Treasure Buddies

Treasure Buddies is a 2012 Disney direct-to-DVD family film, directed by Robert Vince and produced by Anna McRoberts. It is the 6th installment in the Air Buddies franchise. The Buddies head to the ruins of Ancient Egypt, where, with the help of a monkey named Babi and a camel named Cammy, explore tombs, escape booby traps, and race against a Sphynx cat named Ubasti in search of treasure. The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on DVD, Blu-ray, and as a film download on January 31, 2012.

Plot
The film opens with a pickpocketing monkey named Babi who tells his nephew, Babu how he met the Buddies. The Buddies' great-grandfather, Digger was the partner of an archaeologist, Thomas Howard, who retrieved one half of a dial which would lead to Queen Cleocatra's tomb. He never found the other half and retired. The scene then switches to present Fernfield where Thomas is giving his grandson, Peter a tour of the Egyptian exhibit. The Buddies, Budderball, B-Dawg, Buddha, Mudbud and Rosebud are also at the exhibit. Peter stays behind with his grandfather who gives Mudbud, Digger's bandanna. A British archaeologist, Phillip Wellington along with his cat Ubasti meets Thomas in his office and reveals to have the other half of the dial, and insists on bringing him and Peter along for the ride, but refuses to bring along Mudbud due to certain allergies. Fortunately, Mudbud and the other Buddies stowaway in Phillip's DC-3 Douglas airliner via a box of TNT.

Thomas, Peter, and the Buddies enter the town of Bastati in a truck. Budderball farts after eating some TNT and Seti and Tarik run away frantically, afraid that it might explode. While exploring the marketplace, Peter meets a native girl named Farah. When he introduces himself, Farah does not understand him but it is revealed that she does know and speak English when she tells him that he called her a cucumber when Peter tried to speak Arabic. The Buddies split up to find Thomas and Peter. A woman at the marketplace gives Rosebud a veil and Budderball is given a kebab. Babi steals the kebab from Budderball and he is caught taking it away. He tells them that he was just trying to take it out of the fear that might choke on the bones. Babi agrees to help find Thomas and Peter and gives Budderball a fez and the Buddies a place to sleep in a warehouse stable.

A stolen Camel named Cammy is sent in by a camel thief and the Buddies ask Cammy why she is sent there. She explains that she was stolen by a group of thieves and sent to the town to be sold to the local tribesmen. They agree to help her find her Bedouin tribe. Meanwhile, Babi spies on Thomas, Peter, and Philip trying to solve the riddles and puzzles in order to find the lost tomb of Cleocatra. Thomas connects two halves together and puts them in the hole, causing the tip of the obelisk to rotate facing the moon and the light of the moon to light the way. Babi tells the Buddies that they are heading to the oasis. In the morning, Babi rips off a hose from their truck to delay Phillip from heading there first. As they leave, Cammy spits regurgitated food at the thieves and they start leaving for the oasis. Babi hitches a ride on the truck to the desert.

At the oasis, Thomas tells the story of Cleocatra, the cat god Bastet gave a special necklace called "The Cat's Eye Necklace" to Cleopatra the ruler of Egypt. Her cat Cleocatra was angry that Bastet gave the necklace to a human, so she decided to steal the necklace. A puppy named Buddasi saw Cleocatra, so he informed Cleopatra what was going on. Cleopatra was very enraged at her trusted cat, so she decided to use the necklace to make dogs man's best friend, and cats were banished from the palace. Peter thanks Thomas for bringing him on the adventure. Meanwhile, the Buddies realized that fate sent them on the adventure and journeys have deeper meanings as they go to sleep. In the morning, Farah surprises Peter by hiding behind a well, and Amir asks Peter if Thomas knows him well. He says that he met him a few days ago and Amir tells Peter to tell Thomas that he should not be trusted.

In the morning, they start looking for clues. They brush off sand revealing the Cat's Eye symbol. Babi spies on them opening the door into the well. Inside, they wipe off a symbol of royalty and the menet. Meanwhile, Babi slashes a hole in their tire with a knife to delay them more. Ubasti catches Babi and he runs away. The Bedouins start leaving the oasis. Budderball starts hallucinating from dehydration that a picnic is there and starts rolling on the sand. Budderball spots an oasis and start heading there for water. They find the stairway entrance to the well and start splashing around. As they come out, dates start falling on them, they realize Babi is shaking the tree and they are glad to see him. Mudbud asks where Thomas and Pete are located and says they are on the way to the oasis. Phillip's car suddenly stops and he blames Seti and Tarik on the flat tire. Meanwhile, the Buddies make it to the Bedouins and Cammy is reunited with her mother Mala. At night they watch the tribe dance and eat a feast.

