''Santa Buddies'', also known as ''Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws'', is a 2009 American

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

. It is the fourth installment of the ''

Air Buddies ''Air Buddies'' is a 2006 American sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some case ...

'' spin-off series as well as the ninth film in the ''

Air Bud ''Air Bud'' is a 1997 sports comedy film directed by Charles Martin Smith. The film was financially successful, grossing $4 million in its opening weekend and totaling $27.8 million in its run against an estimated $3 million budget. Plot After ...

'' franchise. It was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

and

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

November 24, 2009. Tom Bosley's appearance in the film was his final role before his death.

Plot

At the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

(

George Wendt George Robert Wendt Jr. (born October 17, 1948) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the television sitcom ''Cheers'' (1982–1993), which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy ...

) and his dog Santa Paws ( Tom Bosley), a gentle and loyal all-white

Great Pyrenees The Pyrenean Mountain Dog (french: Chien de Montagne des Pyrénées) is a breed of livestock guardian dog from France, where it is commonly called the Patou. The breed comes from the French side of the Pyrenees Mountains that separate France an ...

, go outside to examine the magical

Icicle, which is melting because nobody believes in Christmas anymore; if it continues to melt, Christmas will be gone forever. After causing mayhem in Santa's workshop and getting exiled for it, Puppy Paws (

Zachary Gordon Zachary Adam Gordon (born February 15, 1998) is an American actor. He rose to prominence by playing Greg Heffley in the first three films of the ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' film series. He then went on to play Tate Wilson in '' Good Trouble'' and Ja ...

), the fun-loving son of Santa Paws, stares at the Icicle and states "I wish Christmas would just disappear", which causes it to crack. He finds Budderball (

Josh Flitter Joshua Alexander Flitter (born August 25, 1994) is an American actor. He is known for playing Corky in ''Nancy Drew'', Eddie in ''The Greatest Game Ever Played'', and voiced Rudy Kangaroo in the 2008 animated film ''Horton Hears a Who!'' and Budd ...

) on Santa's naughty list for eating the

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

turkey and figures he's just the dog to show him how to be an ordinary puppy. Meanwhile, the Christmas Icicle makes a big crack, shuts off the power at the North Pole, and makes the

reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

weak and powerless. Budderball and the other Buddies (

Field Cate Field Adrianus Cate (born July 22, 1997) is an American actor and musician. He is best known his main role portraying young Ned in the fantasy comedy-drama ''Pushing Daisies'' (2007–2009). He is currently lead singer and guitarist of America ...

Liliana Mumy Liliana Berry Davis Mumy (; born April 16, 1994) is an American actress. Between 2002 and 2006, she appeared as Jessica Baker in the two ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' movies and as Lucy Miller in the second and third films of ''The Santa Clause'' tr ...

Skyler Gisondo Skyler Augustus Gisondo (born July 22, 1996) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films ''Licorice Pizza'', ''Booksmart'', and ''Vacation'', as well as the television programs ''The Righteous Gemstones'' and ''Santa Clarita Die ...

Ty Panitz Ty Panitz (born April 8, 1999) is an American actor. He made his screen debut as a child actor in the movie '' Yours, Mine & Ours'' (2005) alongside Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo playing Ethan Beardsley. His other roles include Woody Forrester in ...

), also lacking in Christmas spirit, believe that their father is Santa Paws in disguise, and that the naughty list is a way to scare them to behave. However, Sniffer (

Tim Conway Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway (December 15, 1933 – May 14, 2019) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. From 1966 to 2012 he appeared in more than 100 TV shows, TV series and films. Among his more notable roles, he portrayed the ...

) replies that Christmas is about giving and a holiday they must learn to respect. Puppy Paws makes it to Fernfield, Washington to find Budderball in his home. Budderball introduces Puppy Paws to his brothers and sister. The North Pole puppy ends up being a nuisance to each of the Buddies: Budderball is framed for eating the

shortbread Shortbread or shortie is a traditional Scottish biscuit usually made from one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three to four parts plain wheat flour. Unlike many other biscuits and baked goods, shortbread does not contain any leavening, ...

cookies A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, nuts ...

as he tries to get back on the nice list, B-Dawg gets beaten at

break dancing Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in t ...

by Puppy Paws, who even accidentally breaks a

vase A vase ( or ) is an open container. It can be made from a number of materials, such as ceramics, glass, non-rusting metals, such as aluminium, brass, bronze, or stainless steel. Even wood has been used to make vases, either by using tree species ...

, Puppy Paws, unaware not to do so, shakes dirt out of his fur in the living room after Mudbud gives him lessons on how to roll in the dirt, creating holiday shapes of the dirt spots which results in Mudbud being put in a cover-up coat for the rest of the day, Rosebud gets an extreme Christmas makeover, and Buddha's meditation statue is turned into a

snowman A snowman is an anthropomorphic snow sculpture of a man often built in regions with sufficient snowfall and is a common winter tradition. In many places, typical snowmen consist of three large snowballs of different sizes with some additional ...

as Puppy Paws explains that the snowman is "what citizens of the North Pole meditate in front of". Fed up with Puppy Paws' antics, the Buddies lose their patience and eject him from their house. But they learn that Puppy Paws isn't hurting them as they are hurting themselves and decide to treat him with compassion. Puppy Paws gets taken away by dog catcher Stan Cruge (

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...

