Show based on original PBS series brings Clifford to a new generation of young viewers; Paramount hybrid feature coming in 2020.
NEW YORK -- The new Clifford The Big Red Dog TV series has just launched on both Amazon Prime Video and PBS KIDS. The rebooted series includes 39 22-minute episodes featuring Clifford and his best friend Emily Elizabeth. Each episode will feature new friends, new imagined adventures, a vibrant new art style, and an original song. The series will be supported by a licensing and consumer products program and a global publishing program with new titles launching in 2019. Scholastic is seeking licensing partners in all product categories; the first wave of licensees will be announced soon. The live-action hybrid Clifford The Big Red Dog feature film from Paramount Pictures premieres on November 13, 2020.
Although still set on Birdwell Island, Clifford The Big Red Dog will offer fresh and colorful new locations. The rebooted show will also have a strong emphasis on social-emotional skills such as empathy, along with a solid curriculum designed to boost early literacy and encourage imaginative play.
Inspired by the best-selling Scholastic books of the same name, written and illustrated by Norman Bridwell, the first Clifford The Big Red Dog TV series premiered on PBS KIDS in 2000. The standout show has aired in 110 countries and has garnered numerous industry excellence awards. 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.
“Clifford has been a beloved friend and enduring presence in children’s lives for more than 50 years,” commented Scholastic chief strategy officer and executive producer, Iole Lucchese. “We’re thrilled to introduce the reimagined Clifford the Big Red Dog series to a new generation of families, including the millennials who grew up with Clifford and now get to share his stories of loyalty and kindness with their own children.”
"We look at every character on PBS KIDS as a role model for the joy of learning,” added PBS VP, children’s programming, Linda Simensky. “Emily Elizabeth and Clifford showcase the thrill of working together and learning from one another, through stories that weave together imaginative play, early learning, and social-emotional concepts.”
"With an exciting expanded world and so many big adventures ahead, Clifford The Big Red Dog will win over children and families around the globe once again,” remarked Scholastic Entertainment SVP & general manager and series co-executive producer, Caitlin Friedman. “From a fresh new look to a full-scale licensing program with products that will help kids extend the fun and positive messages of the series beyond the screen, Clifford is well-poised to make a larger-than-life return.”
Clifford The Big Red Dog is produced by Scholastic Entertainment. 100 Chickens and 9 Story Media Group are helping to bring the series to life.
Source: Scholastic
