Released on April 22, 2022, Dream Works Animations' The Bad Guys was something of a surprise hit, grossing $250 million worldwide at the box office from an estimated production budget of $60-80 million. The film ranked 5th in 2022 on the list of highest-grossing animated films that year. Minions: The Rise of Gru took the top spot, earning $939.6 million worldwide.
However, in a year that included Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Lightyear, Strange World, DC League of Super-Pets, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Minions: The Rise of Gru,and Turning Red, it was The Bad Guys that often wound up taking the top spot on many critics' list of best-animated films in 2022.
Now, the likes of Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Shark, and Mr. Piranha are back in a new upcoming, animated holiday special for Netflix.
Check out the trailer for The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday below.
Unlike the original film, none of the original voice cast will be reprising their roles for the Netflix special:
- Michael Godere will voice Mr. Wolf, replacing Sam Rockwell
- Ezekiel Ajeigbe will play Mr. Shark, replacing Craig Robinson
- Raul Ceballos will portray Mr. Piranha, replacing Anthony Ramos
- Chris Diamantopoulos will play Mr. Snake, replacing Marc Maron
- and Mallory Low will voice Ms. Tarantula, replacing Awkwafina
This is similar to how DreamWorks uses different voice actors for its Trolls animated series and specials on Netflix- saving the likes of Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick for Trolls projects that are released in theaters.
The official synopsis for A Very Bad Holiday, confirms that it is a prequel story, set before the events of the 2022 film.
"In this new adventure set before the events of the feature, there’s nothing the Bad Guys love more than Christmas morning — because while everyone is home opening presents, it’s the perfect time to execute their city-wide holiday heist. But when Christmas is unexpectedly canceled, the Bad Guys must do the unthinkable: reignite the city’s holiday spirit by giving instead of taking."
The Bad Guys is based on a children's graphic novel series written and illustrated by Australian author, Aaron Blabey. Since first published in 2015, Blabey has written and illustrated 18 volumes, referred to as episodes. A 19th episode, titled The Bad Guys: Episode 19: The Serpent And The Beast is set for release in 2024.
The animated special, directed by Bret Haaland (All Hail King Julien, Futurama) is set to stream on Netflix, on November 30, 2023.