Spooky Buddies (2011)

This movie is awful. However, for reasons unbeknown to me, my kid likes this movie.*Spoiler* You have been warned.To respond to a few of the reviews, in the context of the movie, it makes sense that the old guy would hide the book in the church, given that most people in previous generations went to church - even if they weren't 'believers'. People are correct when they say that all viewers aren't Christian, but it is also correct to point out that a lot of Disney viewers are Christians and support the Disney brand because they tend to be family-friendly. It's a delicate line movie makers walk to tell their stories. I'm not sure how you'd tell this particular story and exclude the church and the "good/evil" element. It would have lost a lot of its 'punch'. Honestly, I thought this scene w/the old man and the kids in the church was the best part of the movie. Besides the end.

That's it! It's not a promotion of Christianity, witchcraft, or anything other than a Disney pursuit of the almighty dollar! I normally ignore the comments of others on this site, but sheesh! I really hope some of these posters are kidding. This is a straight-to-DVD Disney time waster that only wishes to give parents something they can show their kids on a rainy afternoon or some such. Maybe if I were under six years old I would also find this too frightening to watch. But that's what they initially said would be the problem with Scooby Doo, and look how long that has endured. Spooky Buddies is not great cinema, or deep cinema. Take it for what it is.The story deals with an evil warlock attempting to unleash the powers of the underworld on an unsuspecting small town. It looks like he lives in the same house as Jerry Dandridge in the original Fright Night. Probably the same set was used. Anyway, this warlock first attempts to unleash this attack back in 1937. He and his evil Saint Bernard helper need the souls of five dogs related by blood. They nearly succeed, but the townspeople show up in time to stop the ritual and one dog's soul is not taken. Fast-forward to present day, and a group of five new puppies and five kids find themselves in danger of suffering the same fate. Can the ghost of the dog whose soul escaped the underworld warn the new pups in time? Or will the warlock and his evil dog catch the puppies and unleash their reign of terror on the town? And most importantly of all... will Nicholas Cage sue the makers of the film for making the warlock look so much like him?? The film is fairly cute, and certainly harmless. It spends as much time with the local kids as it does with the dogs. Even some of the local adults get in on the fun. More than a few of the voice actors are recognizable, and I really wasn't sure Tim Conway was still alive before seeing this. The Saint Bernard from the underworld who helps the warlock is kind of scary-looking, but he's no Cujo. I wasn't sure why the owl character was needed, but kids might like him. The puppies from 1937 who are of course saved and brought back to life are all cute little beagles. The puppies from the present are golden retrievers, as they are supposedly descended from Air Bud or something. I'm not really up on this Disney franchise. All very cute little pups. The film boasts better than expected special f/x. Ignore the dire warnings of others when it comes to Spooky Buddies. Its not going to scar any kid for life religiously. Just a good way to kill an hour and a half. Or something you can have on the background while your family is carving a pumpkin. Considering what type of film it is, its probably worth about 7 of 10 stars.The Hound.

I showed this movie last October as part of a Family Movie Night and 72 people came to watch it. No one complained about any religious overtones and believe me they would have gone to my director if they did. I found this movie enjoyable for adults and children and one of the best buddies movie they have made. It was perfect for the season. As a matter a fact I will be showing it again this month as there were no other recent family Halloween movies to show my audience. This movie had my audience laughing and enjoying themselves. Don't read too much into a movie, just sit back and have fun like my viewers do. The Buddie movies are harmless, family fun and I always draw at least 30 people to this event. I wish there were more harmless movies made to show families. I was surprised to see that this movie had only a 4.6 rating on IMDb, it should at least be a 7.

I managed to get hold of an advanced copy of the movie and my 9 year old was jumping for joy about that, I wasn't holding my breath about watching this movie with her but we both laughed within 30 seconds of it starting. The production quality was equal to the other 3 in the series and I was very pleased because of that alone. The acting was pretty over the top but for young kids it was perfect and nothing too scary, the story line was pretty thin but it kept my little girl dancing up and down right up to the final elimination of the bad evil Warlock. It was all too cheesy but these movies are what it is all about as kids love cheesy and need a simple plot or they get lost. I for one will say it is OK for young kids and not too silly but Pixar movies are far superior and let kids use their own imagination more as well as letting adults enjoy them.