Clifford's Really Big Movie

Clifford's Really Big Movie is a 2004 American animated adventure film based on the PBS Kids TV series Clifford the Big Red Dog, itself an adaptation of the book series of the same name by Norman Bridwell. This film was directed by Robert Ramirez, produced by Scholastic Entertainment and Big Red Dog Productions, and originally released to theaters by Warner Bros. on February 20, 2004.

The film depicts a giant red Labrador Retriever named Clifford (John Ritter) running away and joining a travelling animal show known as "Larry's Amazing Animals" with his best friends. Larry Gablegobble (Judge Reinhold), the presenter of the animal show, doesn't allow animals who have owners, so they pretend their dog tags are fake. The film takes place in the fictional island of "Birdwell Island", which the name is inspired by Norman Bridwell, the author of the books.

This was John Ritter's final theatrical film role as he died of aortic dissection on September 11, 2003. The film was dedicated to his memory, and it serves as the series finale, as no new episodes aired after the film's release, though the show's spin-off Clifford's Puppy Days continued to air before concluding in 2006. It is currently the only theatrical film based on a PBS Kids TV series, not counting the films based on Sesame Street (the brand did not exist at the times its films were released) or Curious George (which was based on the film).

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
The story begins in Birdwell Island, while Emily Elizabeth calls for Clifford. She hears a rustling in the bushes, and Clifford pops up and rushes toward her. Emily Elizabeth tells Clifford that they are going to be late for a carnival. Clifford licks her face and then races away.

Clifford visits the carnival Emily Elizabeth and her friends, Charley and Jetta, and Clifford's friends, Cleo and T-Bone. Clifford, Cleo, and T-Bone are amazed by an animal act known as Larry's Amazing Animals, consisting of Shackleford the Ferret, Dorothy the Cow, Dirk the Dachshund, and Rodrigo the Chihuahua. However, despite the animals best efforts, their show is failing due to their respective failed acts, but all remain oblivious of the truth as their owner Larry expresses how proud he is of their efforts. 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. When Clifford and his friends go to collect their autographs, Shackleford attempts to convince them to join the act, believing Clifford's size and appearance would help them improve and save their show, but none of them agree because they do not want to leave their owners.

The next day, Clifford overhears the Howards' conversation with their neighbor. He mistakenly believes he is 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 dog tags, claiming they are to trick dogcatchers. Larry happily welcomes Clifford and his friends and during their next performance, Clifford manages to save the show, receiving a great round of applause and sparking jealously from Shackleford. Clifford soon begins to make a great and positive impact on the show as he manages to help the others improve their acts, such as helping Dorothy conquer her fear of heights. Clifford immediately becomes the star of the show, much to Shackleford's jealousy and annoyance, believing Clifford has begun to take his place. Meanwhile, Emily Elizabeth searches for Clifford and finds out he ran away.

Larry's Amazing Animals finally receives entry for the Tummy Yummies contest that will perform the next night. However, when Clifford goes to find Shackleford and reveals the news, Shackleford reveals his anger and jealousy towards Clifford, expressing his regret of asking Clifford to join the show and believes they are all better off without him. Hurt and upset by Shackleford's words and missing Emily Elizabeth, Clifford decides to leave early and return home to Birdwell island to reunite with Emily Elizabeth. Cleo and T-Bone join him, but managed to convince Clifford to return and in the process saves Larry and the others from their broken down bus and make it to the contest. 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 shows 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, and Emily Elizabeth arrives in time to claim Clifford before Wolfsbottom can get him. Clifford reconciles with Shackleford, and he, his friends, and Emily Elizabeth return to Birdwell Island.

Cast

 * John Ritter as Clifford, an enormous red Labrador Retriever who joins a travelling animal show named "Larry's Amazing Animals" along with his two friends, T-Bone and Cleo. Ritter had died the year before the film was released in theaters.
 * Wayne Brady as Shackelford, a blue ferret in "Larry's Amazing Animals".
 * Grey DeLisle as Emily Elizabeth Howard, Clifford's owner.
 * DeLisle also voices Caroline Howard, Emily Elizabeth's mother.
 * Jenna Elfman as Dorothy, a cow and the only female in "Larry's Amazing Animals".
 * John Goodman as George Wolfsbottom, the main antagonist; the founder and CEO of "Tummy Yummies", a dog food brand.
 * Judge Reinhold as Larry Gablegobble, the presenter and namesake of "Larry's Amazing Animals".
 * Jess Harnell as Dirk, a dachshund in "Larry's Amazing Animals".
 * Kel Mitchell as T-Bone, a yellow bulldog who joins "Larry's Amazing Animals" along with Clifford and Cleo.
 * Nick Jameson as Sheriff Lewis, T-Bone's owner.
 * Kath Soucie as Jetta Handover, one of Emily Elizabeth's friends.
 * Soucie also voices Madison, George Wolfsbottom's daughter.
 * Oren Williams as Charley, one of Emily Elizabeth's friends.
 * Cree Summer as Cleo, a purple poodle who is one of Clifford's friends who joins "Larry's Amazing Animals" along with Clifford and T-Bone.
 * Summer also voices Ms. Diller, Cleo's owner.
 * Wilmer Valderrama as Rodrigo, a chihuahua who is in "Larry's Amazing Animals".
 * Cam Clarke as Mark Howard, Emily Elizabeth's father.
 * Earl Boen as Horace Bleakman, Emily Elizabeth's neighbor.

Additional Voices

 * Gregg Berger
 * Susan Blu
 * Alex Nevil
 * Toby Stone

Home media
The film was released on DVD and VHS on August 24, 2004 by Warner Home Video. In September 2015, it was re-released by Universal Pictures.

Soundtrack
Jody Gray composed the score for the film. The soundtrack was released by Warner Bros. Records.

Songs from soundtrack

 * "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

Box-office
The film grossed $3.3 million.

Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews. On review aggregation website, Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 53% based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to on reviews, the film has a score of 49 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".