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A Ferry Tale

Sufficient

Recommended age Unlock

Co-watching from age 2

Stimulating

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A Ferry Tale

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This program is stimulating. It actively demands attention and can feel intense. For the recommended age, this may be on the more intense side. The pacing is fast. Images follow each other quickly, leaving little time to pause and take in what is happening. The sound is clearly present and regularly draws attention. The visuals are well-balanced, with a clear overall view.

One clear thread runs through the episode: Clifford wants to stay clean for the dog contest, and that goal carries all the way to the foggy rescue that wins it. Events follow each other with a recognizable beginning, middle and end, and each action leads to a consequence a child can predict, like digging for a bone leaving him muddy. A good deal of dialogue and several characters mean information keeps arriving, which can ask a fair bit of a three-year-old in places. The storyline itself stays easy to follow throughout.

The emotional ground is largely warm: Emily adores Clifford and defends him when others criticise him, telling Jetta 'he's the best'. Tension stays mild, mostly around a ferry caught in thick fog, and it clears up once Clifford guides the boat safely in. One caveat is Jetta, who repeatedly calls Clifford a 'big red mess' and 'nothing but trouble', though Emily's steady support takes the sting out of it. Worry is followed by reassurance closely enough that a young child is unlikely to be left unsettled.

Clifford makes his own choices here, deciding to swim out and help the stranded ferry without anyone telling him to. The central problem, a boat lost in fog, gets a clear solution as he uses his size to lead it home, and the link between his action and the safe arrival is easy to see. The thinking is shown more through doing than through trying, failing and adjusting, which keeps the steps simple for this age. There is enough genuine initiative on display to model helpful, can-do behaviour.

Speech leads the soundtrack and most lines are clear, concrete and tied to what is happening, like naming the bath, the beach and the contest. The language does reach for bigger words at times, with 'humongous', 'gigantic' and names such as Machiavelli and Lily Lavallee that sit above what a three-year-old will fully follow. Sentences are mostly complete and used to inform or describe rather than just exclaim. It carries meaning well, with vocabulary that leans a little older than this age.

Some of what happens connects to everyday life, such as washing a dog, playing in the sand and digging, and the friendships and small-town community are recognizable. The heart of the episode, though, is a giant red dog who thinks aloud and rescues a ferry, which a child cannot carry into their own day. Real activities are present, but the fantasy premise limits how much actually transfers off the screen. The familiar social situations are the strongest real-world anchor on offer here.

More information

Birdwell Island is shown mostly as a white community, with a few named characters of colour like Pedro in smaller roles and some skin-tone variety in the dockside crowd. People of different ages appear, from children to townsfolk, but family life centres on one household and different ways of living together are not really explored. Where the cast does well is in spreading roles around, with girls and boys, women and men, and the male and female animal friends all taking part and showing feelings without a fixed split. A mild vain streak in Jetta is the main cliche, set against an otherwise balanced picture of who leads and who helps.

Clifford the Big Red Dog mixes a very recognizable world, with bath time, the beach, school and a ferry dock, with one big imagined idea: a friendly dog the size of a house who talks with the other dogs. There is no villain. The closest thing to an opponent is a snobbish neighbour, and the real tension comes from fog that strands the ferry until Clifford helps guide it safely in. The imagined parts stay consistent and the tone is warm and gentle, though the talking animals and Clifford's size reach slightly beyond pure realism for the youngest viewers.

This episode tells a complete little story an adult can follow: Clifford tries to stay clean to win a prize, then gives that up to guide a fog-bound ferry safely to the dock. The craft is steady, with consistent hand-drawn animation, warm voices and a soft beach palette that sits easily in the room. Most of the humor is pitched at children, though the play on 'ferry' and 'fairy tale' in the title and the men's fog banter offer a small wink to a parent watching along. For an adult co-viewer it stays calm and watchable rather than truly engaging.

