Spooky Buddies is a 2011 Disney direct-to-DVD family film that is part of Disney's Buddies franchise (often referred to as the Air Bud and Air Buddies franchise). For the fifth installment in the Air Buddies series, the team has a Halloween adventure in Fernfield. The movie was directed by Robert Vince, produced by Anna McRoberts, and released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu-ray, DVD, and as a movie download on September 20, 2011.
Plot
The story starts in Fernfield 1937, on Halloween night where the townspeople storms to the mansion where Warwick the Warlock has gathered the ingredients in order to summon the Halloween Hound. The ingredients follow: his spell book, his staff and five souls of puppies with the same blood. In the mob, a young boy called Joseph owns one of the puppies, Pip who has been stolen by Warwick alongside with his brothers and sisters. When the Halloween Hound sucks out Pip's soul, the spell is uncompleted as the sun has rose, so Pip's soul is left to float about the house leaving his body stone empty. Warwick is nearly arrested, but he dives through a mirror swearing revenge. Joseph takes Pip's stone body while his father takes Warwick's spell book. The Sheriff takes Warwick's staff and announces to the townspeople that he would board up Warwick's house to prevent anything else from happening.
The scene then moves 75 years later in the present Fernfield where the protagonists, the Buddies, are on a school trip to Warwick's mansion with their owners, Alice, Billy, Pete, Sam and Bartleby. When the class go to the graveyard to see Pip's memorial stone, Billy finds himself scared of the appearance of the gravedigger, Mr. Johnston. Overhearing that the legend says that if you say 'Halloween Hound' three times in front of Warwick's portal/mirror, you would release the Halloween Hound, B-Dawg, who is a "scaredy cat" tries to overcome his fear by doing the legend. Pip the ghost puppy tries to warn the Buddies, but B-Dawg is terrified by Pip's ghost and accidentally completes the reciting. B-Dawg's owner, Billy hasn't come up with his Halloween projects and decides to do Warwick the Warlock. With the help of Sheriff Dan, Billy borrows Warwick's evidence file and staff. Billy's mother, Janice buys Billy his costume for trick or treating which is a A Christmas Story-esque bunny suit, having had misheard him saying, "Hip Hop Rabbit," when he meant "Hip Hop Rapper." Billy goes as Warwick the Warlock and humiliates B-dawg in the bunny outfit. Billy meets up with his friends and the Buddies and they go trick or treating.
Two punks Rodney and Skip, who had scared the class earlier on during the trip go to the mansion to explore. They witness the release of Warwick and the Halloween Hound and Warwick who step out of the mirror. Warwick thinking that Rodney and Skip released them turns them into rats after accusing them of stealing his staff. Warwick learns from his owl assistant, Hoot that his staff is in the hands of Billy. Warwick immediately sets off to search for his staff and spell book. When Warwick and the Halloween Hound leave the mansion, Pip can also leave too. Pip goes to search for the Buddies. The kid's teacher, Mrs. Carroll and her husband, Mr. Carroll dress up as Mr. and Mrs. Frankendude. Warwick is petrified by all the kids in their Halloween costumes and Pip disguises himself as a child ghost so he can move around more easily. The Buddies get terrified of Pip and causing them to get separated from their owners, but Pip is determined to convince the Buddies of the Halloween Hound and continues to pursue them.
The kids come across a house which Billy recognizes from a photo from Warwick's criminal files. Billy realizes that the house belongs to Mr. Johnston the gravedigger and is the little boy, Joseph Johnston who owned Pip the ghost puppy. When Mr. Johnston tries to warn Billy and the kids about the staff, but Billy is terrified and runs off. Meanwhile, the Buddies seek help from a gypsy puppy named Zelda but Pip finds the Buddies. Pip convinces Zelda and the Buddies to help him get back in his body. Zelda tells Pip that if he doesn't get back to his body by sunrise, he would be lost forever. Pip, Zelda and the Buddies go to Sniffer, Sheriff Dan's dog for help, only to be found by the Halloween Hound. While Pip, Zelda and the Buddies escape Sniffer confronts the Halloween Hound, only to have his soul sucked out. Warwick finally confronts the kids and demands Billy to give him back his staff, and Billy unintentionally releases magic from the staff knocking Warwick into a coffin. The kids escape as Warwick starts pursuing them.
