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THE BAD GUYS: HAUNTED HEIST

What You Need To Know:

HAUNTED HEIST is an animated TV special on Netflix based on the characters from the DreamWorks movie THE BAD GUYS. The short movie is a prequel, before the Bad Guys decided to reform. In this follow-up, the thieving animal crew plot their latest robbery, stealing an allegedly cursed amulet from a haunted mansion. A series of Halloween Hijinks follows as the crew questions whether the amulet is haunted. The TV special ends with some funny, crazy surprises.

THE BAD GUYS:  HAUNTED HEIST offers a fun time revisiting the characters from the popular movie. However, its Halloween setting may be too much for media-wise families. The story revolves around attempts to “spook” Mr. Wolf into believing he’s haunted. However, the movie’s depictions of haunted, occult disturbances may be off-putting for parents and younger viewers. In the end, it turns out that all the scary things are faked, like in a classic Scooby-Doo cartoon. Also, THE BAD GUYS:  HAUNTED HEIST features numerous immoral behaviors, such as plotting robberies, lockpicking, thievery, and fooling your friends. So, MOVIEGUIDE® suggests caution for older children.

Content:

(B, C, OO, V, MM):  Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:  Weak moral, redemptive worldview that includes some biblical principles (for example, Mr. Wolf is repentant and offers up his life for his friends, but this is undone when he reveals he knows he was being pranked), mixed with frequent references to the occult and supernatural though the occult incidents are proven to be faked (for example, there are many references to the supernatural such as haunted artifacts, ghosts, vampires, “possessed” suits of armor, mummies, eyeballs floating in a drink, but they are all faked, and there are mentions of superstition to ward off the supernatural such as a rabbit’s foot and a necklace of garlic), but this installment also seemingly takes place before the original movie’s events, where the characters have turned a new leaf and are considered “Good Guys,” so many of those redemptive elements are missing in this special, and the main characters have no problem sneaking or pickpocketing or lockpicking or pranking their friends, or committing heists for their own pleasure, etc.; Foul Language:  No obscenities or profanities, but there’s one “heck,” one “freaking” and jokes about passing gas. Violence:  Light violence done in a comical and cartoonish way includes one character kicks four bad guys up into the air, a “possessed” suit of armor runs at the characters and tries to hit them with an axe, later a chandelier falls on the suit of armor and pins  it down, characters jump at Mr. Wolf to attack him offscreen; Sex:  No sex; Nudity:  No nudity; Alcohol Use:  No alcohol use; Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:  No smoking or drugs; and, Miscellaneous Immorality:  Strong miscellaneous immorality such as the story revolves around characters (thieves) plotting to steal an artifact from a haunted house, lock picking, breaking and entering, “pranking” by making someone believe they’re haunted, and Mr. Wolf is falsely led to believe that his irresponsible and selfish actions led to his friend’s demise.

More Detail:

THE BAD GUYS:  HAUNTED HEIST is an animated children’s Halloween special on Netflix that follows the characters from the DreamWorks movie THE BAD GUYS. Viewers catch up with the thieving animal crew as they plot their latest robbery: to steal an amulet from a haunted mansion. Halloween Hijinks unfold as the crew questions whether they’re dealing with a haunted amulet or not.

The TV special is a fun opportunity to revisit the characters from the popular movie. The special effects and production quality are serviceable and make for entertaining viewing. However, the Halloween setting may be too much for younger viewers. The story of THE BAD GUYS:  HAUNTED HEIST revolves around attempts to “spook” Mr. Wolf into believing he’s haunted. However, there are still many references to the occult and the supernatural (including ghosts, vampires and a “possessed” suit of armor that appears throughout the episode and tries to maim the characters). 

Though mild and often shown to be the result of technology or gimmicks, the images on screen may disturb many young viewers. Also, as this TV special occurs in THE BAD GUYS universe, the show features robberies, lockpicking and thievery. MOVIEGUIDE® suggests caution for young viewers.

THE BAD GUYS:  HAUNTED HEIST begins with the story of Reginald E. Scary, an infamous robber who long ago stole a crescent amulet and vowed to curse anyone who stole it from him. It now lies in his haunted mansion. Mr. Wolf believes this to be the perfect heist to commemorate Halloween.

His crew is wary, however. They cite Mr. Wolf’s incessant Halloween pranks over the years. Eventually, they decide to break in and steal the amulet. They see many unsettling sights inside Scary’s haunted mansion, such as a piano playing by itself and a suit of armor that lurches out to attack them. Later, they discover that the scary stuff is yet another prank from Mr. Wolf.

They return to their hideout with the crescent amulet, but something seems off. Mr. Wolf begins hearing the familiar tune played on the mansion’s piano, yet no one else can hear it.

Later, Mr. Scary appears in a nightmare, torments Mr. Wolf and tells him his actions will cost him something he loves. As he wakes, his friends inform Wolf that Mr. Piranha has been kidnapped. The friends race back to the mansion, carrying a necklace of garlic and a rabbit’s foot to ward off evil. Inside, they see unexplainable floating chairs and a suit of armor ready to attack them yet again. This time, however, it’s not Mr. Wolf’s doing.

Mr. Shark uses the rabbit’s foot to knock down a chandelier and pin the suit of armor. However, just as they think they’ve avoided all danger, the ghost of Mr. Piranha appears and chases the crew out of the house, except for Mr. Wolf, who runs to return the amulet in hopes that Reginald Scary will return Mr. Piranha. Mr. Scary appears, telling him it’s too late. For his trespass, he will also take the rest of Mr. Wolf’s friends. We see the ghosts of Mr. Shark, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Piranha. Finally, in a desperate bid to save their souls, Mr. Wolf offers himself, begging to take their place.

The TV Special ends with some more funny, crazy surprises.

THE BAD GUYS:  HAUNTED HEIST offers a fun time revisiting the characters from the popular movie. However, its Halloween setting may be too much for media-wise families. The story revolves around attempts to “spook” Mr. Wolf into believing he’s haunted. However, the movie’s depictions of haunted, occult disturbances may be off-putting for parents and younger viewers. In the end, it turns out that all the scary things are faked, like in a classic Scooby-Doo cartoon. Also, the show features numerous immoral behavior, such as plotting heists and robberies, lockpicking, thievery, and fooling your friends. So, MOVIEGUIDE® suggests caution for older children.