In the 2022 heist comedy, The Bad Guys, audiences were introduced to a group of fearsome creatures who were never given a chance to be anything more than criminals. One fateful day, when their heist goes wrong, the Big Bad Wolf helps an elderly woman from falling down a set of stairs. After she thanks him, pats his hand and calls him a good boy, the Big Bad Wolf decides that he and his crew need to go good. Learning how great it feels to do good, Mr. Wolf realizes he’s tired of being a bad guy. He and his gang try to reform their criminal ways to start living the good life, but not everyone in the crew shares Mr. Wolf’s new sentiment.
The wild and colorful tale that is The Bad Guys reminds audiences that there is good in everyone. Some villains have a way of feeling relatable to audiences, and show that people can change, evolve and learn from their mistakes. Now that The Bad Guys is on Peacock, you can catch the movie from the comfort of your own home. But after that, if you’re looking for more silly, fun animated comedies with awesome character development of out-of-the-box bad guys, then this is the list for you. Read on to become acquainted with more villains who, like Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, aren’t actually bad, they’re “just drawn that way.”
Every night, when Litwak’s Arcade closes, the game characters take a break from their jobs, socialize, and share a root beer at the Tapper’s, the arcade’s food serving game. Some characters, though, spend their evening venting to one another at the villains support group. One of those villains is the overall-clad, brick-busting bad guy, Wreck-it Ralph (John C. Reilly). All the glory goes to Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer), the hero of the game. Ralph is tired of being seen as nothing more than a villain and decides to hop from game to game within the arcade in order to prove that he has what it takes to be a hero. After stealing a medal while in the first-person shooter game Hero’s Duty, Ralph makes a grave and terrible mistake. A cyber-bug enemy follows him from the game and begins to spread and multiply throughout the arcade. After escaping Hero’s Duty, Ralph makes the acquaintance of a fellow outcast, Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) of the candy themed racing game Sugar Rush. Vanellope has a glitch, which causes her and her green go-kart to teleport erratically. Ralph learns about what happened to Vanellope’s code and sets out to become the hero he truly is inside by saving her and the rest of the arcade.
Full of video game references and character cameos, audiences can see appearances from some of their favorite arcade game characters, including Doctor Eggman of Sonic the Hedgehog, Bowser from the Mario franchise, Blinky, Pinky and Inky of Pac-Mac, Q*bert characters, Dig Dug and more. Keep an eye on the graffiti seen on the metro walls, you might be able to find a message from a Final Fantasy or World of Warcraft character. The concept for the film was developed back in 1980 under the title High Score, though, it was reworked in the 90s under the name Joe Jump, and again in the mid-2000s as Reboot Ralph before the arcade-themed film’s release in 2012, which was met with love from audiences who enjoyed the message of the colorful adventure, along with its arcade nostalgia.
Released in 2001, Monsters, Inc. follows two best friends and coworkers, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman), better known as Sulley. These two don’t work just any normal job though; they, along with their large crew of coworkers, are in charge collecting the energy that their city runs on. Not your average energy source, but pretty standard for those who live in the alternate dimension on the other side of your closet, Monstropolis runs on the power generated by the screams of human children. Only skilled scarers are hired for these dangerous positions, as all monsters know human children are toxic. One late evening after work, Sulley notices a portal door has been left on the Scare Floor. While inspecting the door, a sneaky small child gets past the fuzzy blue and purple creature and wanders into the monster world. No human has ever been in the monster world before, and those who see the little girl, Boo, run screaming in fear. After successfully hiding her, Mike and Sulley devise a plan to get Boo back through her closet door and into the human world. While Sulley cares for Boo and becomes attached to her, Mike uncovers the mysterious reason why Boo’s door was left on the Scare Floor. The pair soon realize who the real monsters are, and after learning that laughter is more powerful than screams, change the city’s power source to something a bit sillier.
