Is The Bad Guys movie safe for kids? Is The Bad Guys movie OK for children? The Bad Guys Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, an honest parents guide to the new DreamWorks animated film release. No spoilers! #TheBadGuys May contain commissioned links.
The Bad Guys Movie Review | Safe for Kids?
So good to be bad or so bad to be good?
#1 New York Times best selling children’s book series, The Bad Guys, have raced into our kids’ bookshelves with action, snark and a side hustle of crime heists. But can these popular animal villains-turned-heroes become a hit family movie too? Or is this DreamWorks animated film lost in translation?
In this The Bad Guys Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, I’m talking visuals, the story, a full PG rating breakdown, and sharing whether this animated film from DreamWorks is the summer flick families have been waiting for. A no spoiler parent review – this is the post you want to read before rushing your kids to see Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, Mr. Piranha, and Ms. Tarantula on the big screen.
Is The Bad Guys movie too much of a “zoo” to be a good kids film?
The Visuals
It’s always a good time for a crime! DreamWorks certainly has not lost their notorious animation touch with this 2022 The Bad Guys installment.
With over 3 years to perfect the bright visuals, sharp details, a colorful palette and rivaling modern animation techniques equal to those of Pixar and Disney, the CGI in The Bad Guys is fun and playful – making for very appealing heist of a film for kids and families.
The Story
Inspired by the popular kids book series turned animated film, The Bad Guys feature a heist gang of talking animals living among humans who act “bad,” but ultimately become “good.” Featuring an all-star voice cast including Mr. Wolf played by Sam Rockwell (“Iron Man,” “Trolls World Tour“), Mr. Snake played by Marc Maron (“Joker“), Mr. Shark played by Craig Robinson (“Dolittle“), and Mr. Piranha played by Anthony Ramos (“In The Heights“), plus a few added characters (ahem, strong women) like Ms. Tarantula played by Awkwafina (“Raya and the Last Dragon“) and Diane Foxington played by Zazie Beetz (“Deadpool 2“), these animals flip the script on what it looks like when bad becomes good.
Predictable yet engaging, The Bad Guys storyline races from start to finish with lots of fast-paced action, visual gags and animal humor. Think Looney Tunes meets Ocean’s 11, this suave group of criminals quickly becomes your child’s favorite superheroes as they join the wild ride on the way to love, acceptance and saving the day…with a few possible plot twists too.
Along with loose life lessons aimed towards kids – friendship, loyalty, family, acceptance, and trust – you know, the usual, a catchy soundtrack (beware of ‘Bad Guy’ by Billie Eilish on repeat), and laughs for everyone, there’s enough substance there to end this animated movie on the high road. On the fast track towards a 100% summer family film, The Bad Guys is not over-the-top nor undersold. Smooth, yet silly. Suave, yet fun.
That PG Rating
Is The Bad Guys film safe for kids? It’s no secret that I am highly skeptical of all MPAA ratings (um hello, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker not disclosing any language??). And as we know, not all PG ratings are the same. As a parent, it’s been rather heartbreaking to witness how movie ratings have shifted over the years with G-rated movies a thing of the past. PG ratings now oscillating between Incredibles 2 intense to Christopher Robin calm, there’s a wide range between the age of 0-12 years old to consider. (Most recently, Turning Red had quite the controversy on social media.)
Why is The Bad Guys movie rated PG? In this The Bad Guys Movie Review | Safe for Kids? DreamWorks’ The Bad Guys movie is rated PG for “action and rude humor.” Is The Bad Guys safe for kids? Or should parents be worried about another questionable PG rated DreamWorks animated film? Let’s breakdown that MPAA rating for parents.
Violence/Suspense. They aren’t called The Bad Guys for nothing. Dabbling in the realm of robbery, grand theft and police car chases, The Bad Guys play up their animated roles to enhance/build up the characters’ stories with “bad” acts.
However, the story takes a more violent turn with the ingestion of (and also the vomit of) other animals in this film. There are also some creepy/possessed looking eyes, and visual cartoon violence of animals getting run over by vehicles.
All of these violent acts in the film are not believable, not grief oriented and not gory/bloody in the slightest. Very on par with the violence of old school Looney Tunes or more recent Disney/DreamWorks type of animated films, the violence is very mild and equivalent to The Bad Guys book series.
Adult Themes. Butts and farts will always be funny, according to kids movies. And the butt jokes are certainly plentiful in the all-new The Bad Guys movie.
