Buddy (2026) is directed by Casper Kelly, who also wrote the film alongside Jamie King. It stars Delaney King, Cristin Milioti, Keegan-Michael Key, Topher Grace, Tristan Borders, Madison Skyy Polan, Caleb Williams, Patton Oswalt, Eric Bauza, Bennie Taylor, Jimmica Collins, Luke Speakman, Phuong Kubacki, Devon Hawkes Ludlow, Sergey Zhuravsky, and Cedwan Hooks. Set in the world of a 1990s children’s TV show, the film follows a group of kids who begin to realize that the show’s host, a fluffy orange unicorn named Buddy (Key), has homicidal intentions. Working within the strange rules of Buddy’s uncanny world, the children desperately search for a way to escape before it’s too late. 

As the voice of the titular character, Keegan-Michael Key is nearly unrecognizable. As a loving and cuddly children’s show host, he comes across as 100% authentic. The truly impressive aspect of the performance, however, is the natural way he slowly infuses his voice with a subtle menace. Tone-wise, he almost never flies off the handle, even when his actions are as dark as possible. He’s still jolly old Buddy, but this time he’s happy to murder people instead of helping them. In other words, there’s a ceratin discipline in the performance that keeps Buddy from feeling like a completely chaotic, outright despicable villain (he still kills kids; let’s not praise the guy). He’s doing awful things, but at least he has a good attitude about it most of the time. If Buddy were any darker a character than he already is, I don’t think the film would’ve been as successful at executing its balance of horror and humor. 

Although this balance of jokes and scares is mostly a success, it’s not perfect. Some of the humor is sure to be too strange and uncomfortable for less adventurous viewers. This is especially true when it asks us to laugh at moments where kids discuss topics or experience events that’d be a parent’s nightmare. That being said, these moments have a clear function/meaning in the story, so they’re easy to forgive. In the grand scheme of things, I actually laughed a lot more than I was expecting. There’s some great situational humor, as well as some strong commentary on the general strangeness of children’s TV shows of this kind. Casper Kelly clearly understands the subject matter, but I’m not sure any of it would’ve worked if the young cast didn’t give such strong performances. 

Look, none of these kids are going to be nominated for an award, but they almost all give stronger performances than what you typically see from this age group. I was expecting maybe one good performance from the bunch, but they’re all great, and definitely deserve a shout-out in my little review here. It helps that the script writes these kids with some actual nuance. So many scripts boil child characters down to their absolute worst behaviors/traits, and forget that kids are often smarter and more capable than we give them credit for. Yes, they’re still immature and foolish in a lot of ways, but they’re also little human beings who have functioning brains that can make as many smart decisions as stupid ones. It’s clear Kelly and King either have backgrounds working with kids or parent some of their own, and it shows in the final product. 

The set design/general recreation of a 90s/early 2000s children’s show is maybe the most impressive aspect of the film. It’s eerily reminiscent of shows like Barney & Friends (1992-2010), Bear in the Big Blue House (1997-2006), and even Thomas & Friends (1983–). This gives the entire experience an odd sense of nostalgia that, when mixed with the horror elements, creates an uncanny vibe similar to seeing one’s former elementary school teacher singing drunk karaoke; it’s entertaining to watch, but it doesn’t quite feel right. Since this is clearly the tone Casper Kelly was going for, given his track record (Did anyone else worship Too Many Cooks when they were a silly high schooler? Me and my friends sure did.), I mean my description as a compliment. 

What I appreciated the most about this, however, is that Kelly doesn’t take the easy route with the film’s premise. Instead of lazily writing this as a story about a crazed actor playing Buddy, they position him as a real flesh-and-blood being who truly exists in the world of his show, which is also real. Nearly the entire story takes place within episodes of the show, and the characters are completely subject to the world’s odd rules. This makes for a truly original, fresh experience that feels rare nowadays, though its charm slightly diminishes by the third act.

Overall, this is a truly strange, scary, and funny film that’s ceratin to earn status as a cult classic. Tonally, it’s surprisingly more balanced of an experience than I’d have expected from the guy who made Too Many Cooks. It lives up to its juicy premise, pushes some traditional boundaries of the genre, and features some strong performances from the young cast. My only complaints are some slight pacing issues, a somewhat formulaic third act, and one ‘Chekhov’s gun’ element that never pays off. If you can enjoy strange, fresh experiences within the horror genre and can handle child characters in peril, this is one to check out. B