There is something inherently creepy about children’s television when you push it even a little too far: the forced cheer, the manic colors, the smiling mascots, the singalong life lessons, and the insistence that everything is happy, happy, happy. That seems to be the nightmare at the center of “Buddy,” the new horror film from Casper Kelly, the filmmaker behind “Too Many Cooks” and “Adult Swim Yule Log.”
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Roadside Attractions has released the first teaser for “Buddy,” which stars Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, and Patton Oswalt. The film premiered earlier this year in the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival, which is probably the first clue that this is not exactly a warm, nostalgic trip back to Saturday morning TV.
The premise centers on Buddy, a bright orange unicorn and the star of the classic children’s television show “It’s Buddy!,” where a group of kids spends their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy spread happiness. But when one child refuses to play along, Buddy is not pleased, and the cracks begin to show in what initially looks like a perfect, candy-colored world.
That setup sounds very much in Kelly’s wheelhouse. “Too Many Cooks” became a viral Adult Swim sensation by turning sitcom nostalgia into something increasingly deranged and nightmarish. At the same time, “Adult Swim Yule Log” similarly used a familiar TV comfort object as the starting point for something much stranger. “Buddy” appears to take that same instinct into feature form, using the grammar of children’s programming to build a horror story about obedience, performance, and what happens when enforced happiness curdles.
Kelly directed the film and co-wrote the script with Jamie King. Producers include Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, and Tracy Rosenblum.
Roadside Attractions releases the film in theaters on August 28, 2026. Watch the teaser below.
