The Bad Guys

Wolves, snakes, tarantulas, sharks, piranhas. They might be the most notorious and feared creatures the animal kingdom has to offer, but in The Bad Guys, they also have hearts of gold.

Catering to children with short attention spans, this animated caper comedy is a riff on Ocean’s Eleven with a big bad wolf filling in for George Clooney. The hyperactive result is more exhausting than endearing, however, despite some intermittent laughs.

The story takes place in a world where humans and anthropomorphic critters coexist. That’s where the aforementioned debonair protagonist (voiced by Sam Rockwell) is pretty much resigned to his villainous existence.

After a philosophical discussion at a restaurant where they frighten their fellow patrons just by grabbing a booth, Wolf and his safecracker buddy Snake (Marc Maron) head across the street to rob another bank. The scheme involves the other three members of their infamous gang — master of disguise Shark (Craig Robinson), short-tempered Piranha (Anthony Ramos), and diminutive hacker Tarantula (Awkwafina).

Despite falling for Wolf’s charms, the new mayor (Zazie Beetz) rounds up the notorious swindlers as part of an anti-crime initiative. As she’s throwing them in jail, however, respected guinea pig Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade) suggests behavior therapy under his tutelage. Can the bad guys become good guys before unforeseen obstacles get in the way?

The screenplay by Etan Cohen (Holmes and Watson), adapted from a series of children’s books by Australian author Aaron Blabey, channels some throwback cinematic influences through a kid-friendly filter. It’s hardly cute and cuddly, yet also not as edgy and subversive as it aspires to be.

The computer animation is crisp and colorful. Rookie director and veteran animator Pierre Perifel keeps the pace lively to the point of sensory overload, although some of the film’s most dazzling set pieces seem designed for show more than narrative necessity.

Nevertheless, easy-to-please youngsters will probably appreciate the broad animal antics, including some gratuitous low-brow gags. The lessons about teamwork, loyalty, and acceptance are wholesome if too on-the-nose.

Accompanying adults won’t be nearly as amused by a lackluster redemption story that lacks subtlety and surprise. It turns into a zoo, but The Bad Guys lacks bite.

Rated PG, 100 minutes.