Clifford's Really Big Movie

I can say that without a doubt that Clifford is one of the the most memorable children's animated TV series ever known, outside its spin-offs and book series. I wouldn't say for sure that I am an avid watcher of the series or even a supporter of the franchise since its aimed mostly for anyone under the age of 7. When it comes to this theatrical release that's a series finale however, you see a more 10 to 13 year old feeling to it since it seems to be something that only some kids at that age can take. But anyway, looking into the film itself, will it make us love the giant red dog even more or has John Ritter left behind an embarrassment after his death? Let's find out.

The Story: The way to describe the story is that it seems pretty weak. It's about Clifford, T-Bone, and Cleo joining a group of carnival-like animals to get a big batch of Tummy Yummies so that Clifford's owner, Emily-Elizabeth won't have to worry about getting rid of him due to the fact that he's, well, gigantic. It actually feels more like an hour-long episode of the tv-show, except with more scenery. Oh, and let me just tell you, the entire plot is forced because Clifford overheard his owner's neighbor, Mr. Bleackman, say that Clifford is a potential problem on their finance and this worries Clifford to the point of joining the animals. I will give the movie credit though for having some of depth and heart whether it be about the relationship between Clifford and Shackelford due to the latter's jealousy between the former, and how Clifford is willing to do what he can for his family, along with the fact that he and his friends meet the carnival animals before the adventure even begins. That is admirable, but I wouldn't say that it saves the movie from having a forced plot.

The Animation: What the movie lacks in a wholeheartred story, it really makes up for in it's great animation. For starters, the characters here look more fluid and flash-animated, along with the fact that every character has white sclera in there eyes like Clifford has instead of black dots. It really shows that the animators really put effort into this so that it can feel like an entire movie. The background animation here looks kind of CGI, but hey, I think that's something a lot of animators want to do for a film based on an animated tv series. As for the character animation, I will admit that it stays true to how the tv series showed it and I got to say, this is a huge improvement for it since the characters here are a lot more interesting to look at. I can even say that this is animation fit for a movie; especially one that is based on an animated tv show and make it feel like a film that even anyone ten years old can watch.

The Characters: Let me just say here that the characters here won't offer a lot in terms of who they are. Starting things off with Clifford, needless to say, his personality hasn't changed much as it was on the show. He's still the same kind-hearted big fella who just wants to do what's right and that disappointingly makes him seem like a one-dimensional character. But even with that generic personality, it doesn't mean he isn't enjoyable. Heck, whenever he's on screen, it just feels like you can't get enough of that. There's Clifford's friends, the lovable and goofy T-Bone and the sassy and tomboyish Cleo, who are just Clifford's sidekicks in general who support him, but they both have some moments where they play a part in the story. Well; Cleo does more than T-Bone, but I digress. Emily Elizabeth and her family are unfortunately glossed over in the movie to have more screen-time for Clifford, his friends, and the carnival animals, so we don't get to see more of a character development onto her, but she is still a likable character due to her devotion to Clifford. When we look at the new characters, I don't think they're much better than the main ones. The only one who has somewhat of a prominent role is the ferret Shackelford, who is the de facto leader of the carnival animals, as he is at first elated that Clifford is joining his group,but gets jealous when Clifford begins to get all of the attention. It makes him somewhat of an hate-able character, but he eventually sees the light in his errors; and to be honest, this makes him feel like a generic trope where a guy is jealous of another but soon learns to put that aside for the greater good. The carnival animals offer little-to-know personality than with Dorothy the Cow as the only female, Rodrigo the Chihuahua who adds in charisma, and Dirk the Wiener Dog who's personality can be compared to, say, Smoove Move from Turbo. The same can be said for the new human characters, like George Wolfsbottom, who is just a generic greedy villain, his spoiled daughter Madison who is kind of both enjoyable and bothersome, and Larry the owner/ringleader of the carnival animals who is a more enjoyable character, but not so much. Both the main, new, and recurring characters here have something to offer, but I wouldn't call it something that you have to go see right away.

Whether you love it or hate it, this definitely belongs in the same category as the kids cartoon show. Clifford's Really Big Movie is just your regular generic kids film complete with a forced plot and one-dimensional characters. The only good thing I have to say about it is that its animation here has taken a step up. But other than that, I have nothing else to say about. And that is why, and I apologize to every Clifford fan out there, but I am giving this movie the AniMat Seal of Garbage because the tone of this movie is completely hammering down the fact that it's for someone who is either seven years old or under. But if you really like Clifford so much, than who am I to deprive you of something that is to your interest. But if you are a kid who's listening, you'll probably understand what I am talking about once you get older.

Story: 4/10

Animation: 7/10

Characters: 4/10

Score: 4/10