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How Aaron Mendelsohn Turned Air Bud Into a Disney Box Office Hit

  • Writer: Bonnie Adams
    Bonnie Adams
  • Jul 1
  • 4 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Aaron Mendelsohn with Air Bud at the World Premiere of AIR BUD
Aaron Mendelsohn with Air Bud at the World Premiere of AIR BUD
1.  I just finished watching the first Air Bud movie.   People were texting and calling me, yet I couldn't pull myself away from Air Bud.   The film was totally engrossing, pulled at my heartstrings, and made me laugh out loud.  That's the true test of a film to be relevant decades later. How did this opportunity land at your feet at such a young age?

Glad you liked the movie!  I’m so happy AIR BUD has continued to find audiences 28 years after it came out in the summer of 1997.  It was very fortuitous how I came across this opportunity. My writing partner at the time, Paul Tamasy, and I were still making our bones (no pun intended) as young screenwriters in Hollywood, and we were introduced to Buddy by our agent at the time, Barry Perelman, who had recently signed the dog.  Buddy had been dazzling crowds with his basket-shooting antics at NBA halftime shows and was David Letterman’s favorite Stupid Pet Trick at the time.  Barry encouraged us to write a spec script about “Air Bud” (his professional name), and we saw the potential for a great boy-and-dog story.  Everyone passed on the script except a small Canadian company called Keystone Pictures, who made the movie for $4M in the summer of 1996.  Disney picked the film up for distribution and the rest is history.

Aaron Mendelsohn directing CHAPTER ZERO
Aaron Mendelsohn directing CHAPTER ZERO
2.  You and Paul Tamasy must have had so much fun inventing crazy feats for Air Bud to do and make it believable.  How did you take what was basically a gimmick and turn it into a story that was so fun and comedic and emotional?

We didn’t want the film to rest solely on Buddy’s basketball skills – it would’ve felt too much like a one trick pony (puppy?).  We wanted AIR BUD to pay homage to classic dog movies like OLD YELLER and BENJI, and so we gave Buddy a whole range of off-court abilities as well.  We also chose to lean heavily into the friendship between Buddy and Josh.  A film about a basketball-playing dog could only work if the audience became totally invested in that relationship.


3.  For years our audiences have wanted comedies, love original stories and shun violence, yet, there are numerous grim series and movies.   What do you predict for the future?

My prediction is, in response to these increasingly polarizing times, we will see an increase in two kinds of series and movies: those that reflect our grim reality and those that let us escape it.  So there will be plenty of comedies and love stories on the horizon!


4.  What's going on in your mind?   Are you constantly writing scripts in your head?   How do you get clarity and start to write?   Many have incredible personal stories that should be made into a film, but it's difficult emotionally to begin their dream blockbuster.

I am blessed (cursed?) with a curious mind that sees stories wherever I go and whenever I allow my mind to wander.  The ideas that stick with me and start to write themselves in my head tend to be the ones that I pay most attention to.  Out of those, I choose the one that a) I want to spend the next six months living with and b) my agent thinks he can sell.  It’s good to put on both your imaginative and pragmatic hats when thinking of what to write next.


5.  Before I met you, I had been working on the film HEATHERS for a month as a photo double, stand-in and background actor. I noticed you on the set when you had a speaking role as “Nerd in Pauline’s Class."  Later we met by chance in Westwood because I recognized you out of your "character clothes and glasses" which was pretty remarkable considering the contrast.  That friendship ultimately led to you meeting acquaintances of mine that produced your directorial debut.   The moral of this story is be brave and say hello? 
Aaron Medelsohn as "Nerd in Pauline's Class" in HEATHERS from New World Pictures
Aaron Medelsohn as "Nerd in Pauline's Class" in HEATHERS from New World Pictures

Who knew that one day on the set of HEATHERS would lead to a life long friendship and a dream directing gig (my film CHAPTER ZERO – catch it on Tubi!).  It definitely pays to get out of your comfort zone once in awhile and take a chance.  It might lead to nothing, it might lead to a cherished friendship or a life-changing opportunity, but either way it’s better than sitting on your hands.  Life yields dividends when it’s leaned into.  So next time you meet an animal with a unique sporting skill, write the script!

Aaron Mendelsohn at the Writers Guild of America West
Aaron Mendelsohn at the Writers Guild of America West

Aaron Mendelsohn has been a professional writer for over 30 years.  Best known for co-creating and co-writing Disney’s AIR BUD family film franchise, Aaron has worked in all aspects of film, television and digital and recently served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Writers Guild of America West.


Aaron’s credits in film and television include THE 12 DATES OF CHRISTMAS (Disney), LIKE CATS & DOGS (Hallmark), ESME & ROY (HBO), CHANGE OF HEART (Lifetime), KINDRED: THE EMBRACED (Fox) and CHAPTER ZERO, an independent feature that Aaron wrote and shot in South Florida.  Aaron has also written projects for Warner Bros, New Line, Sony Television, Showtime, Paramount TV, New Regency, Spike TV, the Disney Channel, the Cartoon Network, ITV America, Lightstorm, Arnold Kopelson and others.


In addition to his writing, Aaron is a Senior Lecturer and Professor of Screenwriting at Loyola-Marymount University.  Aaron has led screenwriting workshops and seminars around the world and wrote a book, The 11 Fundamental Questions: A Guide to a Better Screenplay, about his successful story-breaking technique. 


Before being elected Secretary-Treasurer of the WGAW in 2015 and re-elected in 2017, Aaron served five terms on the WGAW Board of Directors.  He also served on the WGA National Council.  He is represented by Paul Weitzman at the Culture Creative Agency.

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