Super Buddies

Somehow, I missed the 1997 family movie Air Bud and, uh, the 12 follow-up franchise films. This latest addition to the long-running Disney series continues the spin-off narrative arc following the original talented canine Buddy's talking offspring puppies: Rosebud, Budderball, Mudbud, B-Dawg, and Buddha. In this fantasy adventure, the young pups and their ‘tween owners arrive at the birthday party of comic book writer wannabe Bartleby (Trey Loney), whose grandfather (John Ratzenberger) has pulled out all the stops for a superhero-themed fun day on their family farm. While chatting with other anthropomorphic animals on a treasure hunt, the pups come across a set of magical glowing neck rings that give each of the Buddies a special power that is developed and used to protect humans (including thwarting a thief from stealing an old lady's purse, and a slapsticky scene stopping candy store robbers). A parallel plot thread follows a rival alien who wants to retrieve the special rings; fortunately, Captain Canine (voiced by Colin Hanks)—hero of Bartleby's favorite stories—joins forces with the Buddies to try to stop the baddie. A corny, lightweight family film, this is a strong optional purchase. (J. Williams-Wood)