History Film / AirBud

* ABoyAndHisX: Josh and his sports-playing superstar dog.

The ''Film/AirBuddies'' films focus on Buddy's puppies and are more family-oriented. These films have different foci and genres.

* {{Corpsing}}: As Snively is apprehended by security guards after the custody hearing for Buddy has been closed, one guard can be seen smiling and laughing as they take him away.

%%* ABoyAndHisX: A boy and his sports-playing superstar dog.

%%* ChildHater: Snively.

** Josh to teammate Larry Willingham; both are talented in basketball, but Josh is kinder and more of a team player, while Larry is arrogant and a ball-hog (mainly due to being spurred on by his hyper-competitive father). Larry, however, does show good sportsmanship after he and his new team lose to Josh and his old team in the championship.

* ImplausibleDeniability:After Mrs. Framm, Josh, and the principal walk in on him pelting Tom with basketballs and yelling at him not to drop any, Coach Barker claims that he was just running Tom through some drills.They are not convinced, and in the next scene, Barker is no longer the basketball coach.
%%* {{Jerkass}}: Snively. And to a slightly lesser extent, Coach Barker.
%%* KickTheDog: Literally, in Snively's case.

* ImplausibleDeniability: Coach Barker claims that he was just running Tom through some drills after Mrs. Framm, Josh, and the principal walk in on him pelting Tom with basketballs and yelling at him not to drop any. They are not convinced, and in the next scene, Barker is no longer the basketball coach.

* RealityEnsues: Golden Receiver shows what a bad idea it is for a dog to play football when Buddy gets tackled.

* DisneyDogFight: Judge Crenshaw is surprised to learn that he's overseeing a custody hearing for a dog to start with, but [[spoiler: when Mr. Chaney brings up the point that Buddy is old enough to be considered an adult in dog years and therefore should be allowed to choose his owner, he likes the idea.]] The case concludes outside the courthouse, where Buddy is indeed allowed to make his own decision and ultimately chooses Josh.
* TheDogBitesBack: Buddy/Old Blue ends up doing this to his former owner Norman Snively, literally, in the climax. Bonus points for the fact that, from the initial set up, it makes it seem as though Buddy is actually going to choose Snively over Josh before he attacks Snively and shreds up his newspaper.

* BookEnds: Snively is seen in his clown costume at the beginning and end of the first movie, and not at any other point.

Twelve-year-old Josh Framm (Kevin Zegers) has to deal with moving to a new town while mourning the [[DisappearedDad death of his father]]. He meets Buddy, a golden retriever who has managed to escape his abusive owner, an alcoholic clown named Norman Snively. The pair become friends and eventually, Josh's mother allows the dog to stay. In the process, Josh discovers that Buddy can play basketball, and the pair end up joining the basketball team, with Buddy as the team's mascot. During a televised game, Snively sees Buddy's talent on the court and manages to get him back from the Framms. Josh, however, manages to rescue the dog, and the pair of them get back to the school, just in time for Buddy to win the game, by means of the AnimalAthleteLoophole.

** Josh to teammate Larry Willingham; both are talented in basketball, but Josh is kinder and more of a team player, while Larry is arrogant and a ball-hog (mainly due to being spurred on by his hyper-competitive father). Larry, however, does show good sportsmanship after he and his new team lose Josh to his old team in the championship.

** Also, Coach Arther Chaney to his predecessor, Coach Joe Barker. Barker is strict, critical, is obsessed with winning, and willing to deter anything that appear to stand in the way of that (an attitude that ultimately gets him fired halfway through the film), while Chaney is encouraging, supportive, puts more emphasis on teamwork and unity, and refuses to concede to parental demands to keep ball-hogging star players in, even when they're hindering the team (which ultimately leads to the Timberwolves to victory in the end).

* DisneyDogFight: Judge Crenshaw is surprised to learn that he's overseeing a custody hearing for a dog to start with, but [[spoiler: when Mr. Cheney brings up the point that Buddy is old enough to be considered an adult in dog years and therefore should be allowed to choose his owner, he likes the idea.]] The case concludes outside the courthouse, where Buddy is indeed allowed to make his own decision and ultimately chooses Josh.

%%* {{Jerkass}}: Snively.

* LetHimChoose: {{Invoked}} at the end of the first movie. Mr. Cheney reasons that Buddy is old enough to be considered an adult in human years and should therefore be allowed to choose for himself who he wants to stay with.

* WouldHurtAChild: Snively has no qualms about running over Josh with his truck while chasing him in pursuit of Buddy.

* BigBad: Norman Snively from the first movie; he abuses buddy and creates one of the main conflicts of the film by standing in the way of Josh and Buddy remaining together.

* DisneyDogFight: Judge Crenshaw is surprised to learn that he's overseeing a custody hearing for a dog to start with, but [[spoiler: when Mr. Cheney brings up the point that buddy is old enough to be considered an adult in dog years and therefore should be allowed to choose his owner, he likes the idea.]] The case concludes outside the courthouse, where Buddy is indeed allowed to make his own decision and ultimately chooses Josh.

