Clifford The Big Red Dog is back for all-new adventures! Scholastic Entertainment is unleashing the highly-anticipated reboot on Amazon Prime Video starting December 6th and on PBS KIDS on December 7th, and we have an early sneak peek to share with you and yours today. The new animated series will take today’s preschoolers and their families on larger-than-life adventures filled with humor and timely life lessons that reinforce the importance of kindness and empathy, while helping to boost early literacy skills and encourage imagination-fueled play. It'll also features some original sing-along songs, one of which appears in our exclusive video, seen below.
Plus, we have some insider insight about the new series from Iole Lucchese, President of Scholastic Entertainment:
What is it about Clifford The Big Red Dog that makes it a timeless classic children's story?
Iole Lucchese: Clifford represents the ultimate wish fulfillment for a child -- a giant best friend who is always there protect and play with you!
What's new about this version of Clifford for modern audiences of all ages?
Lucchese: Clifford came into our lives over 50 years ago in the form of a simply-drawn manuscript, and it's been exciting to watch him evolve over the years while always maintaining his kind, loyal spirit. We've made some exciting updates to the version of Clifford you'll see in the new animated series, starting with the fact that he and Emily Elizabeth talk to each other for the first time! We've also introduced some great new characters -- both human and dog friends -- and are incorporating music into every episode.
Now, here's our exclusive sneak peek of Clifford The Big Red Dog and a brand-new song below:
After a bunch of salty snacks, Clifford and his doggy friends are THIRSTY! But, when they head over to their community dog bowl, they find it is missing. Who could have taken it? Inspired by Emily Elizabeth's Sherlock Holmes book, the gang works together to find clues and solve the mystery.
In the newly reimagined Clifford The Big Red Dog series, kids and families will join Clifford, his best friend Emily Elizabeth and their pack of diverse and relatable friends on their escapades all across Birdwell Island – from pretending to be pirates and astronauts to solving the latest mystery and saving the day – while learning about being helpful, caring and accepting of differences. Every episode includes a toe-tapping original song that will introduce kids to all different types of musical genres and styles. After all, Birdwell Island’s motto is “Living together in harmony!”
What’s more, in the new series, Emily Elizabeth is a stronger and more independent female character to inspire today’s girls – and, for the very first time, she and Clifford will speak to each other, making their special bond even stronger! Clifford’s huge heart, kind and gentle nature and childlike wonder about the wide world around him have helped make him the perfect companion for generations of kids – and, with the new series, today’s families are about to fall in love with him all over again.
Inspired by the best-selling Scholastic books of the same name, written and illustrated by Norman Bridwell, the first Clifford The Big Red Dog series premiered on PBS KIDS in 2000. The show aired in 110 countries around the globe and garnered nine Emmy nominations. Scholastic published the first “Clifford The Big Red Dog” title in 1963, and today there are more than 133 million Clifford books in print in 16 different languages, as Clifford remains the company's official mascot.