SXSW 2026 Film Review: Buddy

Director Casper Kelly, perhaps best know for the viral Too Many Cooks short, channels his love of faux-retro analog media and unexpected chaos into his latest feature, Buddy. 

Initially constructed as a series of low-fi episodes of It’s Buddy!, a ‘90s children’s show in the vein of Barney & Friends, the series revolves around Buddy (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key), a lumbering orange unicorn and a group of young children who act as his pals / co-stars.

With their days spent full of joyful activities (complete with repeated singing to camera moments), the children seem to be having a great time in Buddy’s world, but something is amiss. When one kid refuses to join in with the rest of the gang, Buddy becomes apoplectic, and the other children soon realize they are actually captives in Buddy’s relentlessly upbeat show. 

Meanwhile, in the “real” world, Grace (Cristin Milioti) begins to worry her husband Ben (Topher Grace) as she has reoccurring troubling thoughts of a daughter that seemingly doesn’t exist. Or does she?

By far one of the funniest and most surprising films at SXSW this year, Buddy hits at the nostalgic core of growing up with the wonderful chaos of children’s programming like Pee-wee’s Playhouse or Barney and adds in a liberal does of ultra-violence and existential ennui.

Like an episode of children’s programming on PCP, Buddy won’t be for everyone, but those attuned to Kelly’s deeply unhinged sense of humour will have a blast with this. 

Buddy screened as part of the 2026 SXSW Film Festival.