The idea for the film, which was released in 2001, was conceived during a lunch in 1994 where four Disney writers came up with the ideas for A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, and WALL-E. In the seven years between the film’s conception and its eventual release, the story and its characters underwent many changes. Originally, Monsters, Inc. was centered around a 30-year-old man who was haunted by monsters that represent his fears. After scrapping the idea of a 30-year-old main character and instead going for the “buddy” film style, Mike was added, though, at the time, the round, green, one-eyed monster did not have any arms, and instead used his feet to navigate tasks. Had the film been released with the earlier storylines, it would have been strange and silly in a whole different way.
Officer Judy Hops (Ginnifer Goodwin) is the first bunny to ever join the Zootopia police force. After years of training, she finally has her first day keeping the peace in the big city, and learns very quickly how a small rabbit from the rural carrot farmland of Bunnyburrow is seen in the eyes of her large and fierce predator coworkers. Determined to prove she’s more than a fluffy little bunny, the officer trails off of her meter maid route, following her nose and finding clues that lead her down a winding path of corruption. With none of her fellow officers taking her discovery seriously, Judy teams up with small-time criminal Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a sly fox with connections that Judy needs in order to locate a slew of missing animals. When Judy and Nick find the missing predators in what appears to be a secret lab, the pair learns that they all have mysteriously gone wild and savage, reverting to their deadly hunting ways. In a world where predators and the animals they previously hunted now live in peace, an epidemic of savageness is a terrifying possibility. Judy puts up her guard around Nick, who tries to prove he’s a good guy that was dealt a bad hand. The deeper Judy dives, though, the wilder the conspiracy becomes, and she learns that Nick is the only person she can trust.
Zootopia is not only brilliantly funny, but thought-provoking as it deals with themes of prejudice. The film teaches audiences about how stereotypes are hurtful, that prejudice can be fought, and that people can learn and change. The film was influenced by the 1973 Disney film Robin Hood, and melded into a modern city that was created by and for its animal inhabitants. In the original conception of the film, Zootopia was set in the 1960s with Nick as the main character, though instead of a tax-evading criminal, he was a CIA agent. The updated story with Judy as the lead was eventually chosen to make the story more engaging.
Gru (Steve Carell), with the help of his little yellow minions and aging mad-scientist sidekick, is attempting to become one of the world’s most feared and accomplished supervillains. When his fellow criminals don’t take him seriously, particularly the bank that funds his schemes, the villain sets his sights on something bigger, and decides to steal the moon. In order to steal an entire moon, Gru needs a shrink ray, which he plans to steal from fellow bad-guy, Vector (Jason Segel). Gru’s ingenious plan to get his hands on the shrink ray involves sending cookie shaped robots into the villains’ lair. In order to get the cookie robots delivered to Vector’s lair, though, Gru decides to adopt three young orphans, whom his supervillain nemesis will never suspect. When things don’t go exactly to plan, the girls decide to help their new dad by giving him their piggy bank, and soon the new family starts bonding over amusement parks and bedtime stories. Soon enough, Gru is forced to decide between the fame and fortune of supervillain-hood or the love of his family.
Despicable Me is the first film in the now five-film franchise, with a sixth film on the way. Despicable Me 4 is currently in development, and is scheduled to be released in 2024. The crazy antics and cartoon anarchy are directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, whose voices can be heard throughout the film as the minion characters Tim and Dave.
Opportunist raccoon RJ (Bruce Willis) sneaks past a hibernating bear in order to get his little hands on a little snack. When Vincent (Nick Nolte), the bear, awakes, a scuffle ensues that destroys the grizzly’s stockpile of food. Vincent tells RJ that he has one week to replace the food or else… Across the forest a family of woodland animals wakes from hibernation to find that half of their forest has been overtaken by strange creatures called humans, who have turned the once-lush land into a housing development. At that time, RJ happens to be walking by and hatches an unsavory plan. The ring-tailed rapscallion encourages the family of squirrels, skunks, porcupines and opossums to venture over the hedge and into the human neighborhood to steal food.
Against the better judgment of their box turtle leader Verne (Garry Shandling), the animal family gets on board with thieving crunchy chips, girl scout cookies, and cheez whiz from their Homosapien neighbors. After days of venturing into trash cans and backyard barbecues the family had stocked up enough food for the whole winter, but when the critters are caught by the local exterminator, RJ leaves the family behind and escapes with the wagon full of snacks, delivering it to Vincent the bear as promised. But RJ has a change of heart and realizes that the friends he made were more valuable than any amount of food. The raccoon must risk it all in order to rescue his new friends and become the hero they need.
