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| Air Buddies | |
| Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // PG // $29.99 // December 12, 2006 | |
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| Review by Lacey Worrell | posted January 6, 2007 |
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They shoot! They score! They talk! Well, that's what the film's advertisers claim anyway. The emphasis is on talking dogs in what seems like the bazillionth installment of Disney's popular Air Bud franchise, which features a dog who is particularly talented at playing human sports. Is it possible to keep the charm of the original after just about every sport under the sun has been covered?
In Air Buddies, Air Bud, having found love with the girl dog next door (okay, across the street)is now a daddy to five adorable puppies. There is MudBud, who loves to roll around in the dirt, RoseBud, the girly-girl, B-Dawg, who has a penchant for hip-hop and basketball, Budderball, who never ate a meal he didn't like, and Bud-Dha, the Zen one of the bunch. Chaos abounds when the puppies create chaos in the home and their owners realize it may be time to find them homes, compounded by the fact that kidnappers are after the family.
The idea of talking dogs is at first gimmicky and silly, but in Air Buddies, it works. The script is crisp and witty; it will not be lost on yoga lovers that Bud-Dha's favorite position is Downward-Facing Dog. The action flows quickly enough to entertain even the littlest members of the family, while just engaging enough to keep the adults from squirming in their seats. Add to it the fact that the puppies are just so cute and the film has absolutely zero moments that are objectionable for kids to see (the villains are harmless), and you have the recipe for a fun evening of family entertainment. The only drawback to little sports fans in the family is that there is far more focus on the dogs' travels and adventures than on actual sports.
Air Buddies has some very nice lessons in it without being overly preachy. It deftly handles themes of childhood separation anxiety when it comes to leaving one's parents for any length of time, and it deals touchingly with the fact that there is no way all the dogs can live under one roof. The Green Mile's Michael Clarke Duncan contributes a brief but powerful voiceover as a wolf, and the voice of the late, great Don Knotts is instantly recognizable as a bumbling bloodhound who has lost his ability to sniff out the pups. Home Improvement fans will recognize Richard Karn as the dad.
Kids will love the pratfalls and numerous fart jokes, while parents will marvel at the filming process – there are more dogs than people, and it is staggering to think what it must have taken to wrangle five puppies effectively in order to get them to perform. It truly is a remarkable feat.
The DVD
Video:
Presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, the picture quality is gorgeous. The bright colors will draw in young viewers, while the sharp picture will be appreciated by the parents. The many outdoor scenes look especially good.
Sound:
Air Buddies is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, with available French and Spanish language tracks. The sound quality is incredibly vivid, especially during the numerous action scenes.
Extras:
There are a generous amount of extras included on this disc of varying quality. Dog-loving families will enjoy "Train Your Dog to be a Star," which demonstrates techniques used to train the dogs in the movie, but are easy enough to implement with the family dog. The "Puppy Profiles," which talk about each puppy's likes and dislikes, are cute. The "Backstage Pass" segment features an "interview" with the puppies, and this one is a miss, considering the fact that the puppies in this segment are clearly not the one's featured in the film, and it plays like an overblown commercial for the film. Chances are, if you've already bought or rented the DVD, you don't need to watch a commercial for it, so this segment comes across as redundant. Finally, a music video of teen singer Jordan Pruitt singing "We Are Family" is featured. It's good for a few viewings – young girls will particularly enjoy Pruitt's singing, while parents will be relieved that unlike other current pop stars, Pruitt is, for the most part, fully clothed and wholesome-looking.
Considering how long in the tooth the Air Bud franchise is becoming, the extras are a very nice surprise.
Final Thoughts:
This one's a winner, in more ways than one. Make it the next addition to your family's DVD library.