Upon hearing the news that another cute animal flick is going to be released a lot of adults may react by rolling their eyes. All of us have grown up with this kind of movie and like to think we have grown out of them. If you have little kids you expect that you will have to serve your time watching more animals doing wonderful things to amaze the children; just like your parents did before you. Now and then something happens to change your mind on this subject. An animal film comes around that you actual can enjoy watching with the kids. It has all the elements that normally you would poke fun at but in this case they seemed to work well and provide a really good movie. One example of such a phenomenon is ‘Air Bud’. The movie is about a golden retriever that is a star basketball player. If you ever met a golden retriever you know that they have a reputation of being beautiful but not exactly the brightest of breed. They are relatively easy to train and love pleasing people so they are often the stars on flicks like this one. The star of this movie is extremely charismatic and a lot of fun to watch. The film has struck a chord with all age groups and has become a major franchise for the king of family programming; The Walt Disney Studio.

The titular dog would go on to several sequels where he learns to master other sports ranging from baseball to beach volley ball. After his retirement he would sire five puppies collectively known as the ‘Air Buddies’ whose adventures would take them from the frozen north to outer space. At this rate it looks like there will be cute little buddies around for generations. It is a good thing since I have seen a number of the installments to this franchise and have never been disappointed. This is the way family entertainment should be; fun for all ages. I can remember watching the promos for this on television and it is difficult to believe the movie has been around for a dozen years now. Leave it to the House of Mouse to come up with a new edition of the film to enthrall a new generation. A lot of children are currently fans of the Buddies so this is they chance to see how the bog dog got the whole thing going. If you somehow managed to get through the last twelve years without seeing one of these movies take this opportunity to start a new tradition with your entire family.

The character of Air Bud was created by Kevin DiCicco becoming the main focus of his resume. The screenplay was provided by Paul Tamasy and Aaron Mendelsohn. This series has been the main source of their writing credits with the exception of an episode of ‘Kindred: The Embraced’ they worked on. The fundamental story is well designed to provide the required emotional response from the kids in the audience. First they had to provide a means to bring the ever popular combination of boy and dog together. To this end they constructed an owner for Air Bud who is beyond reprehensible. Norm Snively (Michael Jeter) is mean spirited drunk, hateful and completely bereft of likeable qualities. Not even the adults watching want Bud to stay with his poor excuse for a human being. The boy, Josh Framm (Kevin Zegers) is twelve years old, just lost his father and is uprooted to move to a new town and school. This is a vital element for a story such as this. The writers have set up an adversarial situation with the heinous and aptly named Snively doing his dastardly best to get the pooch back in his clutches. The boy, on the other hand, has a way to become popular in his new environment as well as getting a new best friend. This is basically a new age fairy tale where there is always a sharp demarcation between good and evil to reinforce the moral lesson, in this case the true value of friendship and family.

You may not recognize the name of Charles Martin Smith, the director of this movie but you certainly know his face and have seen his work. He has been an actor since the early seventies and has appeared as a character actor on more television shows and movies than is easily numbered. He is perhaps best known as the FBI accountant in the 1987 ‘The Untouchables’. Smith is an accomplished actor, composer, writer and director and this talent translates over the care that crafted this movie. This is an individual who knows what it takes to tell a story in such a way as to appeal to all ages. His style is straightforward; confident in his abilities without the need to prove his talent with fancy camera work. The setup of the characters and initial situations is a solid foundation and is quickly dispatched. From there Smith moves in to develop the emotional bound between the boy and dog. Having just lost his father he needs something in his life for support and Bud fits the bill perfectly. When it is discovered that Bud has game Josh is elated; this is his favorite sport. With so many kids addicted to video games it is reassuring to see a family film that shows kids that a real sport and interaction with their peers in a physical activity is fun. Sure, there are basketball video games but nothing beats that feeling as the ball falls through the net in real life.

The opposite of love and willingness to sacrifice as displayed by Josh is the unbridled selflessness that drives Snively. He was taking Bud to the pound to be put down when Bud’s case accidentally falls from his clown car. One note, if you have a dislike of clowns this movie will not help you overcome that felling. Snively is the worse children’s party clown ever. Snively was jealous of the dog who had more talent, personality and looked a lot cleaner to boot. It isn’t until Bud’s amazing skill on the court hits the media that Snively wants his dog back. There is some comical violence including a chase involving a clown truck loosing its steering wheel and crashing into a body of water. No one is hit but the slapstick element always works in a movie like this. In the end it comes up to Bud to decide who to stay with and needless to say Snively doesn’t stand much of a chance. The scene where Bud shoots baskets is well done; you know it is a special effect but the story is such that it is easy to suspend disbelieve and get into the moment. This is a film that will bring out the child in any adult and that is what is important to share a film with your kids. Disney has been brining families together for many decades and this franchise is just the latest to reaffirm that fact.

Disney has become known for re-releasing older titles on a regular basis. So far this is the best presentation of ‘Air Bud’ ever. The video and audio is new enough that it didn’t require a re-mastering. The packaging and extras will attract a new generation to the film. Included is a little dog tag; please keep it away from younger children though. The commentary track is by the five ‘Buddies’ the sons and daughter of Air Bud. It is light hearted and fun to listen to. Get this one; gather the kids around and enjoy.