Clifford's Really Big Movie

My 2-year old daughter loves watching Clifford on TV and when we showed her this movie she fell in love instantly. She loves dogs in general but the bright red fur of Clifford and the music make her happy and the lessons that Clifford and his friends teach make us happy. It's an adorable movie that anyone should show their preschooler. If you like Clifford or animated dogs, this movie should definitely be in your collection. There's comedy, thrills, and an infinite amount of fun in this movie. It is very child friendly, there are no uncomfortable scenes that could make a parent question the value of this movie and the lesson of not judging people based on looks is one of the unspoken central themes of both the show and the movie.

I had this movie on DVD for so many years now but until it stopped working. I really glad i watched this movie i had such good memories of still having it. Clifford Runs away from Emily to help join a Circus with Larry and his animals. Cleo and T-Bone join him. But It was emotional towards the End it says This is for John. that was so Sad honestly knowing He was Clifford's voice actor.

Clifford and Emily Elizabeth! Forever! ♥♥

After Norman Bridwell's books and the PBS TV series came this movie about a huge red canine. As in the TV series, animals communicate with each other but humans can't understand them (though the animals can understand human speech, as when Clifford overhears the next door neighbor asking Emily Elizabeth's family why they were spending so much money on dog food). Here, Clifford and his dog pals T-Bone and Cleo decide to join a traveling carnival show of "Larry's Amazing Animals". Clifford feels bad that his family does have to spend so much money on food for him, so he runs away from home.

First when Clifford and pals arrive in the big city, they cause a panic as he strides down the streets. But he finds the carnival and they go across country to compete in a contest for a lifetime supply of food; as it turns out, a dogfood bigwig really wants Clifford to be a big pet for his daughter.

As the film moves on, Clifford is torn between continuing with the Amazing Animals or returning to Emily Elizabeth. Other than a jealous ferret named Shackleford, the animals take a liking to the huge pooch. He has to decide whether to seek fame and food, or return to the family that loves him. But Larry's Amazing Animals are a bit of a family, too.

The characters here seem more rounded and real than their flat TV counterparts. Bright colors, good use of light and shadow, and fun characters. Even an adult like me (admittedly a fan of cartoons and "giant and tiny" animals) appreciated this film. Young kids should enjoy it mostly, and it has some good positive messages.

I took my 4 year old daughter to see Clifford. She loved it. I would recommend the film to anyone with pre-school children. No scary parts, kept her attention, nothing offensive. When we got home all she wanted to do was play her Clifford game on the computer.

Older children would be bored (obviously). I take my kids to see movies about once a month, and there are times that I am uncomfortable with the content of the film. So often any more the movies are marketed towards kids of all age groups and contain bathroom humor and suggestive material. Clifford's Really Big Movie was marketed properly and the delivered product was predictable. I felt it was well worth the money and will purchase the DVD when it is released.

I got a lump in my throat after the last scene. The words "For John".

I liked the movie, and so did my 2.5 year old son. It was his first movie and managed to hold his attention for the entire time. He's been talking about it ever since. A caveat though, we're both Clifford fans to begin with.

The movie is near perfect for its target audience of preschoolers. There are no scary parts, the story is linear and clear, there's no violence, and it has a happy ending. The plot lacks the complexity of many other of the animated movies marketed toward older children. It is straightforward story with little development of the character's motivation except for a few key things important to the story. The main characters are consistent and entertaining, and the Big Red Dog is well presented in proportion to the rest of the normal sized world. Some of the most comical sequences are when those unfamiliar with Clifford see him for the first time. Kids seem to love the idea of a HUGE friendly dog, and it's played up to good effect in the film.

The basic story is classic Clifford. He means well and is trying to do the right thing, but his efforts don't always work out as planned. Except for Clifford's family and friends, not everybody understands that Clifford's heart is as big as the rest of him. Clifford's size is as much a hinderance as an asset, but in the end people love him because he's a great dog, and not just big.

For those that that have seen the TV show and/or videos, the movie plays like an extended episode of the show. Same characters (Many of the minor ones don't get a part in the movie), mostly the same voices, and the same look and feel, though the animation is of a higher quality than on the show. There's even some attempt at 3-D animation going on, although the backgrounds are for the most part flat. The soundtrack is better than the show too :). Characters are consistent from the movie to the show, and a several of the running gags from the show are incorporated into the movie.

Whoever made this movie took the best of the show and successfully turned it into a feature length film.

The movie is dedicated to John Ritter, and I believe it is the last film he did.