BUDDY (2026)

New in select theaters from Roadside Attractions and Saban Films!
Directed by Casper Kelly.
Written by Casper Kelly, Jamie King.
Check out the trailer here! !

BUDDY is a Barney-like costumed icon singing and dancing with a gaggle of kids in his own TV fantasy land. But as multiple episodes play out in the film, it becomes apparent that something is definitely off in Buddy’s world as children begin to disappear and Buddy’s real intentions turn out to be not-so-wholesome.

The creator of TOO MANY COOKS and the YULE LOG movies, Casper Kelly, returns with a new film that begins with an over-saccharinated concept that quickly dissolves into primal terror. BUDDY is more like another Adult Swim-esque short film GREAT CHOICE, where the horror comes from the realization that one is living within a repetitious world that is not what it seems. When one of the kids goes missing, only one of the kids Freddy (Delaney Quinn) understands something is amiss. The fun in the first leg of BUDDY is seeing the story devolve in front of one’s eyes with an entire five-minute episode playing out numerous times. The differences at first are subtle, but soon things go straight to hell and it’s hilariously pleasing to see this seemingly harmless TV host slowly lose his patience and sanity.

This is an extremely cynical take, but entertaining, nevertheless. At the same time. BUDDY is far from an original concept. Again, much like films like MEET THE FEEBLES, WALLY’S WONDERLAND, DEATH TO SMOOCHIE, FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S, CHANNEL ZERO’s “Candle Cove,” and more recently THE FUZZIES and MONKEY’S MAGICAL MERRY-GO-ROUND, the fun with BUDDY is seeing something meant for children morph into something horrible and tasteless. While I missed the Barney phenomenon, I did love SESAME STREET and understood the urge to take a beloved property and make it edgy and twisted. That’s what the rough-around-the-edges MEET THE FEEBLES was for me. Still, seeing this play out feels somewhat try-hard for me, as if the concept isn’t as fresh as it feels like it is.

I’m not saying I didn’t have a blast watching BUDDY. It was interesting for me to see niche dark humor play out to a packed audience, as this is far from a mainstream, literally minded film. There were plenty of people in the audience that seemed to not share my twisted sense of humor, especially the old guy who sat right next to me who kept repeating to himself, “This is stupid.” over and again. There is a certain literal-minded viewer that BUDDY is just not going to hit with. Still, if you’re a fan of irreverent humor and a snarky way of looking at things, BUDDY’s going to connect hard.

There is a tonal shift about a half hour into the movie that is a risky move for Kelly. It’s a change in scenery that I feel slows the momentum down quite a bit, as it develops the story and characters a little more. The section is necessary for the plot, but I feel chunks of it could have been snipped for the flow of the film to move a bit smoother. That said, it offers up a chance to see Cristin Milioti shine as Grace, a housewife and mother who feels something just feels off in her seemingly perfect world. This reflects the feeling Freddy has in the world of Buddy’s show, so I understand why it is there. But the scene is a little long and makes its point then lingers a skosh. That said, once back in Buddy’s world, the pace picks up again and the depravity that began in the first third of BUDDY, picks up and continues to entertain.

BUDDY has some phenomenal voice-acting in its cast. Keegan Michael Key is amazing as Buddy, as he can capture the innocent tone in Buddy’s voice with a growing sense of menace. Key really knows how to bring on the wholesome, at the same time he can layer on the underlying menace with ease. Also offering up a solid performance is Patton Oswalt as Strappy the backpack. Then there is Michael Shannon as a ventriloquist’s dummy, who pairs with the one and only Clint Howard. It all makes for a gaggle of lunatic voice-overs pressing the narrative forward.

The effects are hit and miss. There’s an awesome DIY element to BUDDY. The suit is a straight up knockoff of Barney, but later when Buddy sheds his skin and reveals the monster underneath, I was underwhelmed by the low-fi look. It is supposed to be a menacing moment and the hokiness of the effects really makes it feel more like a Power Ranger monster. I understand that Buddy and the Power Rangers are from the same era and this is yet another callback, but I much preferred the more subtle effects seen earlier in the film when Buddy is burned and you can see bones and musculature under his plush fur sticking out. I wish the film had gone further with this concept, rather than the corny concept we got in the final act.

Still, I feel BUDDY only scratches the surface of the world Kelly created. There are hints that there are other Buddies of different colors out there and a long line of children who have come and gone in the show. BUDDY ends with an absolutely twisted note, once again promising a happy ending, but delivering with an outcome that is far from ideal. I don’t know if Kelly ever plans on following up with another one of these—I mean, I had no idea he was doing a sequel for YULE LOG, so another BUDDY is not out of the question and there are plenty of laces the story could go. If you’re a stranger to Kelly’s warped work and a fan of material teetering on the edge of horror and humor, this is going to be a real treat. But I feel there are less developed parts and chances not taken that showed up better in his previous works.