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Air Buddies is a 2006 American Sports film comedy film directed by Robert Vince. It is the sixth film in the Air Bud series and the first in the direct-to-video spin-off series Air Buddies, which follows the life of a lonely teenager and his dog who has the uncanny ability to play every sport.
The film changes the primary focus of the series from Buddy, an adult golden retriever, to his puppies. It also radically alters the character of the series by making virtually all of the animals speak.
Air Buddies was released on December 12, 2006. It is the final film of both Don Knotts and Patrick Cranshaw, released after their deaths.
Meanwhile, Selkirk Tander (Holmes Osborne) tries to impress Mr. Livingston's (Steve Makaj) son, Bartleby Livingston by showing him a female tiger for his birthday, but Bartleby wanted an animal he can play with. He wants Air Bud (Buddy) because Buddy can play sports. Mr. Livingston offers $500,000 if Selkirk can get Buddy. Selkirk then sends his nephew Grim and assistant Denning to capture Buddy.
At school, Noah and Henry collect every boy and girl's profile sheets and photos. According to sources, B-dawg got the most applications. After deciding which children would make good owners, the family decides to call them the next day. Grim and Denning arrive at Buddy's home, only to see Buddy and Molly at the same time, thinking there are two Air Buds or they are mates. The next morning, the pups decide to run away. Grim and Denning follow them, and manage to catch Budderball by luring him with a doughnut. When the other Buddies go and find Budderball, they are also captured and used as bait to catch Buddy and Molly. Buddy manages to free the Buddies but Denning traps him with a net. Molly attempts to save Buddy but gets herself captured. Denning and Grim put Buddy and Molly in the truck, while the buddies chase after them.
In wine country, Selkirk is pleased that Denning and Grim captured both Buddy and Molly so he can have them breed puppies and sell them for money. When Grim explains that Buddy and Molly already had puppies, which Denning let get away, Selkirk tells them to lock the dogs in the wine cellar and go and capture them. Selkirk also appoints Grim as the leader of the mission to capture the Buddies. Grim and Denning go back to Buddy's home to capture the Buddies but with no luck. The Buddies have sniffed their way to a drive-in movie theater, where Grim and Denning are watching 101 Dalmatians. The Buddies find their way to the projection room and walk in front of the projector, their shadows attracting Denning and Grim's attention. They are soon confronted by bikers who correctly believe their intentions of harming the Buddies, resulting in them being ambushed and tied up to the screen, after which the crowd hurls popcorn and other food items at them.
The next morning, Grim and Denning escape the theater and catch up to the Buddies, chasing them to a farm. The Buddies meet Billy the goat and Belinda the pig, who help the Buddies escape from Grim and Denning. The Buddies lure Grim and Denning into a stable and escape through a small hole as Billy locks Grim and Denning in. The Buddies go through the forest then meet the Wolf who leads them to wine country. A skunk's spray enables Sniffer to smell again, so he calls Noah and Henry, and they go off to find the Buddies. Buddy and Molly manage to escape to find the Buddies. Budderball falls into a hole, which Buddy and Molly dug, forcing the Buddies to help. Noah and Henry are led by Sniffer through the same farm that the Buddies went through. Noah and Henry are ecstatic and overjoyed at finding Grim and Denning being held prisoners by Billy the goat, and immediately leave to report them and turn them in to authorities over Grim and Denning's protests. Bartleby and his father come to collect the dogs but instead find the Buddies. Bartleby and his father then put the Buddies in a limousine, just as Noah, Henry, Buddy and Molly come to rescue the Buddies. Budderball falls into one of the wine containers and gets drunk. Bartleby catches Budderball but is seen by Sniffer.
Noah, Henry, and the dogs release barrels towards Selkirk and Mr. Livingston; the barrels slam into the wine containers and break them. Selkirk and Mr. Livingston fall in, as the container cracks open. Sheriff Bob arrives to arrest Selkirk, along with Denning, and Grim. The Buddies apologize to Buddy and Molly and say they're ready for their new owners. Budderball decides to stay with Bartleby because he needs a friend. The puppies are introduced to their new families and end up enjoying their new lives. The film ends with Buddy, Molly, Buddha, Budderball, Rosebud, B-Dawg, Mudbud, Sniffer and The Wolf howling to show how they are still family and friends, despite their distance.
B-Dawg is the pup who can play basketball, while Budderball plays football, Rosebud plays soccer, Buddha plays baseball, and Mudbud plays volleyball. All the animals can speak in this film. This was the first time speaking animals have appeared in the Air Bud series.
During filming in Canada, Walt Disney Productions set-up supervision of animal treatment on set by American Humane's Certified Animal Safety Representatives. These representatives ensured all animals being worked with on the film received humane treatment internationally.
Mill Creek Entertainment reissued the film on January 14, 2020 on a 2-disc boxset with other films in the series.
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