Nearly a decade after the project was announced (and after a few scheduling changes due to COVID Delta variant concerns), we are now merely a month away from the first-ever live-action adaptation of Clifford the Big Red Dog hitting theaters — and even have a warm and fuzzy final trailer to prove it. Based on the upcoming film’s final trailer, it looks like we can count on it containing just as much love as there is pup, with some heart-warming moments and lessons about never making yourself small to fit into a world where others deem you “too big.”
Based on Norman Bridwell’s 1963 Scholastic children’s book series of the same name, the upcoming movie follows a young, New Yorker named Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) who lives with her mother in a small apartment. However, as she grows older, she never quite feels a sense of belonging — that is until a strange man named Mr. Bridwell (John Cleese) gifts her a strange, red puppy that will forever change her life. As her love for the dog causes him to grow to a preposterous size, Emily has to recruit her Uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) to help her care for him. However, while Emily, Jack, and the community take to the pup, proving to Emily regardless of who you are you do belong, the government — fueled by a social media frenzy — threaten to take Clifford away from her.
In addition to Camp, Cleese, and Whitehall, the film features the talents of Tony Hale, Sienna Guillory, David Alan Grier, Russell Wong, and a what’s sure to be a fun Kenan Thompson cameo. While the initial report of the film being live-action (as well as the first look at CGI Clifford) was met with some scorn, Deadline reports the film has been tracking well and could be a real, heartwarming film for families, providing they feel safe enough seeing it with current pandemic conditions. Clifford the Big Red Dog will be released both theatrically and via streaming over on Paramount+ on November 10.