The Search for Santa Paws

The Search for Santa Paws is a 2010 direct to video film. The movie is a prequel to Santa Buddies, as well as a spin-off from the Air Buddies film franchise and the tenth film in the Air Bud franchise. It was released on November 23, 2010.

Plot
When Santa Claus (Richard Riehle) travels to New York City and gets hit by a cab, loses his memory and gets the crystal that keeps him eternal stolen, it's up to his new friend, his puppy named Paws (Zachary Gordon) to save him. Meanwhile, a young orphan named Quinn (Kaitlyn Maher) arrives at a foster home run by a strict and no-nonsense woman named Ms. Stout (Wendi McLendon-Covey) who forbids anything that children love: toys, Christmas decorations, singing, even pets. She has a furnace that burns all the toys she confiscates from the girls. Despite the harsh rules she has to follow while staying at the foster home, Quinn eventually befriends the girls, including Janie (G. Hannelius) and Willamina "Will" (Madison Pettis). In order to save Christmas, Eli (Danny Woodburn) and Eddy (Richard Kind)the uncanny elf dog have to go to New York City to save Santa and Paws. But when Santa (Bud) is in the hospital, it takes the help of Quinn and Will to save Santa. When Kate and James take Bud from the hospital, Paws tells Eli to put his crystal next to Santa, he wakes up to find that Paws is a stuffed animal. They rush back to the North Pole and Paws turns into a full-grown dog named Santa Paws (Mitchel Musso) and Christmas is back on. Ms. Stout is fired from her job taking care of the orphan girls at the foster home, much to the excitement of the girls, and Will and Quinn are both adopted to James and Kate Hucklebuckle. Also at the foster home, Mrs. Gibson and the orphans welcome Augustus because he brought a lot of money for them.

Cast

 * Kaitlyn Maher as Quinn, the young orphan. She finds Paws in the alley behind the foster home.
 * Zachary Gordon as Puppy Paws and Mitchel Musso as Santa Paws, the Great Pyrenees who only people who believe in Christmas can understand what he's saying. He is a stuffed animal when the crystal on his neck is removed.
 * Madison Pettis as Willamina (Will for short), the oldest girl out of all the orphans. She doesn't believe in Christmas until she is stuck in the basement with Paws.
 * Richard Kind as Eddy, an elf Jack Russell Terrier who is happy-go-lucky.
 * Jason Connery as Haggis, a Scottish Terrier who's always ready to take action.
 * Christopher Massey as Rasta, a reggae Puli who is laidback and easygoing.
 * Josh Flitter as T-Money, a streetwise hip-hop Bulldog who is super cool.
 * Wendi McLendon-Covey as Ms. Stout, the no-nonsense headmistress of the girls home who finds Christmas, toys and anything that children love irritating. She is later fired from her job for the cruel treatment she has inflicted on the girls.
 * G. Hannelius as Janie, an orphan who is best friends with Will.
 * Michelle Creber as Taylor, an orphan.
 * Melody B. Choi as Mary, an orphan.
 * Nicole Leduc as Meg, an orphan.
 * John Ducey as James Hucklebuckle, husband of Kate Hucklebuckle.
 * Bonnie Somerville as Kate Hucklebuckle, wife of James Hucklebuckle.
 * Richard Riehle as Santa Claus.
 * Patrika Darbo as Mrs. Claus
 * Danny Woodburn as Eli Elf, Santa's head elf.
 * Pete Gradner as T-Franklin, an dogcatcher.

Sequel
A sequel, Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups was on November 20, 2012.