CLIFFORD 101. I'm home for about 48 hours, and while I'm here I would like to take my 4-year-old nephew to see the international film classic "Clifford's Really Big Movie." Slight problem: The movie hasn't come to Peoria yet. Unlike Nashville, Peoria is not a "select market." Too bad, because I would like to spend time with my sweet little nephew, and I have a lot of things to learn about Clifford.
My brother (my nephew's dad) reinforced this on our walk tonight:
Me: Hey, is Clifford an Irish setter?
Brother: He's a big red dog.
Me: I know. An Irish setter.
Brother (matter-of-factly): Just a big red dog.
Me: Well, you can take [nephew] when the movie comes to town. It's about how Clifford runs away and joins the circus.
Brother (shocked): That can't be right. Clifford would never run away.
Me: Well, that's what the capsule review said -- that he and the other dogs joined some kind of carnival or circus and they are trying to get back to Emily Elizabeth and Birdsomething Island.
Brother: Birdwell Island.
Me: OK.
Brother (in a professorial tone): Emily Elizabeth had to move to Birdwell Island after Clifford got too big. Her family had a normal house in the city but then Clifford kept growing and growing. Emily Elizabeth loved him so much, it made him grow. That's why he would never leave her.
Me: Her love made him grow?
Brother: Yes, that's what it says in the song.
He proceeded to sing the "Clifford" theme song ... something about "love" and "grow" and "big red dog" ... maybe they couldn't get anything to rhyme with "Irish setter."
And Clifford's voice was done by the late John Ritter. Clifford's movie was only in select cities, but it will be available on DVD later in September.
Posted by: Your Bro | August 14, 2004 at 22:18