For those not in tune with the world of direct-to-DVD puppy movies, Space Buddies is a spin-off of the Air Bud series that included Air Bud: Golden Receiver and Air Bud Spikes Back. At some point in the series, Disney decided that Air Bud was pushing on in dog years, leading to the introduction of puppies in Air Buddies. Although the Buddies share the same talent for sports as the big dog, the Buddies also talk. I'll openly admit that live animals with CGI-animated mouths creep me out, and as ridiculous as the effect looks in Space Buddies, it works.
This installment finds the Buddies sneaking aboard an experimental space shuttle and rocketing into space. Okay, so you're probably wondering how a group of dogs manage to fly a spaceship, but your logical pokes and prods are better left for other things since it's explained fairly well in the course of the plot. The ship is remote controlled - leaving the pups more free time to spoil the plans of a scientist trying to ruin the mission. They also find the time to meet new friends, including Yuri (Diedrich Bader), a cosmonaut who is perfectly happy to stay among the stars and his dog, Spudnick, who can't wait to get back.
So the plot is a bit silly - but for a movie aimed at the six-and-younger crowd, it's a lot of fun. As I said earlier, seeing a bunch of live animals talking is high on my list I could do without seeing again, but it helps give the movie a little more substance beyond playing up the cute puppies doing cute things angle. Each of the puppies has their own personality; Buddha is the center of Zen calm, while B-Dawg touts a hip-hop attitude. Although they tend to drift towards stereotypical "done that" jokes, the personalities are enough to carry the movie. This probably won't gain the attention of older viewers, but there are still a few highbrow jokes strewn about, such as using duct tape to repair the Russian Space Station. Ah... duct tape humor and sticking it to the Russian space program... good stuff.
Space Buddies is light on the extras. The main feature is "The Buddies Guide to Space Travel," which is sort of a behind-the-scenes deal filled with the pups sharing background information about the film and their favorite parts. "Buddy Facts" follows the same vein, but in a "Pop-up Video" style format. A blooper reel and music video from Alyson Stoner round out the extras.
I can't see anyone going into Space Buddies and expecting Academy Award-winning "high art" - and if you do, you're either jaded or a hollow, negative shell of a person. I won't go as far as to say that Space Buddies is an underrated classic, but I've seen much worse and for what it strikes out to be, Space Buddies is a enjoyable family film that should please younger kids and their parents.
