Absolutely amazing

A Major Disappointment

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I've never seen an Air Bud movie. I know right? Insanity. But it's Christmas and so I just have to watch a ridiculous amount of Christmas movies, no matter how bad they are. This film just lays it out straight away. Santa and his dog (???) are walking (probably on the spot) in a painfully obvious CGI North Pole. Suddenly the dog talks, with a CGI mouth but a face as blank as a plank of wood. It turns out this is Santa Paws, the dog that delivers presents to all the good puppies in the world. Anyway, the Christmas spirit is dying, and this causes the North Pole to lose power. Puppy Paws, a little ragamuffin that just wants to be a normal puppy, sets off to learn from the Air Buddies. This film will be painful to anybody over the age of 6. Sometimes the animals, such as the reindeer, are completely CGI, but don't fit their surroundings at all. Christopher Lloyd plays a dog catcher named Crooge (I can't believe I'm typing this either). He stalks around like some kind of serial killer, but goes completely slapstick when he needs to catch a dog. The movie also contains a sick and possibly dying little boy, a vomit inducing song, and characters such as B-Dawg. He's a puppy. He break dances. Once again, something that seems to be a staple of kids movies, we have a protagonist that ruins everything. He breaks stuff, gets puppies in trouble, and so on. Why do kids films always have the message that it's OK to be an idiot? How about a character that uses common sense and has some social skills. He doesn't even learn a valuable lesson, those around him just have to accept him for who he is. The less said about the annoying voices the better, but one performance that simply can't be ignored is that of Santa. A supercut needs to be made of his reactions to terrible news. He's a lifeless soul in a film that aims for cute, but smashes through annoying.

Even then, I'm kinda iffy on the "Ok for kids" part. The buddies movies tend to be eye candy with little plot, stale scripts, and cute, well groomed dogs.The shows all have the Disney polish we've all come to expect from their films, and nothing in this film looked cheaply done or out of place. The dogs were adorable, and both my kids loved them (6 and 3).Christopher Lloyd was good, and added a recognizable fixture in a mostly unknown cast. The acting was good and most everyone did a great job with the script they had. Strangely enough, I thought George Wendt (Santa Claus) was the weakest actor. Compared to the rest of the cast his body language and deliveries seemed really off and wasn't on par with the quality of the rest of the film. The plot revolved around a magical icicle they had to stop from melting ... you have to admit that even for a Disney movie that's pretty lame.Ultimately, Santa Buddies suffers from being just another forgettable, consumable kids movie. Pop it in to keep the kids entertained for a bit, better yet just let 'em play outside.

"Santa Buddies" is an entertaining family flick, that really hits the mark when it comes to the Christmas spirit. The dogs are fun to watch and very adorable and the cast is OK, with known names as Christopher Lloyd (Back To The Future) and George Wendt (House, Cheers TV-series). Not just for the kids among us, it is enjoyable for anyone. Talking dogs is nothing new, but it is nicely done with lots of funny moments. But what kind of dog is that white puppy and the great white one ? Well the answer is: Pyrenean Mountain Dogs, also known as the Great Pyrenees. We happen to own one ourselves and they are kind of rare. It is nice to finally see them on the big screen.

I am a big fan of the Air Buddies series. It's hard to find clean fun in movies nowadays, even from Disney. I think my children really enjoy these films. The story lines are sweet and heartwarming but not too complicated for younger ones to misunderstand. I find each of the buddies so unique and creative in their own ways.As soon as this movie started I noticed that, like all the buddies movies, the CG is terrible, but still believable for little eyes. The scenes of the toy factory really bring in the Christmas spirit for me. I was also surprise to see Christopher Lloyd back in films.. He has a wonderful role in this one. Also the soundtrack and all the songs are just wonderful.If you don't like the buddies... at least rent this one for your kids.. it's a really touching Christmas tale. It teaches the kids about responsibility for your actions, friendship, giving, and the importance of Christmas cheer.