Air Bud
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Air Bud is the 1997 feature film that sparked the franchise centered around the fictional dog Buddy, a Golden Retriever. The movie's title may be wordplay with "Air Jordan", a nickname of basketball superstar Michael Jordan.
The original movie was successful, grossing US$4 million in its opening weekend and totaling US$24 million for its final run
The plot revolves around a 12-year-old boy, Josh Framm, who has an interest in basketball. After the death of his father, Josh moves with his family to a new town and is too shy to try out for his middle school's basketball team and too shy to make any friends. Through a series of coincidences, Josh meets Buddy, a Golden Retriever who escaped his cruel owner, an alcoholic clown Norman Snively. Josh soon learns that Buddy has an uncanny ability to play the sport of basketball.
Buddy becomes the mascot of Josh's school's basketball team and begins appearing in their halftime shows. However, when it is discovered that there is no rule that a dog can not play basketball, Buddy joins the roster. But just before the championship game, Buddy's original owner Snively decides that it is time for him to cash in on the dog's success. Snively sues the Framm family for custody of Buddy. The judge decides that it would be an appropriate exercise of the legal system for Josh and Norm Snively to both call the dog's name from other sides of the room and to see which one he comes to. The judge decides that whomever the dog comes to will be his rightful owner. Surely enough, Buddy chooses Josh and everyone lives happily ever after.
