Clifford's Really Big Movie

Clifford's Really Big Movie
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert C. Ramirez
Screenplay by	Rhett Reese Robert C. Ramirez
Produced by	Deborah Forte
Starring	John Ritter Wayne Brady Grey DeLisle Jenna Elfman John Goodman Jess Harnell Kel Mitchell Judge Reinhold Cree Summer Wilmer Valderrama
Edited by	Monte Bramer
Music by	Jody Gray
Production companies	Scholastic Films Big Red Dog Productions Warner Bros. Family Entertainment
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	February 20, 2004 (2004-02-20)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$70,000
Box office	$3,255,426

Clifford's Really Big Movie is a 2004 American children's animated comedy film loosely based on the book series, Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell and more based on the classic PBS Kids TV series adapted from it. This film was directed by Robert C. Ramirez, produced by Scholastic Corporation's film division, Scholastic Films in association with Big Red Dog Productions, and originally released to theaters by Warner Bros. on February 20, 2004. This was John Ritter's final film role as he had died of aortic dissection on September 11, 2003, after completing voice work for the film as Clifford. The film was dedicated to his memory and also serves as the series finale to the show as no new episodes were produced to continue from where it had left off.

The film notably depicts characters with sclera, in contrast to the books and TV series, which portrayed every character except the giant Clifford with black bead eyes.

Plot

When Clifford, Emily Elizabeth, and their friends visit the fair, Clifford, Cleo, and T-Bone are amazed by a terrible animal act known as Larry's Amazing Animals, consisting of Shackleford the Ferret, Dorothy the Cow, Dirk the Dachshund, and Rodrigo the Chihuahua. After the show, Shackleford discovers that the only way for their performances to continue is to win a Tummy Yummies Animal Talent Contest, promising fame, fortune, and a lifetime supply of Tummy Yummies. Clifford and his friends come to collect their autographs, and Shackleford attempts to convince them to join, believing Clifford's appearance will help them improve, however, none of them agree because they would not want to leave their owners.

The next day, Clifford overhears the Howard's conversation with their neighbor. He mistakenly believes he's a financial burden on the family and decides to join the Amazing Animals, with T-Bone and Cleo joining him. After escaping a town afraid of Clifford, the group finds Larry's animals. Since Larry cannot accept animals with owners, they dispose their tags, claiming they're to trick dogcatchers. Clifford helps the others improve their acts and immediately becomes the star of the show, much to Shackleford's annoyance. Meanwhile, Emily Elizabeth searches for Clifford and finds out he ran away.

Larry's Amazing Animals finally receives entry for the Tummy Yummies contest, and Shackleford tells Clifford how much he despises him, causing him to get angry and leave, although Cleo and T-Bone convince him to return. Larry's Amazing Animals wins the contest, but the CEO of Tummy Yummies, George Wolfsbottom, steals Clifford for his spoiled daughter Madison.

At a hotel, Shackleford tries to get everyone to realize Clifford just wanted the Tummy Yummies, prompting a furiously disgusted Cleo to expose his true intentions. Shackleford realizes he was wrong about him and show the tags to Larry, and he contacts Emily Elizabeth. The animals break Clifford out of his cage, but T-Bone accidentally sets off the alarm. The group narrowly escape, but Emily Elizabeth arrives on time to claim Clifford before Wolfsbottom could get him. Clifford reconciles with Shackleford, and he, his friends, and Emily Elizabeth return to Birdwell Island.

Cast

• John Ritter as Clifford the Big Red Dog
• Wayne Brady as Shackelford the Ferret
• Grey DeLisle as Emily Elizabeth
• Jenna Elfman as Dorothy the Cow
• John Goodman as George Wolfsbottom
• Judge Reinhold as Larry Gablegobble
• Jess Harnell as Dirk the Dachshund
• Kel Mitchell as T-Bone
• Kath Soucie as Madison/Jetta
• Cree Summer as Cleo
• Wilmer Valderrama as Rodrigo the Chihuahua

Home media

The film was released on DVD and VHS on August 24, 2004.

Music

Songs

• "Until I Go" – Kyle Gordon
• "Party Time" – Jody Gray
• "I'm Not Scared Anymore" – Renee Cologne
• "You and Me" – Jody Gray
• "Big Time" – Jody Gray
• "Larry's Amazing Animals" – Jody Gray
• "Until I Go Reprise" – Laura Berman
• "Home Where I Belong" – Romaine Jones

Reception

Box-office reception

The film grossed around $3 million out of a $70,000 budget.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics, mainly due to the laziness of its plot, including a 53% rating from Rotten Tomatoes and a 49% rating from Metacritic.

External links

• Clifford's Really Big Movie at IMDb