“Clifford The Big Red Dog,” the Scholastic children’s book character, has lived in tales for kids and various animated TV series, but Clifford is coming to the big screen for the first time in live-action this fall. Paramount Pictures is releasing the film on September 17.
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Why make a live-action “Clifford The Dog” movie now? Well, the story is timeless for children, and for director Walter Becker, it all began with reading the books to his daughters and forming a connection with the stories. Ideas grew from there.
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“I wanted to know the answer to several questions. How did Clifford get so big? How did he get so red? Who were his parents? Siblings? Why tell this story now in 2021?” Becker asked rhetorically in a quick email exchange with The Playlist. “We were able to meet Clifford’s mom and siblings in the film. We see that his siblings have a teeny bit of red in their color. But why now? In the DNA of the story and in the film’s world of NYC, some see this 10-foot RED puppy and immediately fall in love, while others’ reactions are driven by fear because he is different than what they know and is comfortable with. I hope by the end of the film, everyone in every family will come to know the Big Love of Clifford and the nature of his loyal and sweet character. It is subtle, in the DNA, as I said, but it will resonate, and hopefully, the audience will latch onto it and bring it into their hearts. All classic films have real spines in their storytelling, under the skin, but affecting nonetheless.”
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There’s an emotional quality to the storytelling and once of acceptance that resonated with the filmmaker too.
“All [my daughters] happily embraced that he was always accepting of Emily Elizabeth and loved her unconditionally. That made them feel safe and always loyal to their friends and family. He taught them to love Big,” Becker said.
Here’s the official synopsis:
When middle-schooler Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) meets a magical animal rescuer (John Cleese) who gifts her a little, red puppy, she never anticipated waking up to find a giant ten-foot hound in her small New York City apartment. While her single mom (Sienna Guillory) is away for business, Emily and her fun but impulsive uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) set out on an adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat as our heroes take a bite out of the Big Apple. Based on the beloved Scholastic book character, Clifford will teach the world how to love big!
Starring Jack Whitehall, Darby Camp, Tony Hale, Sienna Guillory, David Alan Grier, Russell Wong, and John Cleese, “Clifford The Big Red Dog” opens September 17. Watch the first trailer below.