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.

This movie sent my child to hospital. He is 19 and after watching this movie, he couldn't sleep for weeks, until we finally sent him to a therapist who drugged him and sent him away. This film is NOT FOR CHILDREN!!! It should be rated 15, or even more! The plot is OK, the acting was awful, and the Halloween Hound was far too scary. We are a very religious family and the thought of talking animals coming back from the dead, shocked me. This film is part of the Illuminati. I am very disappointed Disney!! This movie is shockingly awful! do not watch. The only reason I have gave it one star is because the acting from those dogs was excellent, I didn't know animals could talk?? Who knew?!

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 do not recommend this movie for children who have not been desensitized to evil witchcraft. References to evil spirits, the underworld, and black magic abound. The Halloween Hound has yellow glowing eyes and *minor spoiler* breathes out black smoke that turns animals to stone. He also "eats" the puppies' "souls". This is necessary to *spoiler* "open a porthole" that will unleash evil spirits into our world and give the evil warlock Warwick (Harland Williams) control of the world.There are, interestingly enough, two references to Christianity in the film. *Spoilers* One where the people are safe from evil in "the House of God" (a church), and another where reading words from the Bible thwarts evil. As a Christian, these references did not at all make up for the unnecessary exposure to evil and witchcraft. In my opinion, children DO NOT need this!We are fans of the "Buddies" movies, but NOT this one. My 8 and 10 year old hated this movie. They were both awake most of the night because of it. If you do not like the first 5 minutes of this movie, turn it off! It doesn't get any better.