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Buddy

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89% Tomatometer 123 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Verified Ratings
Remember BUDDY--the bright orange unicorn and star of that classic children's television show who brought joy and life lessons into your living room? Inside the colorful world of "It's Buddy!", a group of children spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy spread happiness. But when one child refuses to play along, Buddy is not pleased and cracks begin to appear in this seemingly perfect world.
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Buddy

Buddy

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Critics Consensus

Buddy weaponizes the cheery conventions of children's entertainment into an inventive, hilarious, and creepy descent into pop culture madness.

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Critics Reviews

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Robert Abele Los Angeles Times 4d
Enjoyably weird to the end, its horror soul in line with the creepypasta ethos of something undefined yet eternal. Go to Full Review
Perri Nemiroff Perri Nemiroff (YouTube) 5d
4/5
I really love everything about how this movie was made and how practical and handmade the entire thing feels. I think it aligns with the whole concept, this being a Barney-like show. Go to Full Review
Tomris Laffly RogerEbert.com Aug 28
3.5/4
It’s a trippy, ballsy, and genuinely entertaining package that shouldn’t work at all. But it does, and I can’t believe it exists. Go to Full Review
Morris Yang In Review Online 1d
Gleeful is the hand that satirizes... the cloying grotesqueries of children’s television [and] their candy-colored jubilation, and it is this realization that informs and invigorates Casper Kelly’s mean-streaked feature debut. Go to Full Review
Korey Coleman Double Toasted 1d
The way the actor in the big orange Buddy costume conveys being mentally unstable and having anger issues is amazing. The film really commits to the kids' show format and nails the attention to detail. Go to Full Review
Courtney Howard Fresh Fiction 1d
3.5 out of 5
Buddy is a subversive middle finger to the generations that didn’t adequately prepare millennials and Gen Z for adulthood. ‘90s kids will feel seen, heard and – possibly – scared. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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notsure 34m Corny, cringy, not scary, boring was ready to walk out early See more Adam 6h Totally a fun thrill ride , great execution, great blood and SFX . Definitely a must see ! See more tmoneymoze 7h Absolutely my type of film suspense, a nice thriller great story that makes you say what the F**** See more Jason 9h Thought provoking and funny. I wanted it to get weirder than it did, that's my only gripe. See more Jerry 13h awesome! a completely original idea and nothing like I've ever seen before! See more joe 13h Awesome movie. It’s twisted, terrifying, and funny. See more Read all reviews
Buddy

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Movie Info

Synopsis Remember BUDDY--the bright orange unicorn and star of that classic children's television show who brought joy and life lessons into your living room? Inside the colorful world of "It's Buddy!", a group of children spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy spread happiness. But when one child refuses to play along, Buddy is not pleased and cracks begin to appear in this seemingly perfect world.
Director
Chris 'Casper' Kelly
Producer
Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, Tracy Rosenblum
Screenwriter
Chris 'Casper' Kelly, Jamie King
Distributor
Roadside Attractions / Saban Films
Production Co
BoulderLight Pictures, Low Spark Films, Sipur Studios, Substance
Rating
R (Bloody Violence|Some Drug Content|Language)
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 28, 2026, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.5M
Runtime
1h 35m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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