The ‘Air Bud Returns’ Team Hits AFM With Reenergized International Sales and More Family-Friendly Canine Adventures (EXCLUSIVE)

Family friendly franchise “Air Bud” returns to theaters in January with “Air Bud Returns,” while the team behind the hit canine adventures is bringing international sales and licensing back in-house after 15 years of major studio partnerships across more than 22 films and four series with Disney and Netflix.

The team will be at AFM with “Air Bud Returns,” “Air Bud Origins,” the live action “Air Buddy: Dream Team” series and international licensing opportunities across the Air Bud Entertainment library.

“‘Air Bud Returns’ is an all-new theatrical movie that launches Air Bud into the third chapter of the beloved franchise,” said Robert Vince, CEO and founder of Air Bud Entertainment and writer/director/producer of “Air Bud Returns.” “It all began with an independent movie acquired by Disney for theatrical distribution, followed by four ‘Air Bud’ sequels and the nine-film ‘Air Buddies’ franchise. We have a track record of creating, reimagining and launching franchises and we are looking for international partners who want to build the next chapter with us.”

Vince noted that “we were in international sales until 2018, 2019. Because a lot of people don’t realize that even the original ‘Air Bud’ movies, all of them were independent movies that we licensed to Disney for the U.S.,” said Vince, adding that “we only ever sold our own the films that we created, so we’re pretty much specialists in family film.”

He saw that this was a good time to get back in the “Air Bud” business. “I saw a unique opportunity in that the landscape has changed dramatically. So now you can go worldwide transactionally at the same time. You can in multiple languages. You can have SVOD players take SVOD, and then so it leaves you in this unique position where you can go to all the best buyers in all the best countries and say, ‘Look, we love to be partners with you.’ … And then our alternative is to go directly transactionally, directly SVOD. So what’s been great about that is we can kind of approach the people that we want to be in business with, and really forge these new partnerships because the studios are really not, including Disney, not really focusing on family.”

He’s very excited about the future for Air Bud Entertainment, given it’s well-known IP: “In our case a very large paw print. We have the ‘Air Bud’ franchise, which we own, and all the IP and all the new movie and a 22-movie library with all like-minded content that we created. So it’s all from the same creators and feels the same,” Vince says.

He said that they are working on deals with Latin American and Spain, and has partnered with Cineverse in the U.S. and Elevation in Canada. Vince expects to announce more partners soon.

“Air Bud Returns” is not a sequel, but a reimagining, with “all new characters other than, of course, Air Bud himself,” notes Vince.