My Movie Review on Clifford's Really Big Movie · 3:03pm Apr 4th, 2020
Yo, what's up, my friends?
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, following my TV show review on "Clifford the Big Red Dog", I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Clifford's Really Big Movie".
Here's the summary of it:
Worried that he's become a financial burden to his family because of how much dog food they buy for him, Clifford decides to run away from home and join a circus to win a lifetime supply of Tummy Yummies, with his friends Cleo and T-Bone to accompany him.
Will Clifford finally be able to give something back to his family? Or will he unfortunately go home with empty paws?
After doing my analysis of the show this film was based on, of course I wanted to review this movie. I actually remembered watching this movie when I was a child, and the times I did were ones I grew fond of. Of course, as I was growing up, I did find myself thinking that perhaps I became too old for it.
Watching it again recently after so long, I will admit that it isn't perfect, but...there's no denying that this film's very charming and sincere.
The direction by Robert Ramirez, and the screenplay by him and Rhett Reese, was quite good.
The premise wasn't the most complex, and it did feel pretty quick and straightforward than it likely needed to be. But, despite being relatively simple, Clifford's goal to help his family by earning the lifetime supply of Tummy Yummies helped the film be something worth making, and his kindness and growing friendship with the circus troupe helped the movie to be something with heart. Plus, the comedy may not be the funniest, but it did fit the comedic-level of the show and should be worthy of earning chuckles and giggles.
The animation was impressive as well.
I mean, yes, it wasn't as groundbreaking as the visuals of movies done by top dog companies like Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks, but it was still quite well-done, and I can tell that Ramirez and the animators must've worked hard to make sure it was as appealing to the eye as possible. It was particularly great-looking for a film made under what was obviously a small budget.
Despite the characters not having the largest or most impactful of developments, they were still lovable and weren't without growth. Additionally, the vocal performances of the cast were absolutely splendid, and the new cast members fit their parts like they were meant for them. John Ritter's performance as Clifford was as lovable and innocent as ever, and Wayne Brady, Jenna Elfman, and John Goodman were perfect for the roles of Shackelford the ferret, Dorothy the cow, and George Wolfsbottom.
Perhaps the film's strongest elements, though...was the music by Jody Gray.
He certainly isn't one of the musical big boys like Hans Zimmer and John Debney, but he truly knew how to help this movie feel big like Clifford himself with his music alone. The songs that the film had were particularly enjoyable to listen to and made me wish I could upload them to my Music App. The song I enjoyed the most from the movie was "Until I Go", which made me feel like crying every time I listened to it.
In the end, "Clifford's Really Big Movie" isn't the most flawless film, especially as one that's based on a TV show. But, it's still a pretty charming feature, and as the series finale to its television predecessor and a dedication to John Ritter...I found the film to be absolutely fitting as such. It's definitely something I recommend highly for little ones, that's for sure, because that was obviously what this film was geared towards in the long run.
So, I rate "Clifford's Really Big Movie" four out of five stars.
It's tragic that this film was John Ritter's last after dying from complications of surgery.
5235625
I know. That’s why I find the ending to be so heart-tugging, because the way it played out was like that of a perfect goodbye to Ritter.
Maybe i'll see it someday.
I liked this movie. The tricky thing about making movies based off preschool shows is how to get people who aren't in preschool interested in watching it without making it too intense for preschoolers, but I think the movie-makers did a great job with this one. Speaking of movies based off preschool shows, how does this compare to, say, the new Dora movie?
5235801
Sadly, I haven’t seen that film. I may see it someday or I may not, but we’ll see where things’ll go someday.