SPOOKY BUDDIES
(G)
MOVIE: *** (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
After the success of the “Air Bud” movies, the new “Air Buddies” movies have been breeding like two strays with a litter of puppies. And even though they’re kind of cheesy to watch, they’re fun, adorable little movies.
The latest Air Buddies movie is “Spooky Buddies,” taking the stories out of the Christmas season and dropping it into Halloween. In this film, the Buddies encounter a friendly ghost dog who needs their help to stop Warwick the Warlock from taking over the world.
Like all the other Buddies movies, “Spooky Buddies” features plenty of cute dogs of all shapes and sizes, and it introduces the audience to a few fresh, new faces. Sure, the beagle puppy is cute, but the impressive turn comes from Harlan Williams as Warwick the Warlock. Williams, who is generally known for more edgy parts, looks like he’s having some fun here. In the end, the story is quite tongue-in-cheek, and I think everyone’s in on the joke.
As the Buddies movies have moved forward, the focus has been more and more on the dogs themselves rather than any human counterpart, and that’s more apparent than ever here. But then again, why else would you watch this movie than to see a litter of golden retriever puppies dress up in Halloween costumes? Adorable.
The Blu-ray comes with the DVD as well, and the features include a new music video (which is actually quite awful, representing the worst Disney pop rock has to offer), a new episode of “DIGS” to show the swanky life of the Buddies and a sneak peek of the next film, “Treasure Buddies.”