Themes

Friendship

Clifford, Cleo and T-Bone spend the day together and Emily calls Clifford the best friend anyone could know

Helping others

Clifford swims into the fog to guide the stranded ferry safely to the dock

Pets

Central

The whole story centres on dogs, from Clifford and Cleo to the groomed poodle Machiavelli

Self acceptance

Recurring

Clifford insists 'I'm perfect the way I am' rather than fussing over staying groomed

Courage

Recurring

A bystander calls Clifford 'one brave dog' as he heads out into the thick fog

Activities

Bathing a pet

The opening scene shows Emily scrubbing Clifford in a large bath

Beach play

Cleo calls the beach 'a ball day, a digging day' as the dogs play in the sand

Swimming

Clifford swims out across the harbour to reach the lost ferry

Dog show

The plot revolves around a dog of the year contest judged by Lily Lavallee

Emotions

Love

Emily hugs Clifford and tells him he is dog of the year to her every day

Anxiety

Characters fret that the ferry could be stranded in the fog all night long

Excitement

T-Bone describes the buried bone as 'humongous super enormous' and the dogs rush to dig

Pride

Emily beams as Lily Lavallee picks Clifford as dog of the year

Joy

The crowd applauds and music swells when Clifford brings the ferry home

Behaviour

Helping

Clifford acts as a guide so the foggy ferry can reach the island safely

Caring for animals

Emily gives Clifford a bath and tells him 'we all have to have a bath sooner or later'

Digging

The dogs dig in the sand to uncover a giant buried bone at the beach

Perseverance

The dogs keep digging for the bone they smell until they finally reach it

Apologising

Emily says 'I'm sorry Jetta' after Clifford splashes water during the bath

Social lessons

Kindness

Clifford chooses to rescue the ferry full of people he does not know

Friendship

Clifford's dog friends invite him to dig and play together at the beach

Self acceptance

Clifford decides he likes himself as he is rather than staying spotless

Community

Neighbours gather at the dock waiting to welcome the arriving ferry

Danger

A ferry is lost in heavy fog and characters worry it could be stranded out there all night before Clifford guides it in

Emily Elizabeth bathes and grooms her giant red dog Clifford so he can enter a dog of the year contest judged by Lily Lavallee on Birdwell Island. Clifford tries to stay clean but ends up muddy after helping his dog friends dig up a buried bone at the beach. When the ferry carrying the judge gets lost in thick fog, Clifford swims out and guides the boat safely to the dock. Lily names him dog of the year for his bravery, and Emily tells him he is dog of the year to her every day.

Season 1

5 episodes

Clifford the Big Red Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog

My Best Friend

recommended age co-watching from 2

Emily Elizabeth needs to bring something special for show and tell at her school on Birdwell Island. With her giant red dog Clifford, she searches the island and tries a metal detector, an old bird's nest and her mother's shop, while her classmate Jetta boasts about her own finds. After a day of looking and a chat with her friend Charlie, Emily realises the best thing she can share is Clifford himself. She brings him to class, where the children greet him with cheers.

Clifford the Big Red Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog

Cleo's Fair Share

recommended age co-watching from 2

Cleo, a small purple dog, is given a brand new toy and decides she does not want to share it with her friends Clifford and T-Bone. For several days she dodges their invitations to play, hiding the toy and making up excuses, while the other two have fun together with an old tire. Eventually Cleo admits she kept the toy to herself and realizes that playing alone is no fun. She joins her friends and they play with the toy together.

Clifford the Big Red Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog

Special Delivery

recommended age co-watching from 2

Emily Elizabeth asks her giant red dog Clifford to take a wrapped birthday present to Mr. Carson at the post office for her cousin Laura. On the way, his friends Cleo and T-Bone talk him into opening the package, and the toy inside breaks during their play. Cleo then persuades Clifford to hide the truth and pretend he delivered it, which leaves him sick with guilt. When Emily discovers the broken gift she explains that everyone makes mistakes, asks Clifford to be honest, and they head off together to buy a replacement.

Clifford the Big Red Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog

A Ferry Tale

recommended age co-watching from 2

Emily Elizabeth bathes and grooms her giant red dog Clifford so he can enter a dog of the year contest judged by Lily Lavallee on Birdwell Island. Clifford tries to stay clean but ends up muddy after helping his dog friends dig up a buried bone at the beach. When the ferry carrying the judge gets lost in thick fog, Clifford swims out and guides the boat safely to the dock. Lily names him dog of the year for his bravery, and Emily tells him he is dog of the year to her every day.

Clifford the Big Red Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog

And Birdy Makes Three

recommended age co-watching from 2

Emily Elizabeth finds a baby bird that has fallen and decides to care for it until it can fly. Her big red dog Clifford feels left out as Emily spends her time feeding the bird and teaching it to flap its wings. With advice from his dog friends Cleo and T-Bone, Clifford tries to win back attention and then helps the bird take to the air. When the bird flies home with the others, Emily reassures Clifford that she will always love him.

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