Billy and Buddy

Billy and Buddy is a French-language family comedy about a young boy who adopts a cocker spaniel from an animal shelter. The boy, whose red hair matches the dog's coat, forms an immediate bond with the animal, but his father had not wanted a pet and only goes along with the decision reluctantly. The new arrangement is tested when the family leaves their house in the countryside for an apartment in a high-rise block on the edge of a large city, where neighbours complain, responsibilities shift, and the father grows increasingly stressed. The screenplay by Alexandre Charlot and Franck Magnier draws on the long-running comic series about the boy and his dog.

Charlot and Magnier directed the film together, marking their first feature behind the camera; both went on to direct King of My Castle in 2024. Franck Dubosc plays the father and Marina Foïs the mother, with Charles Crombez as the boy. The supporting cast includes Nicolas Vaude as the downstairs neighbour. Made for a budget of 22 million USD, the film runs 82 minutes and was released in February 2013.

Audience response on TMDB stands at 4.5 out of 10 from 305 votes, a modest figure for a family title.