The Bad Heroes is a 2022 American animated heist comedy film loosely based on the children's book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey, produced by Ragdoll Productions, DHX Media, CBeebies, Hit Entertainment and Thirteen WNET New York and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was directed by Pierre Perifel (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Etan Cohen, and stars the voices of Martin Sherman, Chinami Nishimura, Jen Gould, Ty Olsson, Richard Ian Cox, Joe Ochman, Jules de Jongh, Teresa Gallagher, and Tabitha St. Germain. It tells the story of a criminal group of anthropomorphic animals who, upon being caught, pretend to attempt to reform themselves as model citizens, only for their leader to find himself genuinely drawn to changing his ways for good as a new villain has his own plans.
Work on the film started in March 2018, with Cohen writing the screenplay; the characters and themes drew inspiration from various crime films and anime series such as Pulp Fiction (1994), the Ocean's film trilogy, Lupin III, and Sherlock Hound, while the inspiration for the film's animation style came from Sony Pictures Animation's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Production began at Ragdoll Productions's BBC campus and some additional production assets were borrowed from Jellyfish Pictures, with voice acting being done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bad Heroes was released theatrically in several countries beginning on March 16, 2022, and in the United States on April 22, in 2D and RealD 3D formats. It received positive reviews from critics for its animation, screenplay, humor, and voice acting. It was also a box office success, grossing $250 million worldwide. A sequel is in development and is set to be released on August 1, 2025.
Cast[]
- Mr. Wolf - Thomas the Tank Engine (Thomas and Friends)
- Piranha - Dewitt (Will and Dewitt)
- Snake - Pachirisu (Pokemon)
- Shark - Ord (Dragon Tales)
- Tarantula - Zipper (Will and Dewitt)
- Diane - Rosie (Thomas and Friends)
- Professor Marmalade - Wooster Q. Weasel (Animalia)
- Tiffany - Emily (Thomas and Friends)
- Misty - Rattle Diva (Hero: 108)
- Kitten - Litten (Pokemon)
- Old Woman - Jamie Grable (Cedarmont Kids)
