Sam Rockwell's animated crime-comedy "The Bad Guys" has become one of the standout titles in a thriving new era of animated cinema, following a wave of critical and box-office success. Loosely adapted from Aaron Blabey's graphic novel series and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Pierre Perifel, the 2022 film follows a gang of animal criminals attempting to fake redemption, only for their ringleader to consider going straight for real, making it a distinctive entry that draws heavily on classic Los Angeles heist cinema.

The film stars Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson and Anthony Ramos as the titular "Bad Guys", a crew of stereotyped animal outlaws led by Mr Wolf. After a heist goes wrong, Mr Wolf schemes to fake good behaviour to avoid jail, but secretly begins to want genuine reform, creating tension with his crew, particularly Mr Snake. Perifel drew stylistic inspiration from films such as Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, and the franchise's success led to a 2025 sequel, two shorts and a Netflix series, cementing it as one of the decade's key animated properties.