The Bad Guys and Zootopia are the best modern movies starring anthropomorphic animals. Surprisingly, these films from Dreamworks and Disney feature a common theme: crime. One is about a notorious criminal gang, while the other follows a rookie cop. Aside from being financial successes for their respective studios, many people adore these flicks. Their popularity has even given birth to much-anticipated sequels coming next year.
The Bad Guys from Dreamworks
The Bad Guys follows a quintet of criminals that are animals feared by the public. The overall protagonist, Wolf, is the brains of the master thieves. Snake is the team’s gruff master safecracker who embraces his social role. The minuscule Tarantula handles the role of the intelligent, tech-savvy hacker. Shark is the master of disguise, and Piranha is the loose-cannon muscle.
The Bad Guys showcases the titular group bungling a heist and getting arrested. Afterward, a renowned philanthropist, Professor Rupert Marmalade IV, agrees to rehabilitate them. He puts the criminals through exercises to help them reinvite their image. Everything fails until Wolf rescues a kitten in a tree, and things begin looking up. The Bad Guys finish the program, but someone frames them for stealing a valuable meteorite. Now, it’s up to them to find the real culprit and retrieve the space rock.
Criminal Background of The Bad Guys
As you can guess, The Bad Guys pays homage to various crime movies and shows. Wolf is a parody of Danny Ocean from Ocean’s Eleven. He also pulls inspiration from Lupin from the Lupin III animated franchise. Chief Luggins even exhibits obsessive behavior similar to Inspector Zenigata from the same anime. Overall, the animated flick is about friendship, especially between Wolf and Snake. The two have opposing goals but always have each other’s back.
Zootopia, Disney’s Modern Crime Mystery
While The Bad Guys stars a band of criminals, Zootopia focuses on a police officer. Judy Hopps, a countryside rabbit, dreamed of becoming a cop in the titular city. She goes through the harsh training and makes her dream a reality. Judy learns that 14 predatory animals are missing during her first day. She’s ready to jump in, but the chief assigns her to parking duty. The bunny expertly does her assignment until a fox named Nick Wilde hustles her.
Judy continues working until she takes a case to find a missing otter. To help her in the investigation, she drafts Nick since he saw the victim last. Their search ultimately leads them to a panther who suddenly goes feral and attacks them. This new element to the mystery brings Judy and Nick to an asylum. They manage to find the missing animals locked in cages and all in rabid states. The revelation soon leads to them discovering a conspiracy involving the current mayor.
The Fur Flies in Zootopia
It may surprise you to learn that Zootopia is about prejudical stereotyping. Many animals in the movie fall into predetermined and apparent roles in society. For example, rabbits are farmers, and fearsome animals are law enforcement. Another representation of this prejudice is foxes, like Nick, viewed as untrustworthy. It worsens after the missing predatory creatures are found, and species segregation reignites. Luckily, this social disaster doesn’t last long, and the city returns to its prosperous state.
The Upcoming Sequels for 2025
A trailer for The Bad Guys 2 recently debuted on the Universal Pictures YouTube channel. It showcases Wolf trying to live an honest life and interviewing for a job. Three aspiring female crooks kidnap him and his former crew. They want their help in a theft, though what it is exactly is still unclear. There are scenes with a space shuttle, meaning the heist could be related to space. It might even be related to the meteorite from the first film.
Zootopia 2 hasn’t received a trailer yet, but D23 displayed an exclusive clip. It featured Judy and Nick looking around a never-before-seen swampy town within the city. They are looking for a snake crucial to a currently unknown investigation. Their guide is a beaver who advises how to act around the locals. They meet a walrus plumber and question whether he’s seen the snake. He answers with a simple ‘no,’ eats a large fish, and returns to his business.
Final Thoughts
The Bad Guys and Zootopia are fantastic films you must experience for yourself. And given what their previews showed, their 2025 sequels could be just as good. However, there’s always the chance these movies will flop and ruin their respective franchises. The only thing you can do is be hopeful and see them once they premiere. Zootopia 2 comes out on November 26, just before Thanksgiving. The Bad Guys 2 will premiere first on August 1 as a summer flick.