This family-friendly satire on American consumerism is high-energy fun while teaching audiences of adults and children alike about the effects that we have on the environment. The animals have a wide array of interpersonal relationships and family dynamics, so its clever jokes will likely cater to family members of all ages.
Shrek (Mike Myers), a large green ogre, enjoys his quiet candlelight meals in his swamp, alone. One evening, though, as he sits down for supper, he learns that his swamp has been filled with displaced fairytale folk who were uprooted from their homes by the tyrannical Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). With his humble swamp now taken over by hundreds of fairies, blind mice, witches, and big bad wolves, Shrek sets out to speak to the repressive ruler regarding the intrusion and demand his swamp be returned to its previously murky and peaceful state. Led by a talkative donkey (Eddie Murphy), the angry and annoyed ogre trudges to the kingdom of Duloc, and after defeating the kingdom’s knights in a tournament, he negotiates a deal; if Shrek is able to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from her dragon-guarded castle and bring her to Farquaad, the fairy tale creatures will be relocated. Shrek and Donkey then make their way to the princess’ castle to whisk her away to her betrothed. On the eventful journey back to Duloc, though, the classic storybook villain becomes an unlikely hero, and after falling for the princess and finding friendship with Donkey, Shrek learns that he may not need to be so alone.
Shrek teaches audiences about accepting yourself for who you are, which is why Canadian actor Mike Myers wanted to take on the role of the multilayered character. Myers wasn’t the first actor to take on the role of Shrek though, as actor Chris Farley had originally been hired to voice the character. Farley unfortunately passed away just short of finishing the project, leaving the studio to find a replacement. The 2001 comedy is the first in a six film franchise with a sequel to the Puss in Boots spin off scheduled for release this fall, and rumors of a fifth Shrek film on the way.
Hoodwinked! (2005)
When Little Red Riding Hood (Anne Hathaway) goes to visit her grandmother one sunny afternoon, she finds the Big Bad Wolf (Patrick Warburton) disguised as her beloved sweet Granny. Just when Granny is discovered tied up in the closet, an ax-wielding lumberjack crashes through the window. With police quickly on the scene, it’s up to Detective Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers) to question the lot and crack the confusing case. After Red tells the cops about the wolf’s suspicious behavior, the cops decide to get the wolf’s side of the story. To their surprise, they learn that the Big Bad Wolf isn’t so bad after all, and is in fact an investigative reporter looking into a lead on Granny’s possible involvement with a thieving bandit.
Granny has her own alibi as to where she was at the time of the bandits’ robbery, but that still doesn’t explain why she was tied up in the closet, or the man with the ax for that matter. This twist on classic yarns gets spun around in so many directions, you won’t know who the real bad guy is. The independently produced feature is full of zany, laugh-out-loud moments tied up in a classic whodunit. While some criticize Hoodwinked!‘s animation, its clever plot and a remarkable cast of recognizable voices make it a sensational fairy tale satire.
Kuzco (David Spade), the emperor of the Incan empire, lives a pampered life in which he is waited on hand and foot, with very little thought for the needs of his people. As a birthday present to himself, he plans to build a summer mansion, complete with a waterslide. The only issue is that the sunny hilltop that he plans to build on is home to a small village, which Kuzco plans on demolishing. Kuzco tells this to Pacha (John Goodman), the leader of the village, whose protests fall upon deaf ears. Meanwhile, Kuzco’s recently fired advisor, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), plots her revenge on the young emperor for firing her and sets forth her plan to usurp the throne.
