The friendship of Mr. Snake (voiced by Marc Maron) and Wolf (Sam Rockwell) is at the heart of the story told in “The Bad Guys.”

Based on the bestselling books by Australian author Aaron Blabey of “Pig the Pug” and “Thelma the Unicorn” fame, computer-generated animated action film “The Bad Guys” tells the tail, uh, I mean, tale of a group of scary-looking animals, who are also talented professional thieves.

Mr. Wolf (voice of Academy Award-winner Sam Rockwell) is the tall, gray leader of the gang. His right hand man, uh, snake is Snake (Marc Maron), who rhapsodizes about the mouth-watering deliciousness of guinea pigs and is likely to regurgitate something disgusting. Tarantula (Awkwafina) is the team’s fun-loving tech expert and hacker. Cross-dresser Shark (Craig Robinson), a first cousin to King Shark of “The Suicide Squad,” has a unique way of distracting a crowd. Finally, Piranha (Anthony Ramos, “In the Heights”) is a little guy with very big teeth and a flatulence problem.

Directed by animation department veteran Pierre Perifel (“Kung Fu Panda”) and scripted by Etan Cohen (“Men in Black 3”), “The Bad Guys” begins like a cross between “Kung Fu Panda” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs.”

“The Bad Guys” is set in a fictionalized Los Angeles, where anthropomorphic animals co-exist along with cartoon-like humans. The bad guys of the title share a warehouse-like lair off the Los Angeles River. A TV news reporter named Tiffany Fluffit (Lilly Singh) makes regular appearances to let us know what the bad guys have been up to, namely no good.

After robbing a bank, the bad guys set their eyes upon the golden statuette of a dolphin that is the prize at the Good Samaritan Awards. Gov. Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz), a fox, will be on hand to present the award. She and Mr. Wolf, who has been stealing wallets and cash in the crowd, exchange a few words and become friendly. The recipient of the award, Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade), believes that he can make the bad guys good if given a chance.

But can these “remorseless sociopaths” really be changed for the better? The plot revolves around a meteorite that struck the city, leaving a huge crater and a lot of infrastructure damage. Wolf likes to be chased along with his cohort passengers in his vintage Camaro-like hot car. Using the meteorite’s mysterious power, Professor Marmalade hatches a James Bond villain-like plot that involves — wait for it — robotic guinea pigs that can link up and turn into a giant Guinea Pig-Zilla.

What makes “The Bad Guys” fun is the dialogue and the interaction between the characters. Thanks to Rockwell and Maron, Wolf and Snake have a bad boyz-like chemistry. Rockwell and Beetz also have an electric spark in their flirting scenes. The gifted comic actor Awkwafina makes Tarantula a spider you’d like to spend time with. “Hamilton” veteran Ramos gives Piranha a fiery temperament, and comic master Robinson is a regular hoot as Shark.

In the supporting cast, Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) stands out as the apoplectic human Police Chief Misty Luggins, who is on the proverbial verge of a nervous breakdown. The visuals are clever, steeped in the traditions of live-action comedy although often reminiscent of the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons, and fun to watch. “The Bad Guys” answers the question: How do you handcuff a snake?