Remember Air Bud, the lovable basketball playing dog who didn’t break any rules cause ain’t no rules that say a dog can’t play basketball? Well he’s back! Sort of. The first trailer for Air Bud Returns could not possibly look anymore like an Air Bud movie. It’s a sweet, family friendly sports movie featuring an adorable golden retriever who can hoop. And it even includes that iconic line about youth basketball regulations. This is basically Air Bud redux. All of which is why this trailer makes me think just one thing: the real Air Bud is dead.
Look, you don’t have to tell me there’s no such thing as a “real Air Bud.” He’s a fictional canine character played by countless dogs over nearly 30 years. There are like 500 Air Bud sequels and spinoffs. I get it. I get it. But at some point there was a “real” Air Bud,” and since the franchise’s first film came out in 1997 that dog definitely died awhile ago. (Even if there were like three of them they’re all dead.)
I imagine this is not the reaction Air Bud Returns was hoping to get out of me, but here we are. These are the perils of rebooting a franchise starring a dog in a movie that feels so familiar it feels like a time machine. Dogs don’t live that long. I wasn’t thinking about any of that before this quasi-remake, so really, this isn’t my fault.
This promo feels like the cinematic equivalent of a parent who refuses to have a tough conversation with their kid, so instead they go out and get a replacement dog they pretend is the same one.* “Why does Buddy suddenly have so much more energy? Uh, well, me and your mom got him some new food. Yeah, it’s much, much better for him. That’s also why his coat is so shiny and he’s not shedding into his water bowl anymore. Yeah, yeah, pal. Go outside and play with Buddy. Have fun.”
…..Well, anyway, here’s the film’s actual synopsis. From Cineverse:
After the passing of his father, 14-year-old Jacob and his mom move into his dad’s childhood home in Fernfield, where anything is possible. Jacob dreams of becoming a basketball star, which seems further away than ever, until he discovers a VHS marked “Air Bud.” Jacob has a miraculous chance meeting with a basketball-playing golden retriever, Buddy. The duo embarks on a journey of healing, unites a basketball team of misfits, and chases a championship as the new Timberwolves.
Well, at least the movie isn’t pretending this is the same dog. But something tells me that probably won’t matter for me. And maybe for some of you I just incepted this thought into. When Air Bud Returns debuts on January 22, 2027 (and not this August) I’ll still be thinking about how the real Air Bud is definitely dead.
*This made for a very funny premise on an episode of King of Queens.