Reporter praised the creators of the film and described the villain protagonist saying, “The animation overseen by directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin gets an A for energy, imagination, and color. And Gru might be the most interesting cartoon bad guy since “Ratatouille’s” Angon Ego. Come to think of it, Ego had childhood issues, too.”
Wreck-It Ralph
Another film that centers on the journey of a villain who tries to change his path is Disney’s computer-animated comedy film Wreck-It Ralph directed by Rich Moore and produced by Clark Spencer, from a screenplay by Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee, and a story by Moore, Johnston, and Jim Reardon. The film features the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch, and follows the story of Wreck-it Ralph, a villain in an arcade game who wishes to be a hero and therefore decides to invade other arcade games and discover where he can be featured as a hero instead. The film received generally positive reviews and earned several awards which include winning the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, as well as receiving nominations for the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Vulture wrote a review of the animated film and praised the creativity in the film’s concepts saying, “It’s mostly enjoyable, thanks to the likable cast and the visually engaging idea of blending a broad range of video-game imagery into one eye-popping mash-up: hyperdetailed CGI warrior chicks living alongside 8-bit simpletons, and so on and so forth. There’s some real style here, too. Without overstating the case, Wreck-It Ralph manages to use the arcade ethos to a somewhat interesting artistic end.”
Zootopia
The 2016 computer-animated action-adventure film Zootopia also centers on anthropomorphized creatures and crime. The film was directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore, co-directed by Jared Bush and produced by Clark Spencer, with a screenplay written by Bush and Phil Johnston, and a story by Howard, Moore, Bush, Johnston, Jim Reardon, Josie Trinidad, and Jennifer Lee. The film features the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J. K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, and Shakira. The film is set in a metropolis for animals and centers on Judy Hopps, an eager rabbit who joins the police force and forms an unlikely partnership with a con-artist fox to solve a mysterious case. The film tackles important themes about prejudice and stereotypes and has earned numerous accolades including an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Movie Award, and Annie Award for Best Animated Feature Film. In a review by Rolling Stone, they commended the creators of the film and wrote, “Directors Byron Howard (Tangled) and Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph), along with co-director Jared Bush, who shares screenplay credit with Phil Johnston, know how to keep things light. There’s a nifty scene at a DMV exclusively staffed by sloths. But they also know how to take a deep dive when necessary, especially when certain species are treated as threats and cause public panic.”
Monsters, Inc.
The last on our list are not necessarily villains but are monsters whose job is to scare kids. Monsters, Inc. brings us to the world of these monsters and centers on two monsters, James P. “Sulley” Sullivan and his partner and best friend Mike Wazowski, whose world turns upside down when a human girl accidentally sneaks into their workplace. The film received generally positive reviews and was a box office success. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song (If I Didn’t Have You) and was nominated for the first Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score, and Best Sound Editing. In the New York Times’s review of Monsters Inc., they wrote about what they love the most about the film and said, “What makes ”Monsters, Inc.” so wonderful is that it’s about scream deficit, yet all great cartoons are powered by screams. It’s a tribute to noise, so how can you not fall in love with it?”Despicable Me
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