Based on Norman Bridwell’s children’s book series, the “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” movie, released Nov. 10,  is the first film adaption of the books. Emily Elizabeth (played by Darby Camp) and her Uncle Casey (played by Jack Whitehall), meet a man named Mr. Bridwell (played by John Cleese) who gives her Clifford — a small, abnormally red dog who turns into a very big, abnormally red dog overnight, one that unfortunately attracts the wrong kind of  attention.

 Some obvious concepts are present in this film that allow watchers to immediately connect the movie to the books. Clifford is big and red, growing from a normal sized puppy to a giant one, a friendly and helpful dog despite his size, and the setting of New York City is familiar to readers. Also similar to the books, the movie sends Clifford and Emily on a unique adventure, one with the same theme of love and friendship that helps the duo get through the story. Despite being a fun change from the original series, “Clifford the Big Red Dog” misses some vital details.

For instance, Clifford’s two best friends, Cleo, a stylish, lavender poodle, and T-Bone, a short, yellow bull terrier, are missing from the plot These were two loveable characters that made Clifford not feel as alone, it was a shame that the movie excluded them. Not only did the movie leave out these nostalgic dogs, but also they made other dogs in the film a little weary, possibly even afraid of Clifford due to his size, something that wasn’t common in the originals. This movie also put more emphasis on Clifford’s color as well as his size, something that was originally neutralized by his fellow strangely-colored-dog-friends in the series.  

However, despite this unfortunate removal, the movie did make a notable addition. This was the addition of Uncle Casey, Emily’s uncle who lacks responsibility but is nevertheless responsible for Emily in this movie while her mom is away on business. This addition puts a creative spin on the books that the audience is sure to love. Uncle Casey is a funny, relatable, well-thought-out character, one that is sure to leave watchers wanting to see more of him. Viewers get an insight into Uncle Casey’s life and what makes him a relatable character, such as why a particular weekend of babysitting needs to go well for him. 

In the original book series, Emily is around eight years old, but in the movie, she’s a12 year-old who attends middle school. This change definitely adds more personality to the character and sheds the light of reality upon this children’s story. The fact that Emily gets bullied at school and has no friends is very different from the loveable little girl in the book series, but it was a smart direction to take her character, since it makes her more relatable and realistic. For her  to struggle with problems of her own portrays her as a normal teenage girl — well a normal teenage girl with a ginormous bright red dog.

Overall, “Clifford the Big Red Dog” isn’t comparable to the classic that is the original book series. Nevertheless, it does the series justice. Through comedy and themes like love, family, and friendship, this movie exceeded expectations, making for a worthwhile and nostalgic viewing.