Buddy

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Buddy

R

Aug 2026

1h 35m

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

138 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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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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Audience Says

Intentionally weird and darkly funny, Buddy is to horror fans what Bluey is to millennial parents: chicken soup for the soul.

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Joey Shapiro

Chicago Reader

Sep 8, 2026

I’m also not sure if it has anything to say that hasn’t already been said by the numerous direct-to-Tubi movies that came before it.

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Alison Willmore

New York Magazine/Vulture

Sep 8, 2026

It wants to bring to mind is not some half-remembered children’s programming but an Adult Swim show that riffed on that sort of stuff. And, costume-character carnage aside, that’s just not as compelling.

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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

Sep 1, 2026

Enjoyably weird to the end, its horror soul in line with the creepypasta ethos of something undefined yet eternal.

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Tim Stevens

The Spool

2 days ago

For the world it creates and a Milioti who earnestly commits, it’s worth a watch.

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Sheraz Farooqi

CinemaDebate

3 days ago

3/5

Buddy is a solid horror film that makes the most of its small budget, delivering enough creepy moments and nostalgic fun to keep things entertaining. Any millennial who grew up with Barney will get the goosebumps from seeing this film

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Amanda the Jedi

Amanda the Jedi (Youtube)

3 days ago

As absurd as it is disturbing.

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anonymous

19 hrs ago

I didn’t like it at all wasn’t even scary it was just dumb

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Lisa

1 day ago

I thought this was a very trippy out there concept but I get it. What I took from it was how in the 90s kid shows like Barney, Blue’s Clues, etc., when children shows were watching your children instead of the parents. The humor was different and I thought it was a fresh take. Not something recycled. I could definitely see this becoming a cult classic. The trailer doesn’t do it justice. You just have to see and determine what you think for yourself..

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Cynthia

1 day ago

Humor and evil puppets, doesn’t get better than that!

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red misery

1 day ago

Teletubby? No, Tele-Buddy.

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S

3 days ago

Worst movie Ive ever seen.

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Allen

3 days ago

Interesting take on the evil children’s program character trope. Better than it should be!

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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): $26.4M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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