Iole Lucchese0:04
Clifford has been a beloved iconic character for Scholastic for well over 50 years. He has millions of fans all over the world, and it's exciting that we can take him and make him a real-life dog with the technology, and we can take Clifford out to more people across the world. It's so important to get his message of empathy, accepting differences, kindness, and love out now more than ever.
It's been amazing to see what I've grown up with and what have been sort of really canon for Scholastic turned into a really vibrant movie that is timeless and absolutely pays homage to everything that is Clifford, and yet so current, so funny, so emotional, so full of laughs. It's been really a joy to see the cast that's been pulled together for this, from Jack Whitehall to Darby Camp and on and on. The chemistry between Jack and Darby is really something to watch. I've just come in from watching them, and they are almost related, I would say at this point. There's a real natural rhythm to that. To see how we can take one of these brands which stands for so many good things and introduce it to a whole bunch of new kids and parents who maybe weren't reading the books is exciting.
Shooting this movie throughout New York, when people would say we were shooting a movie, it causes a bit of chaos. When it was about the Clifford movie, people would sort of get a little more smiley and happy and relax about it. He's a beloved character, he stands for all the right things. I think there's something about having any of the fabulous comedians that we have in the movie, who maybe remember Clifford and grew up with him, wanting to participate in this. It's one of those incredible movies that has an appeal for everyone and everything, and it has a message in it that's so important now without being pedantic or hitting you over the head with it. It's just one of those really feel-good movies that's lots of fun, but will make you feel like you want to hug your mom or your dad or your daughter or your son afterwards, and definitely get a red puppy.
Walt Becker has made a huge, expansive movie out of what started as a black-and-white plus one red color book more than 50 years ago. It's kind of amazing for me to think of where we've taken the world of Clifford. He has taken us on a journey, on an emotional adventure that starts with a tear or two, includes hilarity, car chases, mean girls, family strife, and ultimately neighborhoods coming together and even cities coming together to do the right thing. It starts small and ends big, kind of like Clifford.