Yzma and her dim-witted assistant, Kronk, manage to sneak a potion into Kuzco’s drink at dinner. The potion, meant to kill him, instead turns the young emperor into a llama. Under Yzma’s orders, Kronk attempts to dispose of the now unconscious talking llama. But, after a change of heart and an awesome theme song, Kronk accidentally loses track of Kuzco, who ends up accidentally being taken home by Pacha. When Pacha discovers Kuzco, he explains to him that he doesn’t really look like the emperor, and after an argument about the fate of his village, the two part ways, with Kuzco walking off into the dark jungle alone. Pacha, knowing that Kuzco would not last on his own in the jungle, turns around and saves the emperor just as he is cornered by a pack of jaguars. Pacha agrees to help Kuzco return to the palace if he agrees to build his summer home somewhere else. Kuzco must face himself and his selfish ways as the two journey back to the palace, which has been taken over by the evil and vindictive Yzma. While not ambitiously animated, the classic cartoon-style film is slapstick funny, wonderfully colorful, and full of big laughs, while reminding audiences that compassion is key to true friendships.
Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) is moments away from marrying her dream husband and settling down when a meteorite plummets to the earth, striking Susan and sending radiation through her body. Soon Susan grows to the mountainous height of 49 feet and is taken into custody by a secret military operation. Confused and scared, Susan wakes up in a government facility where she is labeled as a monster, Ginormica, and is introduced to her fellow monster inmates being held in the cold and industrial building. Meanwhile, U.S. military forces attempt to make first contact with a probe sent to Earth in search of powerful quantonium. When the encounter goes awry, the monsters are told they will be granted their freedom if they are able to save the earth from the robotic probe. Little do they know, the alien who sent the probe is currently hurtling through space, on his way to retrieve the quantonium himself. The monsters are the only chance that earth’s inhabitants have at survival. Having been labeled as a monster, and treated as such, Ginormica turns her back on those who rejected her while continuing to fight the impending alien invasion alongside her new, strange, and awesome friends.
The various monsters of Monsters vs Aliens were inspired by sci-fi and B horror movies of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, with the character Ginormica being influenced by Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, and Dr. Cockroach pulling inspiration from The Fly. B.O.B. is, of course, a version of the slimy villain from the 1958 science fiction film The Blob, and Insectosaurus pays homage to the Kaiju film Mothra.
A spin-off of the popular animated film Shrek, Puss in Boots centers on the footwear-clad feline of the second film. Puss (Antonio Banderas), an expert assassin and bandit, got his start growing up as an orphan in his hometown of San Ricardo, a town that he was run out of under suspicion of bank robbery. Though it was not Puss himself that robbed the bank, it was his close friend Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), who Puss begrudgingly teams up with in order to pull off their next heist, stealing a goose that lays golden eggs. Things don’t go exactly to plan when Puss is ambushed by Jack and Jill. He believes that Humpty and their skilled burglar Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) may have been abducted by the brother-sister team. When he finally locates them back in San Ricardo, Puss learns that he was set up, and is subsequently imprisoned for returning to the town. All the while the kidnapped baby goose’s mother, a monstrously giant goose named Great Terror, is headed straight toward the town in search of her baby. Soon Humpty and Puss must decide between riches or saving their peaceful hometown.
Critics have applauded the dynamic between Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek as Puss and Kitty Softpaws, though the most praised cast member by far is Zach Galifianakis, whose performance as Humpty Alexander Dumpty is both surprising and intriguing. Fans of the Shrek franchise loved seeing Puss get his time to shine with audiences enjoying the film’s witty humor and Puss’ captivating charm.
Twenty-thousand years ago, the Ice Age was fast approaching, food was scarce and animals were beginning to migrate south. Waking up late for migration, Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) gets left behind by his family, who have had it with him and his loudmouth ways. Sid, deciding to strike out on his own, gets into a heap of trouble after trampling on the meal of two very large and angry Brontotheres. Just before the small, smelly sloth is to be trampled himself, Manny (Ray Romano), a passing mammoth, fights the rhinos off, saving Sid’s life. Against Manny’s wishes, Sid decides to stick with the mammoth, fearing what may happen if he’s left unprotected and alone.
