Air Bud

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Air Bud

Air Bud DVD cover
Directed by Charles Martin Smith
Produced by Robert Vince
Michael Strange
Robert Vince
Anne Vince
Written by Kevin DeCicco (character Air Bud)
Paul Tamasy
Aaron Mendelsohn
Starring Michael Jeter
Kevin Zegers
Wendy Makkena
Bill Cobbs
Eric Christmas
Nicola Cavendish
Brendan Fletcher
Norman Browning
Stephen E. Miller
Buddy the Dog
Music by Brahm Wenger
Cinematography Mike Southon
Editing by Alison Grace
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Release date(s) August 1, 1997
Running time 98 min.
Language English
Budget $3 million (estimated)
Ratings
United States:  PG

Air Bud is the 1997 feature film that sparked the franchise centered around the fictional dog Buddy.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The plot revolves around a 12-year-old boy, Josh Framm, who has an interest in basketball. After the death of his father, Josh moves with his family to a new town and is too shy to try out for his middle school's basketball team and too shy to make any friends. Through a series of coincidences, Josh meets Buddy, a Golden Retriever who escaped his cruel owner, an alcoholic clown. Josh soon learns that Buddy has an uncanny ability to play the sport of basketball. Next, Buddy becomes Josh's school's basketball team's mascot and begins appearing in their halftime shows. However, when it is discovered that there is no rule that a dog can't play basketball, Buddy joins the roster. But just before the championship game, Buddy's original owner, Norman Snively, decides that it is time for him to cash in on the dog's success and he sues the Framm family for custody of Buddy. The judge decides that it would be an appropriate exercise of our legal system for Josh and Norm Snively to both call the dog's name from other sides of the room and to see which one he comes to. The judge decides that whoever the dog comes to will be his rightful owner. Surely enough, Buddy chooses Josh and everyone lives happily ever after.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Sequels

The movie generated one theater-released sequel and many direct-to-video sequels. In each film, Buddy learns to play a different sport.

[edit] Movies

The following is a list of the films in the series and which sport is featured in it:

Spin-off movies (New series of films Air Buddies)

[edit] Cast

  • Michael Jeter – Norman 'Norm' F. Snively / Clown the Hound
  • Kevin Zegers – Josh Framm
  • Wendy Makkena – Mrs. Jackie Framm
  • Bill Cobbs – Coach Arthur Chaney
  • Eric Christmas – Judge Cranfield
  • Jonas Fredrico – Julius Aster
  • Nicola Cavendish – Principal Pepper
  • Brendan Fletcher – Larry Willingham
  • Norman Browning – Mr. Buck Willingham
  • Joeseph Lester – Father Cunningham
  • Stephen E. Miller – Coach Joe Barker
  • Shayn Solberg – Tom Stewart
  • Jesebel Mather and Kati Mahter – Andrea Framm
  • Buddy the Dog – Buddy
  • Franco the Cat – Buddy's "Nephew"

[edit] Box office

The movie was successful, grossing 4,000,000 dollars in its opening weekend totaling $24,000,000 for its final run. [1] [2]

[edit] Trivia

  • The film's working title was MVP (Most Valuable Pooch). The title is extremely similar to the title of the 2000 film MVP: Most Valuable Primate, which also starred Kevin Zegers and was produced by Ian Fodie, Michael Strange, Robert Vince, and Anne Vince. The film MVP was very similar to Air Bud because it revolved around a chimp who plays the sport of hockey. Much like the Air Bud series, MVP was so successful that it spawned a number of sequels in which the chimp plays other sports.
  • According to the June 6, 2003 issue of Newsweek magazine, former Iraqi strongman Uday Hussein enjoyed Air Bud so much that he had three copies of the video in his private collection.[1]
  • Buddy is a Golden Retreiver.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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