Clifford The Big Red Dog Movie Review : Fuzzy fun for puppy lovers

Clifford the Big Red Dog Story: A twelve-year-old girl adopts a little puppy only for him to grow enormous overnight.

Clifford the Big Red Dog Review: Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) has recently shifted to New York City with her mother, Maggie (Sienna Guillory). Emily struggles to fit in at her new school as her new classmates constantly bully her. When she needs to travel for work, Maggie leaves Emily with her lazy and careless brother Casey (Jack Whitehall). Casey and Emily come across an animal rescue tent where they meet a tiny red puppy. Emily wants to adopt him, but her uncle refuses since dogs are prohibited where they live. Somehow, the puppy ends up in Emily’s bag back home, and Casey reluctantly agrees to allow him to stay for a night. But those plans change when they wake up to find the puppy, named Clifford, has grown gigantic in size.

Live-action adaptations have been hit-or-miss, and the CGI behind Clifford is often the same. Some sequences stand out for looking unrealistic, but Clifford’s shenanigans are still largely (pun intended) delightful. The intelligent yet kind protagonist Emily is also instantly endearing thanks to Darby Camp’s performance. Uncle Casey has an American accent despite being played by British actor Jack Whitehall. It seems like an unnecessary choice, though it features an amusing moment with Casey that showcases how Whitehall’s antics are well-suited to the man-child role. Tony Hale hams it up as a somewhat pointless villain Tieran. After all, rearing a dog the size of an elephant in a metro like NYC is challenging enough. But Hale's inclusion as an antagonist leads to an adventurous and whacky last 15 minutes. Nevertheless, the climax and conclusion are optimistic enough to pardon most of the film’s misgivings.

From the outset, ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ intends on pulling the heartstrings of animal lovers and younger audiences. Based on the children’s book series of the same name, the film focuses on being an entertaining and sweet story, despite some silliness. Although the good-natured screenplay is quite plot-holed, its inherent message on the power of compassion and acceptance is still pertinent.