Movie Info:
Writer: Anna McRoberts, Robert Vince
Director: Robert Vince
Cast: George Wendt, Christopher Lloyd, Danny Woodburn
Rating: G
Studio: Disney
Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: November 24, 2009
DVD Release Date: November 24, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $24.99
I might be a reviewer, but there are some movies that I just do not want to see. Some press releases get me nice and excited thinking about the great films that I will be able to review and others make me groan with the thought of upcoming boredom.
Santa Buddies was not one of the movies that I was excited to see. In fact, I only decided to review it because my nephew was dying to see it. He made me promise to get it for him, so I got it for review so that he could see it. I watched it with him and he liked it so much that I had to bring the DVD to his house, so that he could keep it and watch it with his friends. When he saw me walking out of the house with the case, he wanted to know where I was taking his DVD. He calmed down when he realized it was just the Blu-ray. If he had a Blu-ray player I would have let him keep it. Lord knows, I probably won’t get much use out of it unless he wants to watch it at my house.
When it comes to holiday movies this fails. There is nothing else to say about it. Santa Buddies is a movie that rides off of the success of a movie that came out a long time ago. That movie, Air Bud, was good, but it wasn’t good enough to spawn this many sequels. I mean seriously, what plans does Disney have in the future? Is this going to be a holiday tradition? Valentine’s Day spawns Cupid Buddies, Easter offers up Easter Buddies, and New Years Eve brings us Party Buddies?!?
It’s time to end the Bud-based movies. As I mentioned, this feels like it was created to make money and sadly, it will make at least a little bit. Still, this is no Christmas/holiday movie to be proud of. It’s enjoyable if the kids like it, because the excitement on their faces manages to make it at least somewhat fun. Otherwise, this movie ends up being a supreme failure.
Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws Plot
How did George Wendt get roped into doing this movie? He used to be such a good actor. Anyway, Wendt plays Santa Claus. Santa is at the North Pole with his dog, Santa Paws (Tom Bosley). Santas Paws and Claus are checking out the Christmas Icicle. This icicle is magic and it is melting because nobody believes in Santa Claus or Santa Paws. Christmas is in danger of being canceled forever unless something is done to make kids, parents, and dogs alike believing again.
Santa Paws has a son named Puppy Paws (Zachary Gordon). Puppy wants to leave the North Pole, for adventures as a normal puppy. Puppy goes on a quest to find Budderball (Josh Flitter), who is on Santa’s naughty list since he ate the Thanksgiving turkey. He thinks that Budderball can help him to become a normal puppy in no time.
Meanwhile, the Buddies, Buddha (Field Cate), Rosebud (Liliana Mumy), Budderball, B-Dawg (Skyler Gisondo) and Mudbud (Ty Panitz) are in Fernfield, though they aren’t very excited about Christmas. The buddies are sure Santa Paws is their dad, who invented the naughty list as a way to make his puppy children behave. Of course, Sniffer (Tim Conway) tries to teach them the true meaning of Christmas.
When Puppy Paws leaves the North Pole, he makes the Christmas Icicle crack so much the North Pole’s power is shut off and Santa’s reindeer can no longer fly. In Fernfield, he meets Budderball and he causes problems with all the buddies, though Budderball gets blamed for some his actions. Once they realize it is Puppy Paws, they want him to leave. Of course, the buddies realize they also have some changes to make to better themselves, too.
When Puppy Paws is kidnapped by Mr. Stan Cruge (Christopher Lloyd), a dogcatcher, he is taken to the pound. There he meets a dog looking for a Christmas miracle and I am sure you can guess where the story goes from there. Well it is not that predictable, but the story is too convoluted to continue telling as it involves elves and people who are mean who soften with the idea of having puppies.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability: 
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Whether you liked the actual movie, Santa Buddies or not has nothing to do with the quality. When it comes to the video you are going to end up receiving a top notch presentation. Things are presented with an AVC MPEG-4 encode and 1080p. The aspect ratio is 1.78:1. Kids will enjoy the strong and diverse color palette that is used in Santa Buddies. The colors are vibrant, whites and crisp, and the blacks are solid. While everything stands out beautifully, nothing is too bright.
The detail in the film is also gorgeous. The smallest detail is noticeable and they all blend together nicely to not cause too much of a stir. No major messups in the visual category can be reported. There are no issues with compression errors, noise, dirt, or fuss. This is a good representation of what a new movie should look like on Blu-ray. There are some CGI-effects that just appear to be ridiculous. That doesn’t rest solely on the visual quality, though. It is the fault of the makers of the film.
You have three options for audio depending on the language you prefer to hear Santa Buddies in. You can choose from the main, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix or you can opt for one of the Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes in either French or Spanish. This is one of those Blu-ray films that didn’t really need a HD mix. That isn’t saying the mix is bad. Instead, it is underutilized.
Most movies that are not musically based or action packed don’t make amazing use of their high def sound and Buddies is no different. The dialogue is crisp and easy to hear and the majority of everything you hear will be coming through the front channels. Don’t expect to be wowed by movie theater sound because you’re not going to find it here. As it is a kids movie, its passable, because kids won’t notice there is an issue as long as they can hear the dogs speaking. However, adults will not be wowed. Subtitles are available, as well.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
People, or kids rather, looking for a ton of special features might feel a tad let down here. The majority of the features, with exception of the BD Live option is available on both the Blu-ray and the DVD. If you purchase the Blu-ray you will also receive the DVD as it comes in a combo pack. That being said, you receive four main special features that can be watched on either Blu-ray or DVD. The special features are as follows:
Previews: You receive a BD promo, a Disney parks promo, and something concerning Disney Movie Rewards. Previews included are G-Force, Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Collection, Toy Story 3, Ponyo, Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue, Dumbo: 70th Anniversary Edition, and The Princess and the Frog.
Sing Along Songs: Songs include Santa Paws is Comin’ to Town, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and Deck the Halls. Kids that loved the movie should enjoy getting a chance to sing with the dogs.
Music Video: The lone music video is for Santa Claus is Coming to Town and it’s sung by Steve Rushton. The video includes plenty of cips from the film.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Santa Buddies is not a movie for your average adult. If you like this movie it probably won’t be for the movie itself. Chances are, you’re more likely to enjoy it because your kids like it and seeing them like it makes it enjoyable to you, as well. That being said, it’s not going to be a movie that you want to sit down and watch alone. It’s also not going to hold a candle to any of your favorite Christmas flicks.
Younger kids will get the most enjoyment from this if they like it at all. That being said, save your money if you have the option between Blu-ray and DVD and just buy them the DVD. Otherwise, if you have to see it, I highly recommend renting it before making the decision to purchase this film.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Santa Buddies, The Legend of Santa Paws, Blu-Ray, DVD Combo, Combo Pack, Disney Studios, Family, Dogs, Movie Review, Blu-Ray Review
Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
