When Emily discovers her little red puppy named Clifford has grown ten feet overnight, she turns to her eccentric Uncle Casey for help. But when a mad scientist tries to capture the larger-than-life playful pup, it takes the entire neighborhood to hide Clifford as they race across the city. Get ready for the incredible, laugh-out-loud comedy adventure that is BIG fun for the entire family!
For thoughts on Clifford The Big Red Dog, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
Paramount Home Entertainment brings Clifford The Big Red Dog to Blu-Ray with a really lovely 1080p video presentation. The presentation provides a significant amount of depth on display, especially in the interior shots of the house. The production design featured in the film, along with the fabrics of clothing, provide crystal clear textural details. The image is clean with the bright color palette popping off the screen. The film employs nice splashes of bold colors within the production design, which makes for a very striking image. The black levels are appropriately deep and inky with no discernible digital noise. The flesh tones are natural with a magnificent amount of detail present in close-ups. The animation style of our titular character is pleasingly stable throughout with no anomalies detected. It would have been most excellent to get this on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, but this Blu-Ray is still a top-tier representation of this movie.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with a wonderful Dolby Atmos presentation that packs one heck of punch throughout the entire adventure. From the opening immersion into the city, the soundscape is set to deliver an expansive experience suitable for a family action film. Sounds are appropriately rendered with precise directionality from the more kinetic action scenes to interpersonal moments of dialogue. Ambient details are plentiful and quite satisfying in the rear and overhead channels. The overhead channels serve to complement the other channels rather than carry the main load, which adds a nice sense of space to the mix. Musical cues and the playful score from John Debney envelope the room with a lovely ease. Dialogue is presented perfectly clear without ever being overwhelmed by any of the competing sonic elements. The chaotic altercations and crashes provide an all-encompassing soundscape that kicks in throughout all the speakers. The low end is engaged in a really solid way that will have your couch shaking a bit. The mix offers up the best experience for those with the home theater system to support it.
Special Features
- Part Of The Pack: A nearly seven-minute featurette which details the inspiration for the adaptation, the casting process, the appeal of the script to the performers and more.
- Acting Is For The Dogs: A three-minute piece which takes a look at the on-set puppet that served as the reference for Clifford. It is pretty fun to get to know the people who were in charge of bringing him to life for the performers.
- The Magic of Bridwell: A seven-minute look at the iconic nature of the main character, his position as a mascot for Scholastic, the life and work of Clifford creator Norman Bridwell, the enduring nature of the character in different mediums, expanding the role of Clifford’s female companion and more.
- Tips and Tricks For Taking Care of a 10 Foot Dog: A nearly three-minute humorous tutorial on how best to care for your big canine companion.
- Deleted Scenes: Three scenes totaling three minutes of unused material are provided here featuring the sorting of clues in the pursuit of Bridwell, a brief snippet with Dr. Russ and more.
Final Thoughts
Clifford The Big Red Dog does not set out to redefine what it means to be a family film, but it does provide a full-filled time, especially for a younger crowd. Adults who are not watching this with children may feel this is a bit too pedestrian, but those who are looking to see a huge, cute dog get into some antics will not be disappointed. The look of the film and the title character are pretty impressive and you quickly become acclimated to the fact that there is a big dog stomping around this world. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and a couple of light special features. If you are in need of an easy watch that makes you feel good, be sure to check this one out. Recommended
Clifford The Big Red Dog is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
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Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
