Casey panics and the center of “Clifford the Big Red Dog” consists of “Clifford hijinks,” as expected. She wakes up to find the Clifford that librarians know and love, a giant, expressive, joyous red dog. He’s about as believable a movie creature as Roger Rabbit.Īfter Clifford sneaks home with Emily, Casey tells her that she will have to return the little red guy the next day, sending the poor girl to bed wishing that something would change. Perhaps it’s because we know what puppies should look like more than dogs who are the size of small buildings, but the puppy Clifford is a bizarre choice, a cartoonish creation that never looks like it’s sharing the same space as Emily. For some reason, the puppy version of Clifford looks more unrealistic than the giant one. The Wizard of this Oz shows Emily through his tent of magical animals to a room where she meets Clifford as a small, adorable, somewhat creepily rendered puppy. Bridwell ( John Cleese)-a nod to the author of the source material, Norman Bridwell. When mom goes out of town on some vague paralegal business, she asks her ne’er-do-well brother Casey (a fun Jack Whitehall), who lives in his van, to keep on eye on Emily and stay out of trouble.Įmily and Uncle Casey are walking one day when they spot an animal carnival run by the mysterious Mr. The 12-year-old is bullied by the mean girls who call her 'food stamps,' but she has a gorgeous, rent-controlled apartment to return to her with her single mother Maggie ( Sienna Guillory).

The smart and empathetic Emily Elizabeth ( Darby Camp) is the outsider at her new prestigious New York private school.

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