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As a child growing up, I was a ravenous reader. Along with the Dr. Seuss books, the Berenstain Bears, Winnie the Pooh and Babar the elephant king, some of my favorite stories involved a BIG red dog named Clifford. As an avowed animal lover, the books were simply adorable, and even better, they were educational too! Author Norman Bridwell had conceived of a truly recipe to encourage brand new young readers.

Since then, the books have been adapted as an animated series on PBS, which even led to a spin-off prequel called Clifford's Puppy Days. The original series featured a big red Clifford voiced by the late John Ritter, and he returned for this full-length feature as well. While Bad Santa may have been the last time we physically "saw" the actor, Clifford's Really Big Movie goes down as his final theatrical performance.

As noted, Clifford is a BIG red dog. And I mean really big. Really, having such a pet would be kind of like having a dinosaur, only in this case he's furry, cuddly and super friendly. And also very, very hungry.

The movie will center around Clifford's realization that his constant appetite and the expense of feeding such a colossal pet must be a drain on his beloved family, the Howards. The gigantic pup makes the decision to head out into the world to fend for himself, accompanied by his friends T-Bone (Kel Mitchell) and Cleo (Cree Summer). The trio's adventures include joining a circus and meeting all kinds of strange new friends. Ultimately, it's Clifford's hope that he might even be able to win a lifetime supply of dog food.

Of course, Clifford's decision to venture out on his own leaves his human family heartbroken and worried, so they follow his tracks to try to find their bestest buddy and remind him just how much they love him. Warm fuzzies are almost certain to ensue.

After some successful test screenings, Warner Bros. will be rolling this family flick to a wider market. Targeted primarily at preschoolers, the film will rely on the fact that this market is woefully underserved when it comes to movie options. It should be an even bigger hit on DVD. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Vital statistics for Clifford's Really Big Movie Main Cast John Ritter, Grey Delisle, Kel Mitchell Supporting Cast Cree Summer, Wayne Brady, Cam Clarke, Jenna Elfman, John Goodman, Gary Leroi Gray, Jess Harnell, Judge Reinhold, Kath Soucie, Wilmer Valderrama Director Robert Ramirez Screenwriter Robert Ramirez, Rhett Reese Distributor Warner Bros. Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.scholastic.com/clifford/movie Rating G Running Time 73 minutes Screen Count 471 Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture