Following the death of his father, twelve-year-old Josh Framm (Kevin Zegers), along with his mother and sister, relocate to a new town. Without the guidance of his father and with no friends to keep him company, young Josh spends much of his free time practicing basketball alone. One day while practicing, he meets Buddy, a lost golden retriever with an uncanny ability to shoot baskets. As in the norm in these kinds of films, boy and dog become fast friends. Even Josh's mother (Wendy Makkena) notices the change in her son's demeanor and eventually agrees that Buddy should become a part of the family.
Too shy to actually try out for the basketball team, Josh instead takes on the role of manager. Buddy's abilities cannot be hidden for long and he eventually becomes the mascot and half-time entertainment for the team, earning the nickname "Air Bud." When Coach Chaney (Bill Cobbs) is forced to allow Buddy to play due to a rash of illnesses and a foul out, the growing media following is sparked into a frenzy. It is shortly after this that Norm (Michael Jeter), a washed-up clown for children's parties and Buddy's original owner, tries to lay his claim to his former assistant and cash in on the media hype. Josh must keep Buddy from falling back into Norm's hands at all costs, an adventure that eventually ends up as a court case where Buddy's fate rests in the hands of a judge.
The special edition DVD contains the original movie in its entirety, the only difference being that it is now presented in 1.85:1 widescreen format. Using some questionable advertising, Disney touts the "Exclusive All-New Dog-U-Commentary" on the cover of the movie box, along with pictures of the five golden retriever pups from the last three sequels. Viewers buying this movie expecting to see guest appearances by the pups will be left wanting. The only contribution made in this regard is an overlay commentary track which features the voices of the puppies as the talk about various parts of the movie. While some of these voiceovers are quite cute, I did not find that they added a great deal to the overall experience. However, they do provide a nice introduction for director commentaries to a younger audience and some younger watchers might enjoy this feature during one of the likely many times this DVD gets viewed.
Outside of the commentary, there are two other "special" features with this release. The first is the original movie trailer, featuring the song "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited. The second bonus is a dog tag stamped with the name "Buddy" and a paw print. It is a fun little extra and goes nicely on my keyring. Overall, while the extras leave a bit to be desired and Disney's use of the puppy picture on the box cover as advertisement struck me as near false-advertising, the movie is still as enjoyable today as it was twelve years ago. Air Bud: Special Edition will undoubtedly find its way comfortably into the collection of many old and new fans alike.