), who takes him to the pound. There, Puppy Paws meets a puppy named Tiny (

Kaitlyn Maher Kaitlyn Ashley Maher (born January 10, 2004) is an American teen singer and actress known for being the Youngest Top 10 Finalist on America's Got Talent and for her roles in films such as ''The Search for Santa Paws'', '' Santa Paws 2'', ''Free B ...

) who is wishing for a Christmas miracle and sings a song about miracles, which teaches Puppy Paws about the true meaning of Christmas. The Buddies, along with an

elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

named Eddy (

Richard Kind Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as Dr. Mark Devanow in ''Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in ''Spin City'' (1996–2002), Andy in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2002 ...

), come to the rescue. Eddy tells Cruge that he knows the dog catcher always wanted a puppy for Christmas, but his mother was allergic to dogs and never got one, which made Cruge hate Christmas and become a dog catcher. With help from an elf named Eli (

Danny Woodburn Daniel Charles Woodburn (born July 26, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and activist for the disability rights movement linked to his dwarfism. He played Mickey Abbott on the sitcom '' Seinfeld''. He has more than 150 television and 30 ...

), Christmas spirit returns, the Christmas Icicle stops melting, and the North Pole is back in business. Puppy Paws and the Buddies make it to the North Pole. The reindeer are unable to fly, and Puppy Paws and the Buddies volunteer to save Christmas with their uncanny abilities ( the Buddies remembered what Shasta taught them). A changed Mr. Cruge brings Tiny over to the child who has been asking for a puppy as a Christmas present. Tiny says her goodbyes to the Buddies and Puppy Paws. After their last delivery, Santa Claus and Santa Paws arrive in Fernfield. Santa puts the Buddies (including Budderball) on top of the nice list, Puppy Paws becomes part of Santa's family, and the Buddies bid him farewell. Mr. Cruge is invited to dinner with Tiny's new family. The movie ends with the entire town (including the Buddies and Deputy Sniffer), led by Cruge, singing "

Silent Night "Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...

" in front of Fernfield's

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...

Cast

as Stan Cruge *

as Eli *

Quinn Lord Quinn Edmond Julian Lord (born February 19, 1999) is a Canadian actor. Beginning his professional acting career at the age of five, Lord played Sam in the 2007 feature film ''Trick 'r Treat'' and was nominated for the Young Artist Award as Best ...

as Pete *Ryan Grantham as Sam *Andrew Astor as Mikey *Sophia Ludwig as Alice *

Gig Morton Gig Morton (born March 22, 1996) is a Canadian actor and podcast host. Beginning a professional career as a child actor at age nine, Morton is a six time Young Artist Award nominee, best known for his role as B-Dawg's boy, "Billy" in four install ...

as Billy *

Craig Anton Craig Ward Anton (born August 28, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his roles as Mr. Pettus in ''Lizzie McGuire'' and Lloyd Diffy in ''Phil of the Future''. Early life Anton was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, t ...

as Bob *Michael Teigen as Sheriff Dan

Voice cast

as Puppy Paws, Santa Paws' son * Tom Bosley as Santa Paws, a

as Sniffer *

as Budderball *

as Rosebud *

as Mudbud (

Jonathan Morgan Heit Jonathan Morgan Heit (born July 16, 2000) is an American former teen actor and currently a gallerist. He is known for his role in the Adam Sandler film, '' Bedtime Stories'', where he played Patrick. He also directed and wrote a short film enti ...

when singing) *

as Buddha *

as B-Dawg *

as Eddy, a

Jack Russell Terrier The Jack Russell Terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting in England. It is principally white-bodied and smooth, rough or broken-coated and can be any colour. Small tan and white terriers that technically belong to oth ...

as Tiny, a

Yorkshire Terrier The Yorkshire Terrier (often shortened as Yorkie) is one of the smallest dog breeds of the terrier type and indeed of any dog breed. The breed developed during the 19th century in Yorkshire, England.Chris Coppola as Comet, a

Reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

Justin Roiland Mark Justin Roiland (born February 21, 1980) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as the co-creator of Adult Swim's ''Rick and Morty'' and its subsequent Rick and Morty (franchise), franchise. H ...

As Chihuahua (Uncredited)

Sequels

A prequel called ''

The Search for Santa Paws ''The Search for Santa Paws'' is a 2010 Christmas Adventure film, adventure fantasy film released on November 23, 2010. The film is the tenth film in the ''Air Bud (series), Air Bud'' franchise and is also a prequel to ''Santa Buddies'', as well a ...

'' was released on November 23, 2010. ''

Spooky Buddies ''Spooky Buddies'' is a 2011 Canadian-American supernatural comedy film that is part of the ''Disney Buddies'' franchise, a series often referred to as the ''Air Bud'' and ''Air Buddies'' franchise. For the fifth installment in the ''Air Buddies ...

'' was released on September 20, 2011, as a

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

movie, featuring the Buddies in a new adventure filled with curses, ghosts, and mayhem, and an attempt to stop Warwick the Warlock and the Halloween Hound. ''

Treasure Buddies ''Treasure Buddies'' is a 2012 American comedy film directed by Robert Vince and produced by Anna McRoberts. It is the 6th installment in the ''Air Buddies'' franchise. The Buddies head to the ruins of Ancient Egypt, where, with the help of a mo ...

'' was released on January 31, 2012, as an ''

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...

''-like movie, featuring the Buddies in another new adventure trying to stop Cleocatra in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

References

External links