Playing up the crude humor and visual gags with about 8 “butt jokes,” 2 fart gags, 2 “underwear shown/pants pulled down” scenes, “cross dressing” for one character (that could be possibly explained as just donning a disguise), a scene about giving birth (nothing shown), and the presence of alcohol (martini glasses and alcohol on bar shelves, but no consumption of alcohol by characters) is about as deep as the adult themes go. This movie definitely caters to the younger audiences for laughs.
Language. Shockingly despite the film title, you will find no bad language in this bad guys movie. Mild in comparison to most PG movies these days, The Bad Guys keep the language pretty clean, with only mild insults like “jerk,” “stupid,” and “freaky” to get parents riled up.
There is an acronym of “S.U.C.M” on a wall that may be questionable if your kids catch on, but overall I was pleasantly surprised that The Bad Guys do not live up to the bad language I was assuming would be present.
The Bad Guys Movie Age Rating for Kids?
At a runtime of 1 hour 40 minutes, the length of The Bad Guys definitely appeals to young wiggle worm kids, especially those who love reading the book series. Despite the crude humor and the movie name, The Bad Guys offer familiar characters, sharp humor, action, colorful visuals and fast-paced story to keep little ones entertained from start to finish. The Bad Guys is a family friendly summer movie delivered early.
This DreamWorks animated film is most comparable to Looney Tunes meets Ocean’s 11.
DreamWorks’ The Bad Guys movie is rated PG for “action and rude humor” by the MPAA.
There is one post credit scene in The Bad Guys movie.
Based on my The Bad Guys parents guide and mom review above, this parent movie reviewer would not recommend The Bad Guys movie to kids younger than the age of 4-5 years old.
Being a huge fan of the book, my 9-year old daughter has been counting down the days to watch her beloved book characters come to life. And I will say, The Bad Guys movie will not disappoint this bookworm.
While under the impression that the word “bad” in the movie title would anticipate quite a bit of rude and bad behavior, I was pleasantly surprised that the milder mannered “good guy” actions would appeal to more parents, while not sacrificing on engaging entertainment for young audiences. Considering the full PG rating breakdown above, this parent movie reviewer would not recommend The Bad Guys movie to kids younger than the age of 4-5 years old. I still highly recommend parents prescreening The Bad Guys film for the appropriateness of the adult themes/physical crude humor for your kids.
The Overall
It’s a crime for a kids movie to be this good. For being The Bad Guys, this animal gang certainly knows their audience. Appealing to kids but just enough jokes and entertainment for adults too, The Bad Guys borderlines on being good…as in good enough to roll in as a summer flick for the whole family.
Looney Tunes meets Ocean’s 11, The Bad Guys provide just enough action, humor and visuals to keep young audience’s glued to the screen. Though I certainly could have done with a little bit more of a snarky (shark-y?) dialogue punch. Without relying on crude language or obscene gestures, The Bad Guys prove that you can have a good, old-fashioned, not-overthinking animated movie filled with action, fun, and suave characters – without being a donkey’s butt.
Grab your FREE The Bad Guys Coloring Pages & Kids Activities – 19 sheets!
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Ready to see your kids’ favorite book characters on the screen! The Bad Guys crashes into theaters on Friday April 22, 2022. Be sure to follow The Bad Guys on social for the latest trailer releases, sneak peeks and more.
- Website: https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/the-bad-guys
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBadGuysMovie
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DreamWorks
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/BadGuysMovie/
- #TheBadGuys
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The all-new original DreamWorks animated movie, The Bad Guys races into theaters on Friday April 22, 2022. Will your family watch this book series come to life on the screen?
I was invited to screen this film in exchange for this The Bad Guys Movie Review | Safe for Kids? All photos courtesy of DreamWorks. Be sure to follow Raising Whasians for more movie updates, celebrity interviews, entertainment and behind-the-scenes info!
Manda says
It’s really not that serious. In the end of the day, if you shield your children from mild themes such as these, they will never grow both emotionally or socially in relations to the real world.
Sally says
I disagree with what you have said. Keep kid films simple. What evidence do you have that if they don’t watch such films then they can’t grow both emotionally or socially. It’s ok to preserve and protect the innocence of your kid for a little while. Too much crap on TV and film these days trying to manipulate our kids. When they start acting up or showing negative attitude, you wonder why.