Film Review:Air Buddies

‘Air Buddies’ is the sixth film in Disney’s ‘Air Bud’ series. This film follows Air Bud’s puppies in an attempt to save their captured parents. An evil man wants to steal Air Bud and give him as a present to a bratty boy. Air Bud and his wife Molly are captured and taken away. Their puppies, MudBud, Bud-Dha, RoseBud, B-Dawg, and Budderball go on an adventure to rescue their mom and dad and find courage along the way.

This movie is almost like ‘Beethoven’ meets ‘101 Dalmatians,’ which is actually made light of when the puppies stumble upon a drive-in theater showing ‘101 Dalmatians.’ The movie is all about the dogs whereas the previous movies have been about an individual sport that Air Bud can play and how his humans interact with him. Another new twist in this film is the fact that these pups can talk. The puppy stars carry the movie surprisingly well. A star-studded cast voices other animals along the way. Wallace Shawn voices the goat, Michael Clarke Duncan voices the wolf, and the late Don Knotts voiced the narrator/police dog, Sniffer.

The original “Air Bud” was made in 1997 about a dog who loved to play basketball and who, along the way, helped a young boy discover his own potential. This film goes back to that family-type film.

The pups are so cute that anyone can find this movie adorable. With a laugh-packed script, this is sure to entertain children of all ages. ‘Air Buddies’ is being released on DVD on Tuesday, Dec. 12 from Walt Disney Home Entertainment. It is rated PG for some mild rude humor.

This would be a holiday gift. I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.