The Bad Guys, released April 22, 2022, remained a family box-office favorite for several weeks after opening. The animated feature film has something for everyone as it brings together elements of humor, deception, light romance, and fun.
Viewers may not realize DreamWork’s latest project is based on a children’s book series. Written by Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys books follow the intimidating animals as they work to improve their image and encounter several obstacles along the way. Like with every book-to-film adaptation, there are many changes made to the original story.
No Significant Cop Character
The Bad Guys movie introduces Police Chief Misty Luggins, a cop who makes it her goal to catch the bad guys. In the books, there was no significant cop character. The public as a whole doesn’t like the men and this creates enough conflict as is until Marmalade’s introduction in the third book.
This movie is all about deception. Given Marmalade’s true intentions aren’t known in the first half of the film, the Police Chief offers audiences an antagonist to root against. The inclusion of the character also helps bring an extra layer of humor to the film, as the Chief has a loud and spunky personality.
Tiffany Fluffit Is A Cat
The film brings Tiffany Fluffit, a character from the original series, to life. She is very similar to her character in the books, except for one obvious detail: In The Bad Guys, Tiffany is a cat. In fact, there are seldom any human characters in the book, whereas almost everyone besides the main gang is human in the movie.
There are several amazing animal movies out there, but adding humans to the cast may have been DreamWorks’ way to guarantee audiences see themselves in the film. It’s also possible they opted for this species change so that the main characters would stand out from others. As for Tiffany Fluffit, she becomes a main character in the books later on. For the movie, however, she remains a supporting character.
Webs Is Legs
Webs is a tarantula and the tech master of the group. She has great hacking skills that she admittedly learned from watching YouTube. The spider’s purpose in the book is the same as in the film adaptation, however, the source material presents a tarantula who’s a male and goes by the name Legs.
Legs isn’t introduced until the second book, but his presence isn’t any less important to the series. The movie changes his name and gender, likely in an effort to promote diversity and avoid the negative connotations which may come with a character named Legs. It was also fun to see Ms. Tarantula and Diane Foxington connect during the final chase scene.
Fox Stays Out Of The Public Eye
In the movie, Governor Foxington is a strong and clever woman with a secret past as a thief by the name of the Crimson Paw. She’s one of the most likable characters in The Bad Guys. In the books, the fox does not hold any public position of authority and her name isn’t Diane but Ellen. She is a reformed criminal and a part of a female group of super spies.
For one brief scene in the books, a Supreme Court justice named Diane is introduced, but her character is a chicken. It almost seems like the writers of the movie merged Diane and Ellen into one character. The decision to give the fox a position of power may have been made to make for a cool plot twist later on when the Crimson Paw’s identity is revealed.
Zombie Kittens, Not Guinea Pigs
The animated film sees an evil Marmalade use his latest invention, made with the power of a space rock, to gain control of all the guinea pigs in the city. In the books, Marmalade chooses to possess kittens instead, ordering them to attack and devour everyone in their path. He does this to distract the Good Guys Club while he escapes.
In both instances, Marmalade controls the minds of creatures usually associated with cuteness. The change from kittens to guinea pigs in the movie may have occurred to give Snake one of his most iconic scenes from the book, in which he excitedly volunteers to save chickens from captivity. He only agrees to do it because he wants to eat the chickens, rather than let them go.
Wolf Needs No Help Wanting To Be Good
In the movie, Wolf and his friends start as villains with zero intent to change their ways. It isn’t until he stops an old lady from falling, that he gets a taste of the good life. In the books, however, his reasoning for wanting to be a good guy isn’t given. From the very first page, his mind is made up. All he has to do is convince his pals.
This change was most likely necessary to the film’s success. Because of it, the cinematic Wolf is given more internal conflict and the opportunity for great character development. It also sets up the plot of deception orchestrated by Marmalade, as his plans to frame the bad guys led to Wolf’s idea to fake being good and all the manipulation that comes afterward.
Marmalade Was Never A “Good Guy”
The film introduces Marmalade as a good guy. About halfway through the movie, unsuspecting viewers witness a major plot twist when his villainy is revealed. In the books, the gang meets Marmalade after freeing chickens from captivity, not knowing that he was the owner of the facility. He quickly shows his true colors, enacting revenge on the group.
As already mentioned, this film is all about deception. Because Marmalade is a cute guinea pig, the public plays into stereotypes and assumes he is a good guy. Unfortunately, their assumptions here couldn’t be more wrong. The books also have twists and turns that surprise readers, but this isn’t one of them. Marmalade is introduced as and remains a bad guy throughout the whole series.
Aliens
While Marmalade never hides his villainy in the comics, he does have a deep secret that comes to light at the end of the fifth book. Simply speaking, Marmalade is not a guinea pig. He’s an alien disguised as a guinea pig to blend in on Earth.
Everyone who has seen the movie knows there was never even a hint that Marmalade was an alien. There were nods to space with the heart-shaped meteor, but it seems clear that the version of the character depicted in the movie isn’t of extra-terrestrial background.
No Heart-Shaped Space Rock
In the movie, Marmalade uses the energy from a heart-shaped space rock to power his evil invention that controls all the guinea pigs in the world. He possesses them to steal money raised at his own fundraising gala. In the book, there is no space rock. Marmalade uses a separate invention to take control of the kittens.
The rock in the film, as well as its lamp replica, is an important plot device. Many authors despise movies based on their books, but Blabey seems to enjoy it, admitting that the film is based loosely on the first four books. Even so, the shape of the rock may be a nod to the sixth book where Piranha questions the hands of Marmalade’s true form, which appear to be butt-shaped.
Time Travel And Super Powers
Anyone who thinks aliens are a silly addition to the comics may be even more bewildered to learn that time travel and superhero abilities become a part of later books. Neither of these science fiction elements is present in the film.
It’s most likely a good thing DreamWorks omitted these extra plot points. The film is already complex and full of great storylines. Adding another subplot could have ruined the story the film is trying to tell. Anything could happen in the future though, especially since DreamWorks loves to keep their popular franchises going as long as possible.