Lukes List: Air Bud

List by Luke Werckman | Logo Design by Carley Hinton

Yes, you  read the title correctly. With March Madness wrapping up, this is the perfect time of year to spotlight the best franchise about a dog that can play basketball (although only the first movie is about basketball). That’s right, I am talking about Air Bud, a series of films that began over 25 years ago and has set the standard for what dogs are capable of. These golden retrievers can play multiple sports, save Christmas, go to space and so much more. With that in mind, here is my ranking of all 14 entries in the Air Bud franchise.

Air Bud: [7/10]

“What’s the matter, gentlemen? Afraid your team might get beat by a dog?” – Arthur Chaney (Bill Cobbs)

The kickoff to this weird franchise is also the best for a reason. This is the one movie that feels like there was some heart and soul put into it. Is the concept weird? Yes.  However, there was a storyline that had some level of sophistication as Josh Framm uses his relationship with Buddy as a way for him to move on from the passing of his father. And yes, the dog does play basketball from time to time. Now, the villain felt out of place and only existed to have some kind of stakes, but that does not stop this from being a feel-good sports movie. However, I will take off some points because this was executive produced by Harvey Weinstein.

Air Bud: Golden Receiver: [3/10] 

“I’ll tell you one thing, boys. That ain’t no golden retriever. That is a golden receiver.” – Coach Fanelli (Robert Costanzo)

This was the first sign that Air Bud  was overstaying its welcome. Now that basketball season is over, Josh was going to take it easy for the fall, but Josh’s mom is dating a veterinarian and Buddy conveniently shows that he can play football. The main focus of the story is about Josh not wanting to have a new dad, which feels disconnected to the other two storylines of Josh and Buddy’s football career and the Russian criminals who want to kidnap Buddy for their circus. With it also repeating the same story beats of Air Bud with Josh not playing the sport for the fun of it, Air Bud: Golden Receiver feels like a chore to watch. 

Air Bud: World Pup: [5/10] 

“I guess we just found our missing player.” – Coach Montoya (Miguel Sandoval)

This installment has a few aspects to it that make it stand out in the bunch. Buddy finds true love with another dog Molly and they both step into the uncharted territory of parenthood. Josh also has a love interest with a new classmate Emily, who is the only girl on the soccer team, so Josh and Buddy naturally join too. The villains at least make more sense than usual because it is about dognappers wanting to steal the puppies for profit. The sport storyline is a rinse and repeat of the previous films, so there never feels like there are any stakes by the end of the movie. However, I did not expect to see Buddy win the Women’s World Cup. 

Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch: [4/10]

“This game’s going to the dogs” - Umpire (Nicholas Harrison)

This film was about passing the torch as Josh left for college and his younger sister Andrea began to take care of Buddy. In that regard, this movie does a good job at making this transition. However, the transition feels a little uncanny given the fact that Josh is the only character to not get recast throughout the franchise. On top of that, the villain plot is weird because it is about scientists wanting Buddy and his puppies for their “athletic gene.” Now, some of it is still about baseball and Andrea learning how to play the sport despite all odds, but this is in sharp contrast to a raccoon that helps kidnap dogs. Still, at the end, Buddy is declared MVP of the World Series after playing junior high baseball, so what do I know? 

Air Bud: Spikes Back: [2/10]

“I’ve seen Buddy set before. He’s awesome.” – Connor (Tyler Boissonnault)

“But he’s not an Irish Setter.” – Coach McKay (Nicholas Harrison)

This movie was a drag to sit through. It felt like it was going through the motions of the previous ones where the sport takes the back seat to a side story that barely connects. This time, two robbers want Buddy to steal a jewel in a museum because he can fit the vents. How does this relate to sand volleyball? It doesn’t. In fact, volleyball is not introduced until halfway through the movie as a backup plan for Andrea to visit her friend during the summer. Even when the volleyball championship is occurring, the movie prioritizes Buddy apprehending the criminals instead of him setting a volleyball with his head, which is what we watch Air Bud for. Also, Polly the bird was on my last nerve.

Air Buddies: [4.5/10]

“That’s why we howl. To let one another know that even though we may feel alone, we never really are.” – Wolf (Michael Clarke Duncan)

Instead of the films focusing on Buddy learning new sports, this one is about his puppies going on their own non-sport-related adventures. It is jarring now that the dogs all speak – but in their own language of course. I kind of adjusted to it after an hour or so, but it is the strangest for Buddy because he was only barking in the past five movies. A lot of the movie has typical kids humor such as fart jokes and dog puns, but that’s to be expected. The villains were generic and forgettable, but there were some charming side characters along the way. The film also has a good message about how families are still together, even if they are not physically there. 

Snow Buddies: [7/10]

“It’s not the size of the dog in the race, but the heart of the team that counts.” – Shasta (Dylan Sprouse) 

Snow Buddies is by far one of the more focused movies in the franchise. The story is centered around a dog sled race and even the villain is related to this race as a fellow competitor. This is something that not even the sports-related Air Bud movies ever did with their antagonists. This also has some of the darkest elements as characters grapple with the passing of their loved ones and are haunted to continue their legacy. Now, although that sounds complex, keep in mind that this is still a kids movie with humor very much in line with that. This is a decent movie overall and one of the best movies on this list.

