Clifford's Really Big Movie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clifford's Really Big Movie
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Ramirez
Produced by	Deborah Forte
Screenplay by	Rhett Reese Robert Ramirez
Starring	John Ritter Wayne Brady Kel Mitchell Cree Summer Judge Reinhold Jenna Elfman Wilmer Valderrama Jess Harnell John Goodman Kath Soucie Grey DeLisle
Music by	Jody Gray
Editing by	Monte Bramer
Studio	Scholastic Entertainment Big Red Dog Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	February 20, 2004 (2004-02-20)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$70,000
Money made	$3.3 million

Clifford's Really Big Movie is an animated adventure film from 2004. It is based on the popular Clifford the Big Red Dog TV show from PBS Kids. The TV show itself came from the book series by Norman Bridwell.

This movie was directed by Robert Ramirez. It was made by Scholastic Entertainment and Big Red Dog Productions. Warner Bros. Pictures released it in theaters on February 20, 2004.

The story is about Clifford the Big Red Dog, voiced by John Ritter. Clifford decides to run away and join a traveling animal show. His best friends, Cleo and T-Bone, go with him. The show's host, Larry Gablegobble (Judge Reinhold), only allows animals without owners. So, Clifford and his friends pretend their dog tags are fake. The movie takes place on a made-up place called "Birdwell Island." This name was inspired by Norman Bridwell, the author of the books.

This film was the last movie role for actor John Ritter. He sadly passed away on September 11, 2003. The movie was dedicated to his memory. It also served as the final episode for the original Clifford the Big Red Dog TV series. No new episodes aired after the movie came out. However, a spin-off show called Clifford's Puppy Days continued until 2006. The original show was later remade as the 2019 reboot. This movie is the only film directly based on a PBS Kids TV series that was shown in theaters.

In this movie, the characters have white parts in their eyes, called sclera. This was different from the books and TV series. In those, most characters had simple black eyes. The movie received mixed reviews from critics. It also didn't make much money at the box office. It earned $3.3 million, but its budget was only $70,000.

What Happens in the Movie

The story starts on Birdwell Island. Emily Elizabeth calls for her huge red Labrador Retriever, Clifford. Clifford pops out of the bushes and runs to her. Emily Elizabeth tells Clifford they will be late for a carnival. Clifford gets very excited and races off.

Clifford goes to the carnival with Emily Elizabeth and her friends, Charley and Jetta. Clifford's friends, Cleo and T-Bone, are also there. Clifford, Cleo, and T-Bone are amazed by an animal act. It is called Larry's Amazing Animals. The act includes Shackelford the High Flying Ferret and Dorothy the High Wire Heifer. There is also Dirk the Extreme Dachshund and Rodrigo, Chihuahua of Steel. Their show is not doing well, but their owner, Larry Gablegobble, is still proud of them.

After the show, Larry tells the carnival owner, P.T. Jones, that they need to win a contest. It's called the Tummy Yummies Animal Talent Contest. Winning would bring them fame, money, and a lifetime supply of dog treats. Clifford and his friends go to get autographs. Shackelford tries to get them to join the act. He thinks Clifford's size would help the show. But Clifford and his friends don't want to leave their owners.

The next day, Clifford overhears Emily Elizabeth's parents talking. He mistakenly thinks he is a problem for the family's money. So, he decides to join Larry's Amazing Animals. T-Bone and Cleo join him too. They escape from the town, where people are scared of Clifford. The group finds Larry's animals. Larry cannot take animals with owners. So, Clifford and his friends throw away their dog tags. They say the tags are just to trick dogcatchers.

Larry welcomes Clifford and his friends. In their next show, Clifford helps save the performance. He gets a huge round of applause. This makes Shackelford feel jealous. Clifford soon makes a big positive impact on the show. He helps the other animals improve their acts. For example, he helps Dorothy overcome her fear of heights. Clifford quickly becomes the star of the show. Shackelford gets even more jealous. He thinks Clifford is taking his place. Meanwhile, Emily Elizabeth searches for Clifford. She finds out he ran away.

Larry's Amazing Animals finally gets into the Tummy Yummies contest. It will happen the next night. Clifford goes to tell Shackelford the good news. But Shackelford tells Clifford he is jealous. He says they are better off without Clifford. Clifford is hurt by Shackelford's words. He also misses Emily Elizabeth. Clifford decides to leave early and go home to Birdwell Island. Cleo and T-Bone join him. But they convince Clifford to go back to the contest. On the way, they save Larry and the others from their broken-down bus. They make it to the contest just in time.

Larry's Amazing Animals wins the contest! But the CEO of Tummy Yummies, George Wolfsbottom, tricks Larry. He makes Larry sign a contract. This contract gives Wolfsbottom full control of Clifford. Wolfsbottom then takes Clifford for his spoiled daughter, Madison.

At a hotel, Shackelford tries to make everyone realize Clifford only wanted the Tummy Yummies. Cleo then tells everyone Shackelford's true feelings. Shackelford realizes he was wrong about Clifford. He shows Larry the dog tags. Larry then calls Emily Elizabeth. Larry drives the animals to Wolfsbottom's huge house. While Larry talks to a guard, the animals sneak into the house. Shackelford breaks Clifford out of his cage. Shackelford says sorry to Clifford for being jealous. But T-Bone accidentally sets off an alarm. Wolfsbottom's security guards try to catch the animals.

The group barely escapes from the guards. Emily Elizabeth arrives just in time to claim Clifford. Wolfsbottom refuses to let her keep Clifford. He shows his contract. But Madison, his daughter, has a change of heart. She convinces her dad to let Clifford go. Wolfsbottom tears up the contract. He allows Clifford to go back to Birdwell Island, where he belongs. Cleo and T-Bone say goodbye to the Amazing Animals. Clifford and Shackelford become friends again. The movie ends with Clifford, Emily Elizabeth, Cleo, and T-Bone returning home.

Who's Who in the Movie

• John Ritter as Clifford: A huge red Labrador Retriever. He joins a traveling animal show with his friends T-Bone and Cleo. John Ritter passed away five months before the movie was released.
• 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 mom.
• Jenna Elfman as Dorothy: A cow and the only female in "Larry's Amazing Animals."
• John Goodman as George Wolfsbottom: The boss of "Tummy Yummies" dog food. He is the main bad guy.
• Judge Reinhold as Larry Gablegobble: The host and leader of "Larry's Amazing Animals."
• Jess Harnell as Dirk: A dachshund in "Larry's Amazing Animals."
• Kel Mitchell as T-Bone: A yellow bulldog. He joins "Larry's Amazing Animals" with Clifford and Cleo.
• Nick Jameson as Sheriff Lewis: T-Bone's owner.
• Kath Soucie as Madison Wolfsbottom: Wolfsbottom's daughter.
  • Soucie also voices Jetta Handover, one of Emily-Elizabeth's friends.
• Oren Williams as Charley: One of Emily Elizabeth's friends.
• Cree Summer as Cleo: A purple poodle. She is one of Clifford's friends who joins "Larry's Amazing Animals."
  • 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.
• Ernie Hudson as P.T.: The carnival owner and a friend of Larry.

Movie Music

Jody Gray created the music for the film. The movie's soundtrack was released by Warner Bros. Records.

Songs from the 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