Michigan Actor Keegan-Michael Key Voices Killer Unicorn In Sundance Horror Film

The most talked-about horror movie right now looks like a children’s movie but is far from it, and you may not realize it, but the voice behind the main character of the film is voiced by a Michigan actor.

Buddy first premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 22 and was released only a few weeks ago on August 28. In the movie, a group of children is trapped inside a 1990s-style children’s television series as they try to find a way to escape the psychotic and murderous buddy, an orange unicorn voiced by Michigan actor Keegan-Michael Key.

In the movie, Key voices the main character of the show, Buddy, who, other than being the complete opposite, is a bit like Barney the dinosaur.

Only in this film, the bright orange unicorn is Ben. I’m not letting the children escape his show. Rotten Tomatoes gave the synopsis of the film, which ranks at 87%:

Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images

Remember BUDDY--the bright orange unicorn and star of that classic children's television show who brought joy and life lessons into your living room? Inside the colorful world of "It's Buddy!", a group of children spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy spread happiness. But when one child refuses to play along, Buddy is not pleased and cracks begin to appear in this seemingly perfect world.

Keegan-Michael Key is best known for creating the comedy Key and Peele, and grew up in Southfield, Michigan, where he eventually earned a BFA from the University of Detroit Mercy before earning a Master's in Fine Arts in theater at Pennsylvania State University in 1996.