Air Bud: Spikes Back

Air Bud: Spikes Back, also known as Air Bud 5, is a 2003 sports comedy film directed by Mike Southon. It is the fifth and final film in the original Air Bud series. This movie continues the adventures of Buddy, the heroic dog who loves playing basketball. The film was special because it was the only one in the series that did not feature Kevin Zegers as Josh Framm, the young boy who originally found Buddy.

The movie was released on June 24, 2003 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. After this film, the story of Buddy continued in a new spin-off series called the Air Buddies. Fans of Buddy enjoyed many fun moments and exciting basketball games in this last adventure of the original series.

Plot

Buddy discovers he can play volleyball really well. During this time, he and a talking parrot help stop some bad guys named Doug and Gordon. Meanwhile, a girl named Andrea Framm is trying to save up money to travel to California to visit her friend Tammy, because Tammy’s family has to move there. Andrea also shares that her brother, Josh Framm, has chosen to play football at college for the summer instead of coming back home to Fernfield for vacation.

Cast

This movie stars many talented actors. Katija Pevec plays Andrea Framm, who is Buddy’s owner. Tyler Boissonnault plays Connor, who is Andrea’s love interest. Edie McClurg acts as Gram Gram, Andrea’s grandmother, and Patrick Cranshaw plays Sheriff Bob. Other actors include Cynthia Stevenson as Andrea’s mother, Jake D. Smith as her younger half-brother Noah, and Gabrielle Reece appearing as herself. The cast also features Robert Tinkler as Doug, Malcolm Scott as Gordon, Alf Humphreys as Andrea’s stepfather, Chantal Strand as Andrea’s best friend Tammy, C. Ernst Harth as Phil, Ellen Kennedy as Wilma, Nancy Robertson as Principal Pickle, Doug Funk as Mailman Phil, and Brian Dobson providing the voice of Polly the Parrot.

Release

Air Bud: Spikes Back was released directly to DVD on June 24, 2003, by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. It was later reissued by Disney on June 16, 2008 in a double-pack with Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch.

The film was re-released again on January 14, 2020, by Mill Creek Entertainment in a 2-disc box set that included other Air Bud movies. All five Air Bud films, including Spikes Back, became available to watch on Disney+ starting October 1, 2023.