Written and directed by Casper Kelly. Starring Cristin Miloti, Topher Grace, Delaney Quinn, and Keegan Michael Key. [Producers, etc]
Buddy is a dark horror-comedy about a once-friendly anthropomorphic dinosaur who goes on a killer rampage for revenge after feeling slighted by the kids who don’t like how far their ‘Buddy’ tries to keep the harmony in their idyllic little playhouse of fun that transforms into a slaughterhouse. Based heavily on 90s kid/family-friends shows like Barney, the film is a complex one full of many different layers and themes that unfold during the course of its runtime, making it a standout in the crowded horror space today with Kelly’s offbeat charm.
The premiere brought much of the cast, which consists of familiar talent and child actors alike, the latter of which are up past their bedtime, who were happy to discuss their work in the film.
We also spoke to two members who were responsible for bringing this potential new horror icon to life: lead puppet builder, Chris Brown, and lead puppeteer and designer, Devon Hawkes Ludlow.
Ludlow said, “The producers and Casper assembled such an awesome tea that we’re just so happy to pivot.”
Brown expressed amazement at how fast the team was able to build all of that. Referring to the puppets that required many robotics. “We started to finish, everything built, everything shot, three and a half months. Everything was re-walking, the shots, and the glib and the high-up.
We started building everything. There were how many buddies?” Brown asked Ludlow.
Ludlow replied, “We made many, many buddies. Yeah, there were a lot of buddy suits.”
This was not the first time Brown worked with Smart. “I worked with Casper on the whole series. Too Many Cooks. I made Smire for Too Many Cooks and then I built a lot of effects and worked with him on Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell.”
An introduction was held before the film started, with a Q&A taking place after with the cast and Kelly sharing insight about the production. Keegan Michael Key voices Buddy and spoke about the process of recording lines for the character.
“Oh, stancibly by the time I came onto the project, it’s ADR. So you’re doing ADR. And sometimes we would, Casper and I, I don’t even really talked about it, but I would just kind of move the way the puppet was moving, just standing there in front of the mic. And the body movement sometimes helped with the rhythm of the voice. And it’s really, it’s an interesting process. And there’s times we go, let me slow down the line or let me speed up the line so we make sure the mouth’s moving when we’re doing it.”
Michael Key continued, “And it took us a while, but there were times when you nail it like that, and there were times when it takes 15 takes, but we just kept hammering away at it so we could get it done.”
Ludlow discussed how, as a puppet designer and maker, it was a labor of love to keep up with the number of puppet characters in the film that they needed to produce. He explained that these characters are inspired, and the film overall is a pastiche of the films, particularly Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and The Wizard of Oz.
“Everything else we could find. So it was like an amazing opportunity to create some amazing creatures. Marionettes and puppets and giant suits and the fish, the little fish in the pond are puppets that we made.”
He mentioned that all the puppets had cameras embedded in them. Highlighting the amazing use of practical effects. Ludlow explains, “There’s no like any kind of CGI, after effects at all. The only things they added were some fire with burning, and they cut out a few wires. That’s it. Everything else is as you see it.”
Michael Key shared an anecdote about a producer he could not recall from the 30s and 40s, who said, “Get me the same thing, but different.”
Talking about his involvement in the film, “And I said, ‘Oh, we can do this thing, which is just different.’ But after kind of when we started working together, and I realized one more… It’s really fantastic traditional storytelling just done in a way we’ve never, ever, ever seen before. And that was why that was what excited me about doing [the film].”
SPOILERS AHEAD for the film below. Read at your own discretion. Lead actress Miloti spoke about how the film resonated with her deeply.
“I just was really moved by the idea of a parent showing up for their kid like that. And also, I met with Casper and we both, if I can say this, cried. And then also he showed me like the design for the film, and I just was going interested in being like, well, what is it like to step into that world? What is that? What is that going to feel like? And I found the movie to be like really life and moving.”
The moderator of the Q&A asked Kelly if, when the writer and director first conceptualized the story, the final product turned out the way he imagined. To which he replied, “Yeah, but it looked a little…it looked better, and it was better acting than… It was great. It was what I imagined, but it was better. That was a good feeling.”
During the press line, Buddy himself showed up to mingle with the cast and crew and audiences alike after the film screened, with many taking pictures with the terrifyingly cute dinosaur. Making it an unforgettable screening in the legacy of Sundance overall and certainly for the last installment of the festival in Utah.
The film is still currently seeking distribution. However, due to its positive reception at Sundance. It was selected as a festival favorite for the South by Southwest Film Festival, screening for audiences in Austin, TX.
Watch our entire interviews and coverage of the premiere in the video above.
