Tony Hale on the "Powerful Message" of Clifford the Big Red Dog

12/22/2021 11:17 pm EST

One of 2021's most charming films, Clifford the Big Red Dog, delighted audiences both in theaters and on Paramount+ in November and is now available to own on digital and given how beloved a character Clifford is, it's perfect timing with the holidays right around the corner. But for Tony Hale, who plays the film's villain, Clifford the Big Red Dog also has a beautiful and powerful message for viewers about love and acceptance that's timely as well.

Speaking with ComicBook.com, Hale spoke about how Clifford has long been a part of the cultural landscape, but that it's the message of Clifford that is so special — a message about love making something grow.

"Clifford's always been around, and that message of, in the books there's this massive red dog and everybody is just kind of accepting it. No one's being like, 'look at that.' It's real acceptance," Hale said. "And in the movie what's so beautiful is, what makes Clifford big is Emily's love for the dog. And I feel like in today's society, everybody's breaking each other down on social media, and fighting, and there's so much noise and that's not going to bring change. That's not going to bring growth. It's love, and acceptance, and listening and giving people space. And so, that's a hidden message, but I think it's an incredibly powerful message."

In Clifford The Big Red Dog, Emily (Big Little Lies' Darby Camp) struggles to fit in both at home and at school, but that all changes when she meets a magical animal rescuer (John Cleese) who gifts her a little red puppy – a puppy that she never anticipated waking up to find turned into 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. David Alan Grier stars in the film and other cast members include Izaac Wang, Paul Rodriguez, Russell Peters, Kenan Thompson, and Rosie Perez as well as Hale.

Clifford the Big Red Dog is now available to own on digital. It releases on Blu-ray/DVD on February 1, 2022.

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