* DisneyDogFight: Judge Crenshaw is surprised to learn that he's overseeing a custody hearing for a dog to start with, but [[spolier: when Mr. Cheney brings up the point that buddy is old enough to be considered an adult in dog years and therefore should be allowed to choose his owner, he likes the idea.]] The case concludes outside the courthouse, where Buddy is indeed allowed to make his own decision and ultimately chooses Josh.

* BigGood: Coach Chaney has shades of this in the first film, as [[spoiler:putting Buddy into the final game]] and [[spoiler:having Buddy choose who to stay with]] are both his ideas.

* TheAllegedCar: Snively's Truck. When he [[WouldHurtAChild attempts to chase down Josh and Buddy in it]], it completely falls apart, [[LaserGuidedKarma causing him to crash into the lake.]]

** The sign outside coach Barker's office actually says

* DisneyDogFight: Judge Crenshaw is surprised to learn that use overseeing a custody hearing for a dog to start with, but {[spolier: when Mr. Cheney brings up the point that buddy is old enough to be considered an adult in dog years and therefore should be allowed to choose his owner, he likes the idea.]] The case concludes outside the courthouse, where Buddy is indeed allowed to make his own decision and ultimately chooses Josh.

%%* DisneyDogFight: The climax of the first movie.
* TheDogBitesBack: Buddy/Old Blue ends up doing this to his former owner, literally, in the climax. Bonus points for the fact that, from the initial set up, it makes it seem as though Buddy was actually going to return to his original owner over Josh before he attacks the Owner and shreds up his newspaper.

** Josh has a box of things that belonged to his dad and [[spoiler reveal that his name was Andy.]]

%%* BigBad: Norman Snively from the first movie.

* HeroicPetStory: The movie combines this genre with SportsStory. Instead of saving lives, the titular dog helps a basketball team win a game.

%%* LetHimChoose: {{Invoked}} at the end of the first movie.

%%* SpinOffspring: The ''Film/AirBuddies'' series.

** In ''World Pup'', Buddy and his mate Molly have a set of puppies, who [[LegoGenetics inherit his sports abilities]]. They receive a PlotRelevantAgeUp for ''Seventh Inning Fetch'', but are nowhere to be seen in ''Spikes Back''. Then, Air Buddies rolls around, and they're puppies again. Or it's a brand new set of puppies; it's never really clear.
** The movies move from having merely {{Amplified Animal| Aptitude}}s, to implementing AnimalTalk in the ''Air Buddies'' series.

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* ABoyAndHisX: A boy and his sports-playing superstar dog.

* ChildHater: Snively.

* DisneyDogFight: The climax of the first movie.

* {{Jerkass}}: Snively.
* KickTheDog: Literally, in Snively's case.

* NotAllowedToGrowUp: {{Averted}}, Buddy watches as Josh grows up and moves to college in ''Seventh Inning Fetch'', in which his younger sister Andrea, takes center stage. And by the time Air Buddies rolls around, baby Noah has grown up enough to star.

%%* ABoyAndHisX

%%* AnimalTalk: Implemented in the Air Buddies movies.

%%* ChildHater: Snively.

** In ''World Pup'', Buddy and his mate Molly have a set of puppies, who [[LegoGenetics inherit his sports abilities]]. They receive a PlotRelevantAgeUp for ''Seventh Inning Fetch'', but are nowhere to be seen ''Spikes Back''. Then, Air Buddies rolls around, and they're puppies again. Or it's a brand new set of puppies; it's never really clear.

%%** The ''Film/AirBuddies'' series.

%%* DisneyDogFight: The climax of the first movie.

%%* DownToTheLastPlay: The standard plot for the original films.

%%* {{Jerkass}}: Snively.

* KickTheDog: Literally in Snively's case.

Twelve-year-old Josh Framm (Kevin Zegers) is having to deal with moving to a new town, while mourning the [[DisappearedDad death of his father]]. He meets Buddy, a golden retriever who has managed to escape his abusive owner, an alcoholic clown named Norman Snively. The pair become friends and eventually, Josh's mother allows the dog to stay. In the process, Josh discovers that Buddy can play basketball, and the pair end up joining the basketball team, with Buddy as the team's mascot. During a televised game, Snively sees Buddy's talent on the court and manages to get him back from the Framms. Josh, however, manages to rescue the dog, and the pair of them get back to the school, just in time for Buddy to win the game, by means of the AnimalAthleteLoophole.

%%* DownToTheLastPlay: Standard plot for the originals.

* YoureNotMyFather: In ''Golden Receiver'', Josh misses his dad so much that he can't accept his mom's new boyfriend. After a talk with his coach, Josh is able to see that no one will ever replace his father or his place in Josh's heart.

* {{Bookends}}: Snively is seen in his clown costume at the beginning and end of the first movie, and not at any other point.

* WouldHurtAChild: Snively has no qualms about running over Josh with his car while chasing him in pursuit of Buddy.