The Bad Guys (film)The Bad Guys is a 2022 American animated neo-noircrime comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation. Loosely based on the children's book series by Aaron Blabey, the film was directed by Pierre Perifel (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Etan Cohen. The ensemble cast features the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Alex Borstein, and Lilly Singh.
Pierre PerifelPierre Perifel is a French filmmaker and animator. He is best known for his work at DreamWorks Animation, including directing the short film Bilby (2018) and the feature films The Bad Guys (2022) and its sequel The Bad Guys 2 (2025). Early life and educationPerifel was born in Lyon, France. His passion for animation began in high school. In his third year of attending École Émile-Cohl art school, he applied to Gobelins, l'École de l'image and was accepted.
Craig Robinson (actor)Craig Phillip Robinson (born October 25, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. The accolades he has received include nominations for five Screen Actors Guild Awards, an Independent Spirit Award, and a Daytime Emmy Award. Robinson is best known for portraying Darryl Philbin on The Office (2005–2013).
DreamWorks AnimationAmerican animation studioDreamWorks Animation L.L.C. (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio, owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal as part of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group. The studio has produced 54 feature films; its first film, Antz, was released on October 2, 1998, and its latest film, Forgotten Island, was released on September 25, 2026.
Zazie BeetzZazie Olivia Beetz ( ; German:; born June 1, 1991) is a German-American actress. She is known for her role as Van in the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta (2016–2022), for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She starred in the Netflix anthology series Easy (2016–2019) and has voiced Amber Bennett in the adult animated superhero series Invincible since 2021.
The Bad Guys (book series)The Bad Guys is an illustrated children's graphic novel series written by Australian author and former actor Aaron Blabey. It revolves around a gang of anthropomorphic animals known as The Bad Guys. The group of animals attempt to perform good deeds to change society's perception of them as criminals. DreamWorks Animation acquired the rights to the series to make an animated feature film adaptation, which was released in the United States on 22 April 2022.
Anthony RamosAnthony Paul Ramos Martinez (born November 1, 1991) is an American actor and singer. After graduating in musical theater from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Ramos began performing in stage musicals. In 2015, he originated the dual role of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in Hamilton, for which he won a Grammy Award.
Sam RockwellSamuel Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. In a career spanning over three decades of stage and screen, he is known for his offbeat and charismatic character roles in independent films, and has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award and a Silver Bear, in addition to nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award.
Marc MaronMarc David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor, musician, and former radio presenter and podcaster. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the Late Show with David Letterman and appeared more than forty times on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, more than any other stand-up comedian. He hosted Comedy Central's Short Attention Span Theater from 1993 to 1994, replacing Jon Stewart.
The Bad Guys (franchise)The Bad Guys is a media franchise of crime comedy films made by DreamWorks Animation, loosely based on the children's book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey. The franchise began with the 2022 film of the same name, and has since grown to include two prequel holiday specials, The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday and The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist, which were released on Netflix in 2023 and 2024 respectively.Aaron BlabeyAaron Blabey (born 1 January 1974) is an Australian author of children's books, and a former actor.
AwkwafinaNora Lum (born June 2, 1988), known professionally as Awkwafina ( AW-kwə-FEE-nə), is an American actress and rapper. She rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube. She then released her debut album, Yellow Ranger (2014), and appeared on the MTV comedy series Girl Code (2014–2015).Etan CohenEtan Cohen (Hebrew: איתן כהן) is an Israeli-American filmmaker who has written scripts for Hollywood movies, including Idiocracy (2006), Tropic Thunder (2008), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), Men in Black 3 (2012), The Bad Guys (2022) and its sequel (2025).*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.