At night Peter overhears Phillip talking about getting rid of Thomas and him so that the treasure will be theirs. Remembering what Amir said about Phillip, he races to the tent and wakes up Thomas and tells him about Phillip. Phillip comes into the tent saying that Thomas will do whatever he says and Thomas says that he is done helping him. In the morning, the tribe crafts a hot air balloon in order so they can find Thomas and Peter. Peter spots the balloon but Thomas keeps Phillip from discovering by saying that there are no baboons in the desert. The Buddies and Babi attempt to land in the desert and land on a sand dune, falling in fast motion into the sand. They enter the temple and make it in time to escape a sandstorm. They meet a cobra named Slither, who guards Cleopatra's tomb. If Slither hypnotizes Buddha, they become his supper, if Buddha hypnotizes Slither, he is considered a descendant of Buddasi and can pass to the tomb. Buddha passes his test and Slither lights the way to the tomb.

Phillip, Thomas, Peter, Seti, and Tarik make it to the tomb while the Buddies and Babi are inside the tomb facing booby traps and challenges including a giant game of senet and a quicksand trap. Ubasti finds out that the Buddies are already there and chases after them. B-Dawg is saved from the pit of snakes at the giant game of senet but Seti is eaten by the snakes in the pit. The Buddies make it into the tomb, B-Dawg starts wearing the Cat's Eye Necklace and starts acting like a cat. The statues start to come to life and Ubasti commands the cats to chase the Buddies. Two of the cats fall into the pit of snakes and another two Budderball traps in the scarab beetle chamber. The last group of cats are eaten by Slither.

Phillip, Thomas, and Peter make it to the tomb chamber and Ubasti scratches Phillip's face because she didn't want Phillip to take it. She puts on the Cat's Eye Necklace, and becomes ruler of the cats only to be turned into stone by the tomb because of a curse that any cat that wanted power would gain everlasting life in the form of a statue. A door opens with riches inside and Phillip decides to steal it. Phillip then challenges Thomas to a fierce duel. Phillip is about to win when Peter knocks him out with a shield. Phillip regains consciousness and escapes with the Cat's Eye Necklace and is chased by the Buddies. Babi gets on Phillip's head and bangs a pot on his head multiple times, making Phillip drop the Cat's Eye Necklace. Cammy spits at Phillip's face and is captured by the Bedouins, tied to a camel and (per request) is placed under the custody of the British embassy. At a dance in Bastati, Amir congratulates Thomas and Peter for helping to find the Cat's Eye Necklace while Farah shows Peter some of the moves the dancers make. At the museum opening, Thomas and Peter are declared national heroes along with the Buddies, and Amir and Farah clap for them at the grand opening. The collar is put on permanent display in the museum in Fernfield. Babu believes him to have exaggerated the story but Babi smiles and takes out Cleocatra's collar from a mummy coffin behind him, revealing he stole it from the Fernfield museum.

Cast
Richard Riehle as Thomas Howard
Edward Herrmann as Phillip Wellington
Mason Cook as Pete
Adam Alexi-Malle as Amir Sabbagh
Mo Gallini as Tarik
Christopher Maleki as Seti
Ranya Jaber as Farah
Anna Primiani as Cleopatra

Voice cast
Skyler Gisondo as B-Dawg
Charles Henry Wyson as Buddha
Ty Panitz as Mudbud
Tucker Albrizzi as Budderball
Genevieve Hannelius as Rosebud
Maulik Pancholy as Babi, a mischievous pick-pocketing capuchin monkey. He helps the Buddies look for Cammy's parents.
Kaitlyn Maher as Cammy, a baby dromedary camel. She goes with the Buddies in order to look for her parents.
Elaine Hendrix as Ubasti, the primary antagonist. She is a Sphynx cat.
Bonnie Somerville as Mala, a dromedary and Cammy's mother.
Ryan Stiles as Slither, a mystical cobra.
Tim Conway as Deputy Sniffer
Aidan Gemme as Babu

Release

Home media
Treasure Buddies was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and as a film download on January 31, 2012. The physical release was produced in 2 different packages: A 2-disc Blu-ray / DVD combo pack and a 1-disc DVD. The movie download was produced in both standard and high definition. Bonus features for the release included "DIGS: B-Dawg Edition" and a music video for "Roam."

References

External links

Category:2012 films
Category:2012 direct-to-video films
Category:American comedy films
Category:American films
Category:Disney direct-to-video films
Category:American children's films
Category:Films set in Egypt
Category:Films directed by Robert Vince
Category:Films featuring anthropomorphic characters
Category:Air Bud (series)