The plot is pretty much a formula plot, but it's a cute formula, and the puppies are cute. Fortunately, the "pull his paw" jokes mostly went over my three-year-old's head: that potty humor is the only thing I found slightly objectionable about it. There were a couple of tense moments about the puppies' safety that were just a little bit scary for my little one, but not too much to watch. Nice focus on cooperation among the puppies, their Russian dogmonaut friend, and the ferret at Ground Control. Sparked some curiosity about space at our house, and wasn't painful for parents to sit through.
Space Buddies
-
Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
-
Common Sense says
One small step for dogkind, one cute adventure for kids.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 5 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
-
Violence & scariness:
-
Sexy stuff:
-
Language:
-
Consumerism:
-
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Space Buddies was written by Nancy Davis Kho
Parents need to know that this movie follows the formulaic approach of previous Air Bud/Buddies movies -- but animal-loving kids will enjoy it anyway. A teacher is treated extremely disrespectfully, there are repeated dog fart jokes, and Denny's gets a big plug, but there's not really anything too objectionable here unless you count the absolute lack of connection to the science of real space travel.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about why kids wanted to see this movie -- is it because of the story or because they saw lots of ads on TV? Families can also discuss the five puppies and their distinct personalities. Which one do you think you're most like? Which one would you most like to have as a pet? Do you think it would ever be that easy to climb aboard a spaceship unannounced? What do you think agencies like NASA do to make sure something like that doesn't happen?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Space Buddies
What’s the Story?
SPACE BUDDIES is the latest in what seems to be an unending chain of spin-offs of the original charming Air Bud. The franchise now focuses on Bud's offspring, five adorable golden retriever pups who each have distinct personalities and work together as a team to get in and out of scrapes. In this adventure, after hitching a ride on a school field trip, the pups inadvertently stow away on a test flight for a commercial space vehicle (thankfully, it's controlled by a ground crew). A trip to a long-lost Russian space station puts them in contact with Spudnick the space dog (voiced by Jason Earles), and together the canines get a chance to be the first dogs on the moon.
Is It Any Good?
"Phoning it in" doesn't really begin to describe the work of Space Buddies' screenwriters, who by now have dispatched with any parent figures for either the dogs or most of the movie's kids. (If you've seen previous Buddies movies, it's worth noting that, while the puppies never age, this movie had to cast new actors to play their young owners.) And the puppies, like B-Dawg (Skyler Gisondo) and Budderball (Josh Flitter), each have their own schtick -- from rapper to Zen master to girly girl -- that predicts exactly how each character will react to new plot twists.
Still, if your child loves cute puppies -- and who doesn't? -- this movie will hit the spot. Scenes of puppies in the mud, puppies on the moon, and puppies floating in space will tickle young funny bones, and Spudnick's yearning to return to his earthbound owner may even elicit a tear or two from the sentimentalists in the crowd.
Movie Details
Studio: Walt Disney Home Video, Director: Robert Vince
Run time: 84 minutes
Theatrical release: 2/3/2009, DVD release: 2/3/2009
MPAA Rating: G
Run time: 84 minutes
Theatrical release: 2/3/2009, DVD release: 2/3/2009
MPAA Rating: G
Our Members Say
See all 4 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
-
I rate this title on for age 3 and give it
nice puppy movie
-
I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My highlights are:
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
i saw this and i fell asleep i hate it
-
I rate this title on for age 3 and give it
A bit of harmless fun
Talking dogs, rockets, the moon and a few fart jokes. Should keep the kids entertained for 1 1/2 hours.
-
I rate this title iffy for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive consumerism
OK, fine, Iffy
It's OK, and it's 10x better then the first Buddies Movie. It does include to much potty humor like last time, but it did get a little better.
Give Recommendations, Get Them, Too!
Become a member and get recommendations from other parents based on your child's age.Tell us your child's age:
Already a member? Log inOur Members Rate It
Have you seen it?
For Your Family
Get age-based recommendations for your kids:
Customize based on your child's age
