How ‘The Bad Guys’ Used L.A.’s Cinematic History to Create an Animated Film Noir

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorLos Angeles’ ubiquitous smog, freeways, beaches and palm trees — as well as its place in moviedom — were all influential elements as filmmaker Pierre Perifel and production designer Luc Desmarchelier huddled over where to set DreamWorks’ latest animation, “The Bad Guys,” in theaters April 22.Based on the children’s book series by Aaron Blabey about a group of animals — a wolf, a snake, a shark, a tarantula and a piranha — that are always portrayed as criminal types but are trying hard to reform here, Desmarchelier says the script didn’t define where the action would be taking place.

So when conceiving ideas, he looked at Chicago and New York as potential settings for the gang’s last heist.But the production designer says he and Perifel ultimately landed on a reimagined version of the City of Angels because inspirations from cop and heist movies and TV shows had a gravitational pull. “Starsky and Hutch,” “To Live and Die in L.A.” and even Tarantino films such as “Reservoir Dogs” were among those that had a distinct look that he could model his designs on. “We were attracted to the colors, the smog-filled air, the white and blue skies that we found so appealing,” Desmarchelier says.The production designer notes that the backgrounds are more about a vibe than about portraying specific places. “We reimagined the city, so there’s no one place where you can recognize an actual building or landmark, but it still feels and looks like it’s L.A.,” he says.One particular car chase sequence between the cops and the bad guys takes place at dusk.

Attracted by the smoggy skies often portrayed in quintessential L.A. noirs, Desmarchelier wove that into his backdrop. “There’s a little bit of smog as the city.