The Bad Guys 2: Release date, plot, voice cast and more about Universal's upcoming animated heist comedy sequel

The Bad Guys 2 is set to bring the gang of criminal animals back after three years. The first film came out in 2022 and introduced the movie audience to Aaron Blabey's world of mischievous animals. Now, the upcoming sequel takes Blabey's characters on another thrilling adventure as they face a group of "bad girls." The film is set to be released on August 1, 2025, in the United States.

The Bad Guys 2 shows the first film's helmer, Pierre Perifel, returning to his directing duties. This time, he shares this responsibility with JP Sans, who is known for co-directing the 2018 short film Bilby. He has also worked in the animation department of projects like Rio (2018), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013).

The upcoming sequel features a solid voice cast of actors like Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina, Anthony Ramos, Zazie Beetz, Danielle Brooks, Richard Ayoade, Natasha Lyonne, Alex Borstein, Maria Bakalova, and Lilly Singh.

Its official IMDb logline reads:

"The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do "one last job" by an all-female squad of criminals."

Let's find out more details about this animated heist comedy sequel from Universal.

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When will The Bad Guys 2 come out in 2025? Release details explored

The Bad Guys 2 will be out in the US theaters on August 1, 2025. It is a DreamWorks Animation project, which will be distributed by Universal Pictures.

Pierre Perifel, who directed the first part, has returned as the director of this exciting sequel. Daniel Pemberton will be composing the music for the film. He was previously nominated for an Oscar for his work in Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7.

The film is based on Aaron Blabey's best-seller children's story series and will show the eventual journey of these animals who return to their roots despite having "turned good" in the first film.

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The Bad Guys 2: Plot and trailer explored

The Bad Guys 2 trailer came out on November 21, 2024, and showed the reformed group of animal outlaws coming back for another adventure. The official trailer shows the old gang in a car as they drive out of a tall mansion, being followed by a group of cops. Turns out, that's just a blast from their past.

The first film shows these animals reforming and learning to be the good guys. However, things do not go as planned - as they cross paths with a squad of female criminals. The "bad girls" make the bad guys show their true colors, presumably for "one last job."

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The Bad Guys 2 voice-cast and characters explored: Who voices whom in this animated film?

The Bad Guys 2 shows its central voice cast of The Bad Guys returning for the sequel. Sam Rockwell returns as their leader, Mr Wolf, and comedian Marc Maron also reprises his role as his grumpy second-in-command operative, Mr Snake.

Besides them, the returning voice cast includes:

• Craig Robinson as Mr Shark, a master of disguise
• Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula / Webs, a sharp hacker
• Anthony Ramos as Mr Piranha, the group's reliable manpower
• Zazie Beetz as Diane Foxington / The Crimson Paw, a state governer red fox
• Alex Borstein as Misty Luggins, the irate chief of police
• Richard Ayoade as Professor Marmalade, a hypocritical philanthropist
• Lilly Singh as Tiffany Fluffit, a human reporter

Besides them, the new voice cast for the sequel includes:

• Danielle Brooks as Kitty Kat, a snow leopard who leads the daring Bad Girls group
• Maria Bakalova as Pigtal, a wild boar from the Bad Girls group
• Natasha Lyonne as Doom, a raven from the Bad Girls group