Buddy, one of the wackiest horror releases in recent memory, is now playing in theaters. The response from critics has been strong, and now Barney the Purple Dinosaur himself has offered his stamp of approval.
Directed by Casper Kelly, Buddy is partly a dark comedy, and partly a supernatural horror flick. It takes heavy inspiration from Barney & Friends and similar children’s TV shows of the 1990s. The story revolved around It’s Buddy!, a kids’ show about an orange talking unicorn reminiscent of Barney. Actor Dean Wendt, who provided the official voice of Barney from 2002 to 2010, shared a video on Instagram after watching the film to give praise to Kelly and the Buddy team for nailing the dark Barney & Friends spoof.
“I have to tell you, I know it’s not Barney-like, Barney would never love it, but, I loved it,” Wendt says in the video. “I thought it was hilarious. I thought it was fun. There’s so many things about it that reminded me of being back on set. It was good, and they did a great job. Keegan did a great job with the voice. Just amazing performances all around. The story, you know, it’s not meant for kids, so, don’t take your kids. It’s just good fun.”
Channeling his Barney voice at the end, he added, “I loved it, I’m glad it’s doing well, and thank you guys so much. And remember, I love you!”
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Buddy imagines a story about children being trapped in world of the bright and colorful It’s Buddy! TV show. If a child does not participate in Buddy’s activities, they will mysteriously vanished and replaced with another. The surviving children realize they are trapped in a surreal prison and try to plot their escape from the murderous unicorn’s clubhouse. Meanwhile, a mother (Cristin Milioti) plagued by memories of a forgotten child of her own gets pulled into Buddy’s world where she learns the horrifying truth.
The film also stars Delaney Quinn, Tristan Broders, Madison Skyy Polan, Caleb Williams, Luke Speakman, Tory Jacqui Grace, Topher Grace, Brooke Bloom, and Clint Howard.
Buddy is rated R for bloody violence, some drug content, and language. It is playing in theaters now.
