“It’s not the action, it’s the distraction.” Animated movie buffs will find a joyful surfeit of both in the new DreamWorks flick The Bad Guys 2, a sequel to the 2002 hit that surpasses it in almost every way. Every primary and a few secondary characters return in a snappy heist film that has enough double-dealing and triple-crossing action to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

The Good Guys (formerly known as you-know-who) are finding life tough; their past antics do not inspire trust in potential employers, the public, or the law. Governor Diane Foxington (a.k.a. the Crimson Paw) suggests to gang leader Mr. Wolf that a major good deed will restore them to good graces. Soon, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Pirhana, Mr. Shark, and Ms. Webs are on the trail of the nefarious Phantom Bandit. Mr. Snake, it seems, is spending time with a new squeeze (so to speak), Susan.

He reunites with the gang in their quest, but their efforts go laughably awry, and they end up framed by the Bandit. Police Commissioner Misty Luggins is now out to get the Bad Guys. A trio of female supercriminals, the Bad Girls, then kidnaps the gang. Their leader, a snow leopard by the name of Kitty Kat, wants assistance in stealing the MoonX rocket. She works with associates Pigtail Petrova (A wild boar) and Doom (a raven posing as Mr. Snake’s girlfriend, Susan)

Why? It all has to do with a rare metal called MacGuffinite, well known to master villain Marmalade, who divulges its existence to Governor Foxington from his prison cell. Since I hate spoilers and this movie is so well worth viewing, I’ll stop there, but the last third of this flick roars into high gear.

Yoni Brenner and Etan Coen have written a first-class screenplay, with nods to Moonraker, the Fast and Furious franchise, the Ocean’s films, and Reservoir Dogs, among others. The practiced cast is outstanding in their performance of the dialogue. Sam Rockwell is masterful as Mr. Wolf. Marc Maron (Mr. Snake), Craig Robinson (Mr. Shark), Anthony Ramos (Mr. Piranha), and Awkwafina (now a prolific voice actor as Ms. Webs) all turn in great jobs. Zazie Beets rocks it as Governor Foxington, and Alex Borstein is a show stealer as Commissioner Misty Luggins.

On the criminal side, Danielle Brooks is a menacing Kitty Kat, and Natasha Lyonne turns in an excellent performance as Susan/Doom. Maria Bakalova, as Pigtail Petrova, has few lines, but plays them with savage gusto. And what would this film be without Bondian villain Marmalade, the evil guinea pig played by Richard Ayoade?

DreamWorks and Sony Imageworks teamed up on the animation and visuals, which are outstanding. Special mention to Production Designer Luc Desmarchelier, Art Director Floriane Marchix. Layout Director Todd Jansen and his crew have no problems handling the wildest action scenes; the space station fight between Kitty Kat and Mr. Wolf takes place in zero gravity, with the background and layout constantly shifting and spinning. I was reminded of the Spider-Man/Spot tussle in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Perhaps best of all is the promise of more to come in the mid-credits scene. In all, a ripping good time for our favorite Bad Guys.