sporeviews I WAS going to be nice to this movie, since it just looked like your typical talking dog movie, and it didn't look all THAT stupid at first. But then it just goes right up the deep end into total GARBAGE. The villain is an idiot, the hound's means and methods don't make any sense, the acting is terrible, the decent animation is sadly overlooked, the story is full of cliches and contrivances, and seriously, the Halloween hound is defeated by a FART!?I don't care if this is a direct-to-DVD talking dog movie, I expected BETTER from you, DISNEY. I expected a LOT better.

TOMASBBloodhound 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.

imadisneygal I have seen all of the other movies in the "Buddies" series and I have never before noticed an overt Christian theme. This movie actively promotes Christianity and I do not appreciate it. I do not look to children's movies to educate my children about religion and I certainly do not need it pushed on them under the guise of entertainment. The movie does have some funny moments in it and overall it's the same type of jokes we have come to expect from the "Buddies" franchise. I am hopeful that the movie makers will be more mindful in the future that not all of their movie watchers are Christian nor do we want our children to be exposed to religion in the context of a children's movie. We will not be watching this movie again.

swedish_chef_dave 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.