I don’t know how I should feel about this! According to The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Lopez is set to write a film adaptation of children’s book author/illustrator Norman Bridwell’s “Clifford the Big Red Dog” for Illumination Entertainment. According to the site, the film is aiming to be a live action/animation hybrid.
On the one hand, I’m excited to see my favorite Big Red Dog on the big screen, but also, I feel like there’s the same potential for there to be some adult humor in it. With as child-friendly a brand as “Clifford” is, I just don’t think there can be any type of adult humor. Not even subtle adult humor. This just has to be kid-friendly all the way, but palatable for adults. Clifford’s a gentle dog from a gentle book. The movie has to be just as gentle.
Also, ever since John Ritter died, I’ve been feeling there has been a moratorium on “Clifford.” If you recall,Ritter was the voice of Clifford on the PBS cartoon show until his unexpected death in 2003. If this film is made, I think it’s only right that they give a shoutout/nod to him in an effort to say “Thank you” for his contribution to the franchise.
You can read more about this at The Hollywood Reporter. Make sure to write what you think about this in the comments section below.
