Publication Date: 01-24-2026

Buffalo Kids (2026) review

Dir. Juan Jesus Garcia Galocha and Pedro Solís García

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

For the past several years, one of the quiet players in the animation field has been Viva Kids. You’d never mistake one of their films for the next Disney, Pixar, or Sony Animation marvel, but I’ve found their output to be, at the very least, varied, colorful, and amusing. Of their films I’ve watched — The Amazing Maurice, Rally Road Racers, and Scarygirl — all have fit into the same box with their adequate concepts, cute characters, but disappointingly underwritten narratives.

Viva Kids is starting 2026 off busy, having just released Charlie the Wonderdog with Buffalo Kids to follow in early February. A Spanish animated film that’s been seamlessly dubbed for English-speaking audiences, Buffalo Kids has already seen a release in most parts of the world, including Spain and the United Kingdom. To date, it’s the best Viva Kids film I’ve watched, and that praise isn’t backhanded. It’s a joyful little quest movie with spunky characters, kinetic energy, and some gorgeously animated backdrops of the Western frontier.

Set in the 19th century, it tells the story of two orphaned Irish siblings named Tom (voiced by Conor MacNeill) and Mary (Alisha Weir). They catch a ferry to the United States, specifically New York City, to track down their uncle, who they hope will adopt them. That already sets up compelling stakes, for the two tykes have no idea who their “Uncle Niall” even is, let alone if he will want two bundles of responsibil-I mean joy arriving on his doorstep.

After taking custody of a white stray dog they call “Sparky,” Tom and Mary stowaway on a train with a gaggle of other orphans, who are quick to shield them from the conductor, for they do not have a ticket. The orphans’ supervisor, Eleanor (Gemma Arterton), is aware of their circumstances and agrees to keep them safe. What a wonderful, timely message that will surely be lost on many deaf ears.

Anyway, the parentless pair soon meet a paraplegic boy named Nick. Paralyzed, mute, and confined to a wheelchair, he can only communicate with his eyes. Mary doesn’t really understand this until she tries to play a card game with Nick. In an adorable moment, after asking him multiple times to reveal his cards (which he obviously cannot do), Mary flips one of his over, a winning hand, and jokingly says he must’ve been cheating. Nick’s eyes widen in surprise and humor.

Now, hear me out. Remember when Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast was both praised and condemned for daring to feature an “openly gay” character, whose “identity” was condensed to two small, blink-and-you-miss-them moments? I suspect if Buffalo Kids happened to be a Disney movie, the character of Nick would be relegated to the background, with a couple of obligatory bullying scenes and maybe a brief tender moment near the end. No less, Disney would engage in some heavy back-patting and PR limelight-soaking for their “inclusivity.”

Look, representation in film and media doesn’t mean a thing without substance. Screenwriters Jordi Gasull and Javier Barreira make Nick an indispensable character to the story. Seeing as this film spends a large amount of time in a confined setting (the train), Nick is afforded development and inclusion by the other kids. When Tom and Mary take Nick out to roam in a field of buffalos, they fail to board the train in time before it takes off. Nick becomes an indispensable part of their journey to Uncle Niall, and late in the third act, his wheelchair is what saves the crew while they’re barreling down the tracks on a handcar. Nick is an early candidate for one of the most memorable animated characters of the year.

Buffalo Kids has the look of a bygone era in film, which is what drew me to the poster in the first place. Tom and Mary travel through a plethora of scenic frontier locations, and the animation strikes an attractive balance between a colorful cartoon and photorealism. The lighting and shadows are top-tier, and the landscapes are expansive. Every stop and locale is detailed, as Tom and Mary eventually come across a group of bandits working in a mine, and later, an Indian tribe.

If you have a young child who has never been to a movie theater, Buffalo Kids would be a special first-time experience. It’s extremely short (77 minutes sans credits), its story moves, although it’s not victim to the kind of manic energy we see in American animation, and its core trio is textured enough that your children might see their peers, or themselves, in them. Viva Viva Kids if they can continue to source little gems like this, and give them a worthy, if brief, theatrical engagement.

NOTE: Buffalo Kids will be released theatrically in the United States on February 6th, 2025.

Voiced by: Alisha Weir, Conor MacNeill, Gemma Arterton, Sean Bean, and Stephen Graham. Directed by: Juan Jesus Garcia Galocha and Pedro Solís García.