Clifford’s Really Big Movie
Warner Home Video
Cast: John Ritter, John Goodman, Judge Reinhold, Jenna Elfman
Extras: Music Videos, Read-Alongs, Featurette, Crafts
Rating:
When it comes to children’s series, ’Clifford The Big Red Dog’ may not immediately jump to your mind but nonetheless this quality PBS series has now received its very own feature film. And a very good one at that. ’Clifford’s Really Big Adventure’ is the touching and energetic tale of Clifford leaving Emily Elizabeth and the home she gives him to join a carnival in hopes to win a lifetime supply of dog food. Realizing that he must be a burden to the family given the amounts of food he’s eating, Clifford feels he is obligated to do his part to help and with his friends Cleo and T-Bone he is soon on the way to international stardom as the biggest circus attraction the world has ever seen.
Featuring the voices of the late John Ritter, as well as actors such as John Goodman, Judge Reinhold and Jenna Elfman, the film has a wonderful charm that viewers just can’t escape. It is very well plotted and told with suspenseful moments, emotional moments and a great, furious climax. It is very well drawn and the computer generated imagery used frequently in the film clashes only minimally with the traditional cell animation.
The film is presented in a widescreen and a fullscreen version on the DVD and both are absolutely clean and clear, without any blemishes or defects. Colors are vibrant and never bleed, giving the picture a sharply-defined look throughout. Blacks are solid and no edge-enhancement mars the image. The compression is also free of artifacts.
The audio on the DVD is also top notch, offering dynamic Dolby Digital 5.1 channel tracks in English, French and Spanish. It is well balanced and has a good frequency response. The music in the film is also very well selected with some toe-tapping tunes that are catchy but never end up like nursery rhymes.
Music Videos, Read Alongs, a ’Behind The Scenes’ featurette and a crafts segment are also included, making ’Clifford’s Really Big Adventure’ a wonderful release. If your child has taken a liking to Clifford, even only marginally, this DVD is definitely a winner that you should add to your little one’s collection.
