The first teaser for the live action ‘Clifford The Big Red Dog’ is here, and… he’s not exactly big, nor bright red. But lovers of the book are leaping to the puppy’s defense!
The live action Clifford movie is already causing BIG controversy. Twitter was in for a surprise on November 25 when the first teaser for Clifford The Big Red Dog dropped, and the new version of the beloved pup… left a little to be desired. Some Twitter users had a problem with how the childhood icon looks — essentially, a Golden Retriever puppy who got into some red Manic Panic. Others were quick to defend him.
The Clifford teaser is only 19 seconds long, but clearly made an impact. There was true outrage over the pup’s color and size. Yes, he’s a big dog, but he’s not exactly the furry giant who towered over houses during his adventures with Emily Elizabeth in the children’s books. “I refuse to recognize a reddish Clifford the Big Red Dog, make him BRIGHT red or get out of my face,” one Twitter user wrote. “It feels so unsettling in a way I can’t describe… like get that dog to the vet, he looks unwell,” another replied.
Others were a little more… realistic about the reveal. “Ok guys the design is weird and maybe a bit unnerving but at the same time y’all were never planning on seeing a Clifford the Big Red Dog movie. All or most of you are adults,” one person tweeted. Others reasoned that the reason he isn’t the size of a Kaiju is that this is the puppy version of Clifford! If we learned anything about the not-blue Genie from the live action Aladdin controversy, it’s that things aren’t always final in the teaser.
Others pointed out that we, the audience, had the ability to get the Clifford we want. Think about what happened after the eldritch horror that was the first version of Sonic the Hedgehog debuted. “Listen, if I’ve learned anything from Sonic the Hedgehog, it’s that we can all cyber bully a Hollywood studio enough to get a better looking Clifford the Big Red Dog than this,” Marvel colorist Matt Herms tweeted.