Meanwhile, across the mountain, a group of vicious saber-tooth tigers exacts their revenge on a tribe of humans who hunted and killed half of their pack. While running from the attack the human chief’s wife sustains painful injuries and ends up entrusting Manny with her infant son. Along with Sid, the mammoth attempts to bring the baby back to the human settlement. Upon their arrival though, they find it deserted, except for one lone saber-tooth tiger, Diego (Denis Leary), who is on a secret mission to bring the baby back to his pack. Diego pretends that he is concerned with getting the baby back to the human tribe, and follows along with the unlikely pair as they seek out the humans. Wild and fun chaos ensues as the group trudge across snowy mountains and through slippery glacier canyons. Along the way, Diego fights with his conscience and must decide between saving the child and his new friends or leading them all back to his savage and hungry pack.
This smash comedy Ice Age may center around the three unlikely friends and the baby they intend to rescue, but it also has an entire other storyline that fans of all ages enjoy. Scrat, a small and non-verbal squirrel-like creature is chasing an acorn that lies constantly out of reach. With food being so scarce it is no wonder why Scrat would go to the literal ends of the world for it. The antics of the hungry squirrel bring more laughs to the already hilarious film.
Sent to Earth at eight days old as his home planet was being destroyed, Megamind (Will Ferrell) is the planet’s least successful supervillain as his evil plans continue to be thwarted by his arch-nemesis, Metro Man (Brad Pitt). That all changes one fateful day when Megamind escapes his prison, kidnaps news reporter Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey), and lures Metro Man into a trap. With his powers weakened, Metro Man collapses, and the hero is blasted with a sun-powered weapon by his blue-skinned rival, leaving behind nothing but a skeleton and cape. With no one to stop him, Megamind wreaks havoc on the once peaceful city, doing whatever he wants until he realizes that he has no purpose without his opponent. The supervillain then concocts a formula using Metro Man’s DNA that he plans to use in creating a new hero to face off against. But when Megamind accidentally injects the formula into the dimwitted cameraman, Hal Stewart (Jonah Hill), the intended hero becomes a supervillain with no interest in justice. The supervillain must then become a hero if he wishes to save himself, the woman he loves, and the city that he calls home.
Putting a clever twist on classic superhero films, Megamind is a witty story of how there is good in everyone. Megamind’s top-shelf voice-acting cast has been praised by critics, along with its bright and sleek animation style. A perfect mix of goofy, lighthearted antics, and heartfelt emotions, the action-packed comedy reminds us of what is really worth fighting for.
Twelve fox years after being caught and trapped while raiding a farm, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) lives a quiet life as a newspaper columnist. With the love and support of his wife Felicity (Meryl Streep) and son Ash (Jason Schwartzman), sly Mr. Fox does his best to keep his nose out of trouble these days. One day, Mr. Fox declares that he is tired of living in a hole, and decides to move his family above ground and into a beautiful tree. This goes against the warnings of his lawyer, who tells the fox about the dangers of living so close to the neighboring farms. Longing for his days as a thief, Mr. Fox and his friend Kylie decide to raid the farms three nights in a row but are spotted by the farmers who then demolish the family’s tree while searching for him. Luckily, the family had dug an escape tunnel below their tree, but one family member, their nephew Kristofferson (Eric Chase Anderson), gets captured. While hiding out, the family encounters many other animals whose homes were destroyed by the fearsome farmers. The Foxes know that they must find a way to get their nephew back and devise a plan with their new friends. Prepared for the farmers’ ambush, the animals launch their counterattack, distracting the men so that Mr. Fox may try to free his nephew. The thief then sets out on his mission to retrieve a member of his family, rather than a trove of stolen produce and poultry.
Based on the 1970 children’s novel of the same by beloved author Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a masterful story full of heartfelt witty laughs, and phenomenal stop-motion animation. A feast for the eyes, the village of Great Missenden, where Roald Dahl lived, greatly influenced the look of the film, which used real trees and sand in its miniature sets. Wes Anderson, who directed and co-wrote the comedy, worked on the film with a crew at 3 Mills Studio, who are known for their animation of Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. The Fantastic Mr. Fox, with its star-studded voice cast, witty writing, emotional gravity, and autumn-toned beauty earned the film universal acclaim. Rather than presenting the audience with a lesson of right or wrong, The Fantastic Mr. Fox teaches the importance of being yourself.
