Trick or Theft: ‘The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist’ Producers on Scaring Up a DreamWorks Halloween Special

This article was written for the November '24 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 344).

‘It was a joy to get to work with the team on this one and to see the unexpected attitudes Wolf, Webs, Snake, Shark and Piranha have about the spooky season.’

— Producer Katherine Nelfi

What would Halloween be without a fun new animated special featuring some of our favorite characters? This year, the folks sat DreamWorks TV are scratching our spooky season itch with the special The Bad Guys: Haunted Heist. Directed by Kevin Peaty and produced by Bret Haaland (All Hail King Julien, Monsters vs. Aliens series) and Katherine Nolfi (Abominable and the Invisible City, The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday), the half-hour project finds our favorite criminals from the studio’s 2022 movie trying to pull off the ultimate Halloween heist and take home a legendary crook’s pricey stolen amulet. Of course, things take a turn when Wolf tries to spook his crew with a few tricks of his own!

“It’s fun to get to see a different side of the group’s dynamics when Wolf’s love of scary pranks pushes the rest of the team over the edge — all while they are attempting to get their paws on a (maybe) haunted piece of loot,” says Nolfi.

Haaland adds, “My favorite thing about this Halloween special is the combination of humor and scary stuff. It reminds of the classic monster comedies from the early days of film. I also am proud of the look we achieved. The writing, the sets and the directing create a good sense of mood. I feel that we all did excellent work on this special. It’s fun and scary and funny.”

Their team began work on the project in April of 2023, and it took about a year to wrap up. “We’ve been working with DAVE Enterprises in Sydney and 88 Pictures in India,” says Haaland. “DAVE has about five people on the story team, including the director Kevin Peaty and another five on their production side, plus all of the DreamWorks team, and that’s not counting the animators at 88 Pictures. It’s close to about 100 people in total.”

Nolfi says growing up, she was a big fan of Halloween specials. “I loved seeing how beloved characters would react when thrust into unfamiliar spooky situations,” she recalls. “So it was a joy to get to work with the team on this one and to see the unexpected attitudes Wolf, Webs, Snake, Shark and Piranha have about the spooky season. Heads up, kids, Shark and Webs like to give out broccoli instead of candy, so you might want to leave the Bad Guys’ lair off your trick-or-treating route.”

“We worked hard to find the right balance of comedy and scares,” she adds. “Our goal was to tell a satisfying story that felt like it had all of the twists and turns audiences have come to expect from the Bad Guys. These characters are so lovable and have such a lighthearted sense of humor. Their big personalities send them on so many misadventures, like turning good, and saving Christmas last year, or pulling pranks this Halloween. It’s universal. What other antics could they get up to?”

The Bad Guy: Haunted Heist premieres on Netflix on Thursday, October 3.