Casper Kelly's horror-comedy 'Buddy' debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, offering a satirical take on the children's TV show 'Barney & Friends' where a plush unicorn mascot turns murderous. Voiced by Keegan-Michael Key, the film blends whimsy with genre elements, drawing mixed reactions for its inspired but uneven execution. The movie screened in the Midnight section on January 23, 2026.
At the Sundance Film Festival's Midnight section on January 23, 2026, Casper Kelly unveiled 'Buddy,' a 95-minute fairy-tale spoof that reimagines the beloved 'Barney & Friends' as a nightmarish slasher tale. Kelly, known for his cult Adult Swim short 'Too Many Cooks,' directs and co-writes the film, which begins as a faithful parody of the 1992 PBS children's program. The titular Buddy, a big fuzzy orange unicorn with a yellow mane, purple heart, and kerchief, is voiced by Keegan-Michael Key, capturing the nasal geekiness and reflexive chuckles reminiscent of Barney—itself inspired by 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' but stripped of irony.
The story opens with an idyllic kids' TV set, complete with a theme song to the tune of 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' ('You love Buddy, yes you do...'), educational tunes like 'You Gotta Be Scared to Be Brave,' and anthropomorphic sidekicks such as Mr. Mailbox and Strappy the backpack. Trouble erupts when young Josh refuses to dance, unleashing Buddy's hidden violent side as a bloody avenger. The narrative then shifts to a suburban family led by Topher Grace and Cristin Milioti as the parents, with Milioti's character descending into madness after imagining a ghost child and getting sucked into the TV world, evoking 'Poltergeist.'
Kelly mashes up genres, incorporating slasher tropes—Buddy quips, 'That's all the time we have!' after his face is singed like Freddy Krueger—alongside nods to 'Little Red Riding Hood,' 'The Wizard of Oz,' and even a singing cowboy (Clint Howard) with a Howdy Doody puppet. The cast includes Delaney Quinn, Michael Shannon, and Patton Oswalt. Produced by Worry Well Productions, the film features cinematography by Zach Kuperstein, editing by Josh Ethier, and music by Michael Yezerski.
Critics noted its exquisite satirical world-building and demented gusto but found the conceptual humor scattershot, yielding mild chuckles over big laughs. As a surrealist contradiction—a hate letter to Barney infused with affection—'Buddy' taps into decades of cultural disdain for the overly wholesome dinosaur, echoing 2002's 'Death to Smoochy.' Kelly's pop-culture savvy shines, though the satire's limited propulsion tempers its impact.