Pip, Zelda and the Buddies arrive at the graveyard where they find Pip's body as a monument. Zelda starts chanting the spell to return Pip to his body, which successfully works. Pip, now as a normal dog again thanks the Buddies and runs off to celebrate. The Halloween Hound suddenly appears behind Zelda and the Buddies. Like Sniffer, Zelda confronts the Halloween Hound and her soul is also sucked out. The Halloween Hound then holds the Buddies hostage by taking them back to Warwick's mansion. Warwick uses Mr. Carroll to get his staff back but he ends up getting into the Halloween party where the costume competition is being held and wins. When Billy tries to convince Sheriff Dan that Warwick and the Halloween Hound have been released, Warwick interrupts by finally getting back his staff. He turns Sheriff Dan into a monkey which everyone thinks it's a magic act. The kids try to escape, but are cornered by Warwick who believes that they have his magic spell book. The kids are saved by Mr. Johnston who knocks out Warwick with his shovel. Mr. Johnston takes the kids to a chapel saying that dark magic cannot enter.
Warwick pursues the kids and Mr. Johnston and threatens the kids for the spell book using the Buddies. The Buddies are locked up in a cage with Hoot guarding them. Pip returns to the mansion and persuades Hoot that he can change and to free the Buddies. Hoot touched, unlocks the cage and lets the Buddies escape. The Halloween Hound returns and seeing Hoot's betrayal sucks out Hoot's soul as punishment. The Buddies and Pip are cornered by the Halloween Hound. Pip willingly sacrifices himself by telling the Halloween Hound that he took his brothers and sisters' souls and he was the only one left to complete the spell. The Halloween Hound sucks out Pip's soul. Rodney and Skip help the Buddies escape by opening a secret panel behind the fireplace which the Buddies run through. The Halloween Hound then goes to open the portal saying, "I'm not waiting for that idiotic Warwick any longer." The portal is opened and everyone in Fernfield falls under control.
Mr. Johnston and the kids return to the mansion with the spell book. Warwick uses his magic to paralyze Mr. Johnston and takes the spell book back, only to realize that it is actually the Bible. The Buddies hide in the kitchen where Budderball starts devouring pickled eyeballs. The Halloween Hound finds them and B-dawg comes up with a plan. Just when the Halloween Hound is about to suck out Budderball's soul, B-dawg signals Budderball who farts, releasing out gas, repelling the magic and causing the Halloween Hound to have his own soul sucked out. The kids and Mr. Johnston find Warwick paralyzed after opening the Bible and Billy takes Warwick's staff. Billy chants the reversing spell and manages to complete the chant just as the sun rises. Warwick tries to take Billy with him into the mirror, but Mr. Johnston grabs Warwick and shoves him into the mirror. When Alice worries about Warwick's return, Mr. Johnston takes the staff and breaks the jewel entwined in it. The mirror shatters to prevent Warwick from returning. Sniffer, Zelda, Hoot, Pip and Pip's brothers and sisters' souls return to their bodies. Sheriff Dan, Rodney and Skip are turned back into humans while the townspeople return to normal having no memory of being under control.
Mr. Johnston is reunited with Pip as well as the kids being reunited with the Buddies. The kids bid goodbye to Mr. Johnston who has located the owners of Pip's brothers and sisters and travels around America to return them. The Buddies bid farewell to Pip who thanks them for helping him defeat Warwick. The film ends with the kids waving goodbye to Mr. Johnston as he drives off with the caravan and the puppies.
Cast
- Harland Williams as Warwick the Warlock
- Rance Howard as Mr. Joseph Johnson
- Jennifer Elise Cox as Mr. Carroll
- Pat Finn as Mrs. Frankendude Carroll
- Michael Teigen as Sheriff Dan
- Elisa Donovan as Janice
- Sierra McCormick as Alice
- Skyler Gisondo as Billy
- Sage Ryan as Pete
- Jake Johnson as Sam
- Tucker Albrizzi as Bartleby
- Max Charles as young Joseph
- Dylan Sprayberry as Rodney
Voices
- Diedrich Bader as Hound
- Ryan Stiles as Hoot
- Debra Jo Rupp as Zelda
- Tim Conway as Deputy Sniffer
- Frankie Jonas as Pip
- G. Hannelius as Rosebud
- Ty Panitz as Mudbud
- Charles Henry Wyson as Buddha
- Nico Ghisi as Budderball
- Skyler Gisondo as B-Dawg