A video revealing “Clifford the Big Red Dog” drew mixed reviews, as adult digital literati found it garish, though tots and kids are probably just fine. The movie will be live-action, not animated.
The family film’s distributor, Paramount Pictures, and producer Entertainment One released the image a few days ago in an orchestrated reveal encouraging fans to connect and pass on. The movie’s domestic theatrical premiere is currently Nov. 5, 2021.
“Just search ‘Clifford’ on Twitter and you will read the many reactions that range from creepy to hilarious,” wrote Dino-Ray Ramos at online Hollywood trade newspaper Deadline.com. “But the one thing was the look of the dog. Many were commenting about how the dog looked weird—but mostly the hue of red.”
For example, one onliner commentor wrote in disgust with an ominous tone: “Whoever thought it was ok to do a live-action ‘Clifford’ movie … u will be dealt with.”
Fanboys are tough to please and there is no pleasing them here. That’s because there are two target audiences with different reactions at play. Digital literati and fanboys want something arresting, different and Out There.
On the other hand, this is a family film whose audience of kids and younger tots know the foundation children’s book Clifford character and want the film version to be similar. Little children, in particular, are drawn to oversized characters—they love friendly giants—so the ginormous size that digital hipsters decry is great for the family crowd. Kids like loud colors too … meaning that too-much hue of red.
Still, having digital literati howling online is not good, even if the other demographic target is good.
“The negative criticism for ‘Clifford’ is deja vu for Paramount as they went through the same thing with the first look at ‘Sonic the Hedgehog,’” wrote Ramos. “Fans of the video game character immediately freaked out on Twitter when they saw his teeth, calling them ‘creepy’ and ‘nightmarish.’ This prompted Paramount to delay the release so the production can work further on character redesign. This could very well be the same situation for ‘Clifford.’”
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Speaking as someone who has sat through my share of kids’ movies—good and really bad—I have always tried to remember that they are made for CHILDREN, not adults. So digital hipsters, lighten up! These movies are maybe two hours out of your life! Sometimes, they can even be fun and give you a chance to connect with a child on a different level.