Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ on Amazon Prime, Where a Beloved Franchise Gets a Big, Red Reboot

Clifford the Big Red Dog gets a big red reboot thanks to Amazon Prime, which debuted a batch of brand-new episodes featuring the adventures of a pooch the size of a small bungalow. (The series also airs on PBS.) It’s been nearly a decade-and-a-half since the franchise, based on a popular series of children’s picture books, was a TV series. Then, the late, great John Ritter voiced the dog, who only spoke when humans weren’t sharing the frame. Now, there’s an open line of verbal communication between Clifford and his bipedal pals. Is this an improvement or a detriment? Does it matter, as long as the dog is still big enough to fulfill the series’ demand for sight gags?

CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A pelican defies the rigidity of its physiology by whistling as it flies along the shore, lighting upon a dock where Clifford and his “owner” Emily Elizabeth sit reading a book about pirates.

The Gist: In the first of two adventures, Clifford (voice of Adam Sanders) and Emily Elizabeth (Hannah Levinson) are inspired by their reading to pretend to be pirates. They gather some “salty sea dogs” (actually just their regular-size dog friends), find some “treasure” (mostly random stuff other people don’t want), and bury it around Birdwell Island. But their dog buddy Tucker loses his precioussssssss squeaky toy somewhere along the way — which is where Clifford comes in handy, since his immensity means each paw digs with the efficiency of a bulldozer. Will Tucker go home happy, or will he sleep alone tonight, howling his lament at an indifferent moon?

For the second chapter, the local librarian reads Emily Elizabeth and her friends a story about astronauts going to Mars. So Emily, Clifford and a friend decide to race two boys all the way across the island to “Mars,” because it’s fun. Alas, Clifford gets all four paws stuck in some soggy sand. Will the kids find a way to get him out, or leave him to be eaten by scores of wild crabs?

Our Take: First things first: Although it’s a modern reboot, Clifford the Big Red Dog doesn’t address the very large realities of having a very large dog. In order to meet his needs, one would have to furnish him with a very large yard and a very large scooping tool; perhaps the cleanup industry is one of the essential economic gears on little Birdwell Island; perhaps fertilizer is the primary export. Either way, Clifford isn’t just Marmaduke taking up the whole couch, but a dog who could conceivably swallow pigs whole and destroy a human skull with one wag of his tail. He’s clearly superintellligent, for a dog at least, so the Birdwell residents should be thankful he’s benevolent, and keep his supply of whole-ham-sized kibble well-stocked at all times.

I digress. This new Clifford offers all the featherweight charm and gentle lessons — about teamwork, emphasizing fun over competitiveness, etc. — you’d expect from a PBS-affiliated preschool series. Think more Curious George or Daniel Tiger than whatever screeching toy commercial on YouTube your kid would probably rather watch. There’s plenty of diversity and representation among the supporting characters, and the series goes out of its way to show kids how cool it is to read books. If all this remains intact when Clifford becomes a live action/CGI feature-length movie in 2020, I’ll be shocked.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: As another adventure ends happily, the kids all hug Clifford because he’s so adorable and cuddly, but also maybe because they’re afraid not showing him affection will make him eat their parents.

Sleeper Star: If I don’t say Clifford here, I’m worried he’ll hit my house like a drunken kaiju. So the show’s sleeper star is obviously Clifford! All hail Clifford, the great and powerful big red dog! My love for you will never wane! May you have a long and prosperous life, o mighty one!

Most Pilot-y Line: Emily Elizabeth: “Pirates sail the seas searching for treasure, and hiding it from lily-livered landlubbers!”

A pampered dog named Bailey, who probably gets a charcuterie tray for every meal: “Liver? Mmm mmm!”

Our Call: STREAM IT. It’s cute!

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Stream Clifford the Big Red Dog on Amazon Prime