Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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Directed by: Walt Becker
Written by: Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Blaise Hemingway
Starring: Jack Whitehall, Darby Camp, Tony Hale, Sienna Guillory, Russell Wong, John Cleese
Runtime: 97 min
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!
Viewers all around the world share preconceived notions - mostly dated or plainly wrong - about filmmaking and its genres, including some critics. One of the most annoying, frustrating ones is the famously atrocious argument "animated films are for children". Despite not having the word "exclusively" in there, people make sure it's implied when they apply this particular comment to defend their opinion. I heavily go against this incredibly deceiving idea, but there are indeed movies - animated or not - that hardly work for anyone other than kids. Clifford the Big Red Dog is a live-action adaptation of the popular children's book series of the same name, which has already been transcribed to film and television before.
This 2021 version of the well-known animal caught a viral wave of polar opposite opinions once the first teaser/trailer came out. It was almost impossible to avoid the massive elephant - in this case, dog - in the room. Clifford is basically transformed into a giant CGI dog that didn't look that good in the trailers - and I'm being nice. Another common behavior that viewers have is to judge a movie by its marketing, with some people even creating a firm opinion about if they like the film or not before seeing it. This inevitably induces them to follow that pre-defined mentality, even if the movie isn't nowhere near what they expected it to be. The vast majority of viewers hate feeling contradicted since changing opinions through time is often seen as some sort of weakness.
However, this time, the trailers didn't lie, but not for the reasons some might think. CGI Clifford isn't a case of bad visual effects or animation. Corridor Crew explained it in their channel, and I agree that this is a problem of the world the dog is inserted in. The CGI itself might look sketchy when Clifford is still a puppy, but his dinosaur transformation looks surprisingly good. Unfortunately, since everything around him appears to be real people and sets, Clifford stands out in an unpleasant manner. Of course, there are some emotional moments with Emily that will touch the audience's heart, especially if you're a dog lover like me.
But sadly, there's an overall falseness to almost every element of the film. From the extremely over-the-top story and childish dialogues to the incredibly forced inspirational messages, Clifford the Big Red Dog is the pure definition of a "kids movie". Children will love it - as they do with almost everything - but adults will struggle to find enjoyment in such an unrealistic world - to be clear, I'm not addressing the CGI. Depending on the viewer's mood and expectations, it might get a few chuckles throughout the runtime due to its admittedly humorous storytelling. Jack Whitehall (Jungle Cruise) is rather amusing in this regard, and Darby Camp (The Christmas Chronicles 2) beautifully portrays Emily, efficiently transmitting the message that being different isn't something bad.
It's always challenging to write about a film that was clearly made for children, and that doesn't take itself seriously. Every critique will feel like an attack on childhood, but I need to leave this important note. If this type of storytelling is forever protected from negative comments solely due to being intended for kids, then what is the young generation supposed to learn from these flicks? Nothing? Just images on a screen to make them quiet? Do kids not deserve great movies? Sure, the sweet messages and essential life lessons are present in Walt Becker's film, but at the cost of forcing them down the viewer's throat instead of actually being a compelling moment. Parents should be more rigorous with what their children watch…
Final Thoughts
Clifford the Big Red Dog holds cute, emotional moments that will tug at any pet lover's heartstrings, as well as the usual sweet messages destined to younger audiences, but it all comes at the cost of creating a deceptive, fake-looking world. CGI Clifford surprisingly looks decent, but inserting a digital dog in real sets while interacting with real people, leaves the viewers with a weird feeling that never quite goes away. Unfortunately, the dog isn't the most artificial element of the movie. Besides being expectedly childish, incredibly formulaic, and exaggerated in every possible way, the characters and the main narrative are far from looking, sounding, and being authentic. In the end, it's a disappointingly hollow adaptation that kids will inevitably love, but adults will find it hard to endure.
