“Air Bud” is a 1997 family comedy film directed by Charles Martin Smith. The film follows the story of a golden retriever named Buddy who has a unique talent for playing basketball. Buddy is found by a young boy named Josh Framm who is struggling to adjust to his new school and life in a small town. Josh takes Buddy in and discovers that he can play basketball, leading to the dog becoming the star player of Josh's school basketball team.
The film was a commercial success and spawned a franchise of sequels and spin-offs. The Air Bud franchise includes movies featuring Buddy playing various sports such as soccer, football, volleyball, and baseball. The franchise also includes a television series and several direct-to-video movies. The popularity of the Air Bud franchise has led to the creation of similar movies featuring talented animals, such as “MVP: Most Valuable Primate” and “Air Buddies”.
Directed by | Charles Martin Smith |
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Produced by | Robert Vince William Vince |
Written by | Paul Tamasy Aaron Mendelsohn |
Starring | Michael Jeter Kevin Zegers Wendy Makkena Eric Christmas Bill Cobbs Air Buddy |
Music by | Brahm Wenger |
Cinematography | Mike Southon |
Edited by | Alison Grace |
Production company |
Keystone Pictures Buddy Films, Inc. |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (United States) Malofilm (Canada) |
Release date | August 1, 1997 |
Running time | 98 minutes |
Country | United States Canada |
Language | English |
Budget | $3 million |
Box office | $27.8 million |