Buddy Director Reveals A Scrapped Scene That Was A 'Bridge Too Far' For Producers [Exclusive]

If you've seen "Too Many Cooks," Casper Kelly's brain-melting short that took the internet by storm in 2014, you already know Kelly is interested in interrogating nostalgia and showcasing the twisted effects it can have. After tackling a secret Christmas movie and its unexpected sequel for the small screen, he's exploring that same theme on the big screen in "Buddy," his first theatrical feature film, which is about a '90s children's show hosted by a titular Barney the Dinosaur-style unicorn who seems cute and cuddly until the kid cast members discover his true malevolent nature. 

As the analog horror-forward trailer hints, the movie goes to some disturbing places, exposing the dark underbelly of children's entertainment along the way. I had the chance to speak with Kelly ahead of the film's release, and I asked him how close the final movie ended up being to the initial draft of the screenplay.

"I had one scene that the producers didn't love, so we ended up cutting it," he teased. "And they had a couple other scenes they were not sure about, but I fought for them and kept them."

It turns out the excised scene involved Buddy (voiced by Keegan Michael-Key) taking out his frustrations on a puppet that, if the rest of the film is any indication, would have looked like something out of "Pee-wee's Playhouse." (Note: I don't think his answer is spoilery, but if you'd like to go into the movie knowing absolutely nothing, then bookmark this page and come back after you see it.) As Kelly explained:

"I had one scene of Buddy in the bathroom talking to the mirror — and the mirror is a puppet — right after things had gone south and him going, 'Why are they doing this? Why aren't they behaving?' And then [Buddy] doesn't like the mirror's answer and pops his eyes. He just puts his finger and pops his eyes, and [then] turns the mirror around. But yeah, maybe that was one bridge too far."

As someone who can't really handle eye trauma on screen (or in real life), I thank these producers for stepping in to remove what sounds like a pretty disturbing moment. But frankly, "Buddy" contains imagery that's far more messed up than that — in fact, movie's premise is built on presenting a juxtaposition between a candy-coated kid's show vibe and an uneasy sense of violence and darkness that forces its way in. This eye-gouging scene must have felt especially egregious if the producers insisted it be cut while allowing all of the other unsettling content to stay in the final cut.

Perhaps we'll get a chance to see it as a deleted scene on a physical media release one day. In the meantime, "Buddy" — which made it onto our Best of Sundance 2026 list earlier this year — is in theaters now. You can hear my full conversation with Casper Kelly on the September 2, 2026 episode of the /Film Weekly podcast.