Because of movie-making magic, tons of childhood stories have been brought to life using special effects in live action movies, such as Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat and Paddington. Clifford the Big Red Dog, a popular book series among kids for nearly 60 years, is the latest beloved children's classic to be made into a live action movie.

Clifford the Big Red Dog, the book series, was written by Norman Bridwell and focuses on a girl named Emily and her adventures with her enormous, sweet dog named Clifford. The Clifford the Big Red Dog film, directed by Walt Becker, incorporates many aspects of the series into the film to create a fun and family friendly film that will appeal to the next generation of kids aged 10 and under.

Because this film is geared towards children, it is light-hearted and funny. In between Clifford's silly antics, the film also covers themes and beliefs that are important for children, such as bullying, forming lasting friendships, repairing relationships and teamwork. Although these themes are major, they are not overwhelming and do not distract from the main plot. Instead, Becker was able to smoothly incorporate these throughout the entirety of the movie, completely developing these thoughts by the end. Especially for a kids movie, I did not find these messages overly noticeable or obvious.

Humorous moments contrast heartfelt scenes, offering comedic relief. The most humorous character in the movie is Uncle Casey. Established early on in the film, Uncle Casey is written as an irresponsible adult with no job and an unfit babysitter for Emily. He strays away from the traditional adult figure representation in children's movies and his humor integrates mature humor that can appeal to older people, such as parents. His living situation also brings light to how many adults can feel lost, forcing his niece to judge his decisions. The judgmental humor Casey and Emily exchange is one of the highlights of the movie. He is one of the best parts of the movie and is, ironically, more childish than Emily. His character allows him to be sympathetic and allow Emily do what is best for her, although it sometimes contrasts how most adults would react. Because Emily's mother does not initially trust him, he goes through the self conflict of deciding between making Emily happy and establishing trust between him and Emily's mother.

For the first third of the movie, the basic and expected plot opens by introducing the characters and the journey Emily went through to get Clifford. Clifford's size is attained by magic from Mr. Bridwell, the man who introduced Clifford to Emily. This magic adds another element to the movie, making it more enjoyable. During the middle, the main conflict takes place and introduces the antagonist in the movie, a corrupt businessman trying to take advantage of Clifford's unique characteristics, increasing the pace and adding suspense. Towards the end, the more sentimental scenes take place and this is when the characters truly connect. More of the sad scenes occur during this time, but this shows how the characters are hurting and the way they turn to each other for support. Also, Becker incorporates symmetry between the beginning of the movie and the end, emphasizing the family the characters have formed and how close they have gotten.

Of course, because it is a kids movie, the ending is happy and gives the protagonists what they had wanted through the entire movie: Clifford. The focus of the movie is saving Clifford, but the story is developed in a way in which the sole purpose is giving Emily the courage and confidence to stand up for herself and prove those who doubted her wrong. She tells her story to her town as they support her and stand behind her, ultimately saving Clifford. The movie is not only a story about Clifford as it is more about Emily's journey to finding herself and standing up against bullying, giving children watching the courage to follow her lead and do the same.

Although the movie does replicate many aspects of the book series, the movie doesn't quite capture the nostalgia of the original book series. Part of this is due to the time limits of a movie. The original book series includes 80 books that see Emily and Clifford go on many adventures, celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hannukah, and even attend the first day of school. The books provide a storyline for everyone and the opportunity to read something personal to them. The movie only offers a few of these themes, lessening the effectiveness of the storylines. But overall, this is a great children's movie and there is plenty of opportunities to explore additional themes and adventures from the book series in future Clifford movie sequels.

To see available tickets, click here.