Space Buddies: [3.5/10]

“Dreams are like stars. You can’t touch them, but if you follow them, they will lead you to your destiny.” – Spudnick (Jason Earles)

For most franchises, space is usually the finish line for how far they can go. I was surprised to see that the buddies went to space in only their third adventure. The story is pretty straightforward with the buddies accidentally getting trapped on a prototype spacecraft and needing to maneuver their way back home. A lot of the space gags are pretty predictable, but some of them are still charming enough. My big complaint is that the pacing of the film felt like it was in zero gravity with how slow it moved along. Some of the bits dragged on, and it didn’t help that characters had the same reaction to an issue multiple times. However, it can’t be that bad if the movie has Jason Earles as a Russian dog astronaut.

Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws: [2.5/10]

“Your material desires are those of the wanted mind. Enough is never enough.” – Buddha (Field Cate)

I’m usually willing to cut some slack for holiday movies because they are inherently cheesy, but there’s some glaring problems that I cannot look past for Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws. First of all, the main character Puppy Paws is annoying to watch. He spends the first half of the movie causing nothing but problems for all of the other characters and it isn’t done in a way where you can empathize with him. Also, the movie has a second storyline that is just a lazy adaptation of A Christmas Carol, so much so that Christopher Lloyd’s character is named Stan Cruge, or S. Cruge for short. Now, there are at least some stakes and the setting is naturally charming, but I did not need this to have bland musical numbers on top of it.

The Search for Santa Paws: [5/10]

“The spirit of Christmas is embodied in the hearts of children, untouched as yet by the fears, doubts and disappointments of the adult world.” – Santa Claus (Richard Riehle) 

With this being a prequel to Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws, you know where the story is headed. It was still a cute story of Santa Paws becoming the dog he would grow up to be. The musical numbers are alright, but not many are memorable. The story is pretty simple, but I do think it works well with it being a holiday movie. There is a sense of urgency presented toward the third act that does escalate the plot. Although none of the characters stand out for their performance or personal development, at least they were all charming enough and none of them were grating to watch on-screen. This is overall a mediocre movie, but it is an easy watch and wouldn’t be a bad pick during the holiday season. 

Spooky Buddies: [4/10]

“I leave for 75 measly years, and they find someone new to replace me. Where’s the respect?” – Warwick the Warlock (Harland Williams)

After saving Christmas before,  the buddies naturally have to have a movie about Halloween. The main plot is about a legend of an underworld creature named the “Halloween Hound” who wants to rule the world with help of the evil Warwick the Warlock. The mythology of this Halloween tale was somewhat distinct by tying it into the dog aesthetic of the franchise. Warwick the Warlock was also decently fun to watch. The visual effects on the ghost dog were really lackluster though. Also, the buddies did not really do as much this time to save the day as their owners were more involved in challenging the antagonists. Spooky Buddies is still a weak film due to the predictable story beats and jokes, but it is not boring to sit through. 

Treasure Buddies: [4/10]

“Over the teeth and through the gums, look out stomach, here the bugs come.” – Budderball (Tucker Albrizzi)

The buddies are treasure hunters now as they travel to Egypt to find the magical necklace inside the missing tomb of Cleocatra. No, this is not a spelling error because Cleocatra is the pet feline to Cleopatra. This is a ridiculous setup for this exploration movie, but I mostly say that as a compliment. The villains are a nefarious British man and his hairless cat, which are as stereotypically evil as they sound. Also, the pacing of the film dragged quite a bit in the middle because walking across the barren dunes of Egypt were not exciting to watch. However, there were some fun side characters like the monkey Babi who was a good addition to the group and made the movie more engaging by having him be an unreliable narrator of the adventure. 

Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups: [3/10]

“I think he has a little Christmas Cold.” – Mrs. Claus (Cheryl Ladd)

“A Christmas Cold? How do we make it better?” – Sarah Reynolds (Kaitlyn Maher)

“It’s like any other cold, you just help them through it.” – Mrs. Claus (Cheryl Ladd)

This is a very weird entry for multiple reasons. First of all, I know canonical consistency is not a priority for these family movies, but the fact that the movie is about Santa Paws’ four puppies even though Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws was about Santa Paws’ only child Puppy Paws, who is not the name of any of these puppies, is so baffling that even little kids would be confused by this. Also, these puppies are barely in the movie as Mrs. Claus is the lead of this film, which isn’t a major complaint, but I find it odd. With these grievances aside, there are still some redeeming qualities to the movie as the musical numbers are okay and the emotional core of finding joy in the holidays when a loved one has passed is effective. 

Super Buddies: [6/10]

“You don’t have to have superpowers to be a superhero.” – young Jack Schaeffer (Jake Brennan)

Super Buddies is the final installment in the Air Bud franchise, and they ended on an immature but fun note for me. Maybe it’s because I naturally gravitate towards superhero content, or maybe it’s because this is the wildest direction for this series to go. Regardless, I enjoyed my time with this movie. It also helps that this is the shortest film in the franchise with it being only an hour and fifteen minutes. The buddies gain magical collars from outer space that grant them special abilities. They are also accompanied by a shape-shifting alien who disguises himself as a dog to take down the evil alien ruler Drex. There is not much depth to this story, but when John Ratzenberger is sliding down a zipline in a cape and goggles, I stop looking for it. 

Ranking:

14. Air Bud: Spikes Back

13. Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws

12.Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups

11. Air Bud: Golden Receiver

10. Space Buddies

9. Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch

8. Treasure Buddies

7. Spooky Buddies

6. Air Buddies

5. Air Bud: World Pup

4. Search for Santa Paws

3. Super Buddies

2. Snow Buddies

1. Air Bud