But whenever Rockwell’s purr comes on, which is often given Mr. Wolf’s central role, the whole affair sings, uniting both children who are naturally entranced by the actor’s delivery and adults who get Oscar-calibre work in an otherwise forgettable kiddie flick.

Since we last met them, Wolf and the gang – Mr Snake (Marc Maron), Mr Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr Piranha (Anthony Ramos) and Ms Tarantula (Awkwafina) – have done a stint in jail and gone straight. But life on the right side of the law is proving "frustrating and dull". So when they are approached to pull off one last heist, they readily accept.

Sam Rockwell joins TODAY to talk about voicing Mr. Wolf, the leader of a squad of animal outlaws in the new animated movie “Bad Guys 2.” He opens up about his research for this role, the vocal warmups he did before recording and how his dog helped him prepare for the role.