Last week was the release of Clifford the Big Red Dog. Little ones are currently enjoying the many stories of everyone’s favorite giant pup. The older crowd will see this and get all nostalgic about what they think about when they see Clifford. It may be the stories. But it also may be the flex of sometimes being able to order the books off of the Scholastic book orders that were a staple in many schools.

The film version of Clifford the Big Red Dog leans more into the magic of having a pet. Specifically the magic of being a dog owner. In the film, beloved actor John Cleese, plays the role of Birdwell. With years of experience playing all kinds of fantastic roles, Cleese was a great choice to sell Emily and audiences the magic of having a special companion like Clifford.

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With the release of Clifford the Big Red Dog, LRM Online’s Emmanuel Gomez spoke with John Cleese about his role in the family film. What was really interesting right off the bat was the fact that he wasn’t familiar with the character of Clifford. The former narrator of Winnie the Pooh only recently learned about this beloved dog. He also talked about the magic of having a companion and how beneficial that can be. It was a fabulous conversation that you can check out below!

Here is the synopsis for Clifford the Big Red Dog

When middle-schooler Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) meets a magical animal rescuer (John Cleese) who gifts her a little, red puppy, she never anticipated waking up to find a giant ten-foot hound in her small New York City apartment. While her single mom (Sienna Guillory) is away for business, Emily and her fun but impulsive uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) set out on an adventure that will keep you on the edge-of-your-seat as our heroes take a bite out of the Big Apple. Based on the beloved Scholastic book character, Clifford will teach the world how to love big!

Paramount Pictures’ Clifford the Big Red Dog is now in theaters and on Paramount+.