A “Bad Guys” sequel with the right kind of bad attitude.

“The Bad Guys 2” may be something that parents were thinking about when they were forced to take their kids to see “Smurfs.” It was such a flimsy cartoon that took no chances and I’m glad the only way it would be popular is on a rainy day. But other than that, I’m not seeing a sequel. “The Bad Guys 2,” on the other hand, is an animated franchise that likes to expand its horizons on animation, as well as the kind of crossover appeal for both targets.

The original movie from the Dreamworks Animation cannon, which was also based on a book series, served as a fun homage to Sodenbergh and Tarantino movies, and even went for that “Zootopia” approach. Now, it wants to go after a lot of other movies, like the “Fast & Furious” franchise, the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, “Silence of the Lambs,” “The Pink Panther” (1963), “Nacho Libre,” and “Gravity.” It wants to do a lot of things, even use big moguls like Elon Musk as inspiration, and gladly gets away with it. I’d say: “It’s call a hustle, sweetheart,” but maybe I would save that for the upcoming “Zootopia 2.”

We all know the Bad Guys consist of the leader Mr. Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell), the safe cracker Mr. Snake (voiced by Marc Maron), the master of disguise Mr. Shark (voiced by Craig Robinson), the computer hacker Ms. Tarantula (voiced by Awkwafina), and the short fuse Mr. Piranha (voiced by Anthony Ramos). We also all know they all became good. But does everyone else know it? It’s highly doubtful, and considering their criminal records, they can’t even land steady jobs.

There’s also a “medium friendship” sparked between Wolf and the governor Diane Foxington (voiced by Zazie Beetz), who was revealed to be the reformed thief-the Crimson Paw in the last movie. They both think they’re not at that romantic level, but they’re quicker than Branch and Poppy were in the “Trolls” movies.

So what do the Bad Guys and Diane have in common in this sequel? They’re being set-up for blackmail by an all female criminal team-the Bad Girls. They consist of the snow leopard leader Kitty Kat (voiced by Danielle Brooks), the wild boar Pigtail Petrova (voiced by Maria Bakalova), and the raven Doom (voiced by Natasha Lyonne, whose animation repertoire now unfortunately includes “Smurfs”). They need the Bad Guys for one last heist.

I’m not 100% sure if snakes and ravens eat each other in real life, but in the animated world, Snake and Doom can spark a connection. The kind in which betrayals turn him on, and that they can make out with her beak in his mouth. He might be tasting her, or he might actually be in love with her.

We might need a little pacing in the story, but the execution is entertaining, especially in its attempts to for the Bad Guys to be given a chance to be welcomed into society. I like the way the police commissioner (voiced by Alex Borstein) struggles to trust them, but eventually comes around, and I like how the blackmail scheme threatens to make Diane’s story complicated. Once again directed by Pierre Perifel, “The Bad Guys 2” is able to appease to both target audiences without desperation.

The animation continues to have that expensive Saturday morning cartoon feel, crossed with comic book and anime styles, all of which blend well with the action and comedy within. And they can resonate with reality, such as a space sequence in which it’s mostly quiet (after all, as stated in “Aliens,” In space, no one can hear you scream”), and almost has that “Gravity,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “Interstellar” quality. And I’m told the animation was done by Sony Pictures Imageworks with Dreamworks setting up the pre-production stages.

So Smurf the new “Smurfs” movie; “The Bad Guys 2” is a lot of fun.