Disney+ Adds Classic '90s Movie and Its Sequels

Disney+ is the streaming home for many big franchises including Star Wars, Marvel, and now, Air Bud. All five of the original Air Bud movies joined the Disney+ catalog on Oct. 1, and are available to stream now. For those planning a low-key family gathering, this could make a crowd-pleasing binge-watch.

Air Bud debuted in 1997 with poor reviews among critics and overwhelming love from fans. It stars Kevin Zegers as Josh, a young boy who is living in a new town after his father passes away and his mother relocates the family. While playing basketball on a secluded public court, Kevin befriends a runaway golden retriever named Buddy. The dog is surprisingly good at the game, and Josh learns that Buddy is fleeing an abusive owner. He takes the dog home, and it's not long before both Josh and Buddy are playing for the basketball team at school.

The outlandish story hinges on the technicality that there is no rule which specifically prohibits a dog from playing on a school sports team, but it doesn't end there. In Air Bud: Golden Receiver, Josh and Buddy discover a love of football and begin to play for the junior high team there. In Air Bud: World Pup, they play for the high school soccer team – even befriending a girl with a female golden retriever that is good at sports as well. In Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch they play baseball in college, and finally In Air Bud: Spikes Back, Buddy plays volleyball with Josh's younger sister Andrea – now played by Katija Pevec.

These movies came out between 1997 and 2003 with a gradually evolving creative team but a surprisingly stable cast. In addition to sports, Buddy helped stop criminals, fend off bullies and even helped Josh process the death of his father and his mother remarrying. Disney's press release made it clear that they are expecting nostalgia to fuel viewership of these films.

While the Air Bud series ends there, there are sequels that fans may want to seek out if they take the binge watch that far. There are seven movies in the Air Buddies series released from 2006 to 2013, all following the puppies of Buddy who now talk in voice-over. There are also two other movies in the Santa Paws series, considered a spinoff because they tie into the 2009 film Santa Buddies. Those came out in 2010 and 2012.

There are plenty of family movies to watch this holiday season, but the Air Bud series may provide a surprising amount of fun for nostalgic parents as well as their kids. All five films are streaming now on Disney+.