Clifford the Big Red Dog

This crowd-pleasing, if uneven, adaptation of Bridwell's beloved classic books is saved by the sweetness of its story about a girl who loves her very big red dog. There was a moment, when the movie's teaser trailer first came out, when it looked like this version of Clifford would be stuck in the creepy awkwardness of the uncanny valley. Thankfully, the final film is better -- and cuter -- than expected. Emily's bond with the red puppy is easy for any pet lover to understand. Camp does a fine job of gazing lovingly at a CGI creation, and her apartment's neighborhood is believably diverse and ready to band together to save one of their own. While it seems unlikely that Emily would get so unreservedly and openly harassed by the rich mean girls at her school, her friendship with quirky classmate Owen (Izaac Wong) is cute and built upon their shared sense of "otherness" (hers based in class, his based on being Asian and nerdy).

Where the movie struggles is the script, which is credited to Jay Scherick, David Ronn, and Blaise Hemingway. For example, why is the movie's villain the CEO of a company whose mission seems positive (feeding the world)? That's more than a bit confusing for younger viewers, who won't understand the morally ambiguous position that Big Agra holds in society. And some of Uncle Casey's one-liners and conversations with Emily are also questionably immature. There are also directorial questions, like why the British Whitehall (unnecessarily) uses his American accent while his sister Maggie is English (it's explained in a throwaway line, but it still doesn't make much sense). Despite those flaws, the story is undeniably tenderhearted, and Clifford is such a delightful dog that even cynical parents will understand why Emily's heart melts for him.