Since 1963, children and parents have been enjoying the adventures of Clifford the Big Red Dog. For over half a century, Clifford has appeared in seventy-five books, three TV series, a handful of videogames, an animated feature, and now a live-action movie. He has also been a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.
The film stars Darby Camp (Haley Smith in NOS4A2, Kate Pierce in The Christmas Chronicles) as Emily Elizabeth and British comedian Jack Whitehall (Alfie in Bad Education, McGregor Houghton in Disney’s Jungle Cruise) as her Uncle Casey. Clifford himself is presented through CGI and voiced by David Alan Grier (Jim Fields in the Bewitched reboot movie, David Bellows in Life with Bonnie).
Other notable cast members include Tovah Feldshuh as Mrs. Crullerman (Aunt Z in Star Wars Resistance, Golda Meir in Golda’s Balcony) and John Cleese (of Monty Python fame) as Mr. Bridwell. (Norman Bridwell is the author of the Clifford books.)
The magic of love
Clifford starts out a teeny little puppy, but thanks to Emily Elizabeth’s love, he grows.
“You may not believe it, but there is magic all around us. There are times it can be hard to find, but sometimes the magic finds us.” Love, as we all know, is the most powerful magic of all.
For whom is this movie intended?
More than 70 Clifford books have been published since the original first hit bookstores in 1963 . There are more than 129 million copies in print in 13 different languages. Because of this, producers are hoping the movie will do well worldwide, not just in the USA.
Clifford’s immense size causes problems. Some of these problems are hilarious, some disastrous. He sits on the vet’s scale and breaks it. He causes traffic jams by distracting drivers and bicyclists. On a romp in the park, he decides to fetch a giant hamster ball with a man inside it. In the books, his food bill was a constant problem for Emily Elizabeth’s family.
Although the books are intended for children ages two to seven, the movie is rated PG. The target audience would appear to be not children now, but adults who read the books when they were growing up. What do you think of the trailer? Are you planning to see the movie when it comes out Friday, September 17, 2021? Share your opinion with us in the Comments section below. We always want to hear from you.
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
