Clifford and the gang have really hit the big-time now

Clifford the Big Red Dog is the perfect pooch: sweet, clumsy and unconditionally loves his young owner, Emily Elizabeth. And he’s enormously popular.

It’s been four decades since Scholastic published the first Clifford book by Norman Bridwell. A hundred million copies of the canine’s various adventures are in print.

“Clifford the Big Red Dog” has repeated its success on TV as part of PBS Kids weekday lineup -- it’s been the No. 1 series for kids 2 to 5 since it premiered in 2000. Tykes also have embraced the prequel, “Clifford’s Puppy Days,” which premiered last fall.

It was probably only a matter of time before Clifford made his big-screen debut. “There were all sorts of crazy ideas,” says Deborah Forte, president of Scholastic Entertainment. “People said, ‘It has to be much more sophisticated,’ ‘You need to get really big stars.’ ”

But “Clifford’s Really Big Movie” already had a superstar -- Clifford.

“I think you have to provide audiences with an experience that’s different from the TV experience,” Forte said. “It has to be bigger, more exciting. At the same time ... the things kids love about ‘Clifford’ is Clifford -- who he is and how he behaves. As long as you are staying true to that, they will come along with you.”

“Clifford’s Really Big Movie,” which opened in late February in four markets, is as simple and unfussy as the TV series: Clifford and his best four-legged friends, Cleo and T-Bone, leave Birdwell Island and join a traveling carnival show.

This Friday, Warner Bros. is opening the movie in 450 theaters in 20 markets including Los Angeles and San Diego. John Ritter supplied the voice of Clifford on the TV series and finished the film before his death last September.

“He embodied many of the characteristics Clifford has,” Forte says. “He was just a guy who was happy and goofy and generous of spirit.”

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-- Susan King