Dora The Explorer Inspired Sick & Sadistic New Horror Movie From Underrated Director

Published Jul 28, 2026, 5:37 PM EDT Casper Kelly had a unique few inspirations for his wild new horror film Buddy. Co-written and directed by the Adult Swim veteran alongside Jamie King, the film revolves around Freddy and a group of young children starring on a 1990s-like TV show led by the eponymous orange unicorn host, much in the way of the iconic Barney & Friends from the same era. However, when the kids begin trying to break away from Buddy's activities, they come to realize they are trapped in a surreal nightmare and become hunted by the once-lovable mascot. Ahead of the film's September release, ScreenRant's Ash Crossan interviewed Casper Kelly in our San Diego Comic-Con 2026 media suite to discuss Buddy. When asked about the source of his inspiration for his twisted new horror movie, the co-writer/director acknowledged that Barney was one of the many looked at for the film, as some of the producers wanted to make a dark take on the purple dinosaur, who he knows "well from my daughters of that right age." Kelly went on to share that both Dora the Explorer and Blue's Clues were also major influences on Buddy, as he loves "'90s kids' television" and began "percolating" about creating a "fun world to play in," while also citing his own time with Adult Swim as being a big help for how he approached the movie: Casper Kelly: I come from Adult Swim where we do little 11-minute shorts, so getting to do a movie I wanted to really have other layers. I wanted to have emotion, even if the premise is absurd. I want you to be scared. I want you to be laughing, but also be moved. And hopefully, we did that. Knock on wood. Between its titular central character being a similarly fictional creature in a stuffed animal-like suit and seemingly taking place on a soundstage, Buddy does certainly feel more in line with Barney than anything else. However, while both Dora and Blue's Clues may have generally focused on animated characters, the new movie's inclusion of parts of the house also being anthropomorphized does showcase some of those shows' influence on Kelly's project. This isn't the first time Kelly has shared some of the influences he had going into the creation of Buddy, having previously shared with ScreenRant for the film's SXSW 2026 premiere that he also included nods to Pee-wee's Playhouse, Howdy Doody and The Wizard of Oz, describing himself as "kind of a maximalist." Given the sheer range of '90s kids' shows like Barney and Dora that continue to have an impact on modern projects, there is sure to be plenty of other titles to have inspired Kelly's wild new horror movie. Kelly's approach to the material certainly attracted a big ensemble to help bring Buddy to life. Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key is leading the horror film's cast as the voice of the titular unicorn alongside The Roses' Delaney Quinn as Freddy, The Penguin's Cristin Milioti, The Waterfront's Topher Grace, The Sandman's Patton Oswalt and Death by Lightning's Michael Shannon, among many others. It also has been winning critics over since Buddy's SXSW premiere, as the film currently holds an impressive 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 31 reviews at the time of writing. With nostalgia-driven projects remaining as popular as ever, and the Twisted Childhood Universe seeing viral success thanks to its sadistic takes on classic properties, Kelly's film could have the right elements to draw in '90s kids looking for an unhinged twist on their favorite series. Release Date September 4, 2026 Runtime 95 minutes Director Casper Kelly Cast Keegan-Michael Key Buddy the Unicorn (voice) Writers Casper Kelly, Jamie King Producers Drew Sykes, J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules, Tracy Rosenblum, Tyler Davidson Main Genre Horror Executive Producer(s) Adam J. Wilde, Dexter Braff, Emilio Schenker, Gideon Tadmor, Kevin Flanigan, Roberto Linck