Actor and comedian Jack Whitehall has unveiled a huge bronze sculpture of Clifford the Big Red Dog, the loveable four-legged star of a brand new film, which will be released exclusively in cinemas this Friday.
The installation is in support of leading animal welfare charity, Battersea, raising awareness of how unique and special rescue animals are, and how every animal deserves a chance to find a loving home. This is a central theme in the film, which sees Clifford grow bigger the more he is loved by his young owner Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp). As Emily Elizabeth discovers, rescues truly are a special breed, with their own unique character and quirks that make them so distinctive, just like Clifford.
Visitors to the sculpture can follow links to donate and find out more about the charity, and following a three month display in the London location, the full-size sculpture will be auctioned to raise further funds for Battersea… ready to be taken home by anyone with a garden big enough!
Hand sculpted over three months, with a team of over 15 spending over 1,000 man hours on the sculpture, Clifford is three metres long, two metres tall and weighs over 600kg, making it the largest sculpture in the world-renowned trail and will reside in Leicester Square until March, gracing the busy north terrace.
Clifford was first introduced to the world through a children’s book published in 1963, and in total Scholastic has published 500 different versions of Clifford books over the past 58 years. Now Clifford is bounding on to the silver screen to make his cinema debut, bigger than ever!
Playfully pouncing in the flower bed in Leicester Square, the spectacular sculpture forms part of the Scenes in the Square interactive trail, a long-term free attraction in London’s Leicester Square.
Clifford joins other dynamic movie statues in the trail Harry Potter, Batman, Wonder Woman, Singin’ in the Rain, Mr. Bean, Laurel & Hardy, Mary Poppins and Paddington.
Jack Whitehall, who plays Uncle Casey in the new film, said “Clifford the Big Red Dog is such a magical, heart-warming and hilarious ‘tail’, it was an immensely fun film to be involved in, and now to see my four-legged co-star join such illustrious company in Scenes in the Square is a surreal honour. I hope it’s going to be really popular with families, and might take a few dog walkers by surprise!”
Whitehall was joined not only by Battersea dogs but also his own dog, Coco the Cockapoo, whilst Alex Zane’s Whippet, Simon, was also among the group of dogs that came to witness the surreal sight of a ten foot bronze Labrador.
Ali Taylor, Head of Canine Behaviour at Battersea, says: “Here at Battersea we want to share how unique and special rescue animals are and how cats and dogs deserve the chance to find a loving home, a message echoed by the wonderful family film, Clifford the Big Red Dog. We’re delighted to be involved in the unveiling of this new statue and welcome the generous support that will continue to enable us to help every cat and dog that needs us.”
Alex Zane, TV Presenter and host of the event, says “I’ve had the honour of unveiling all ten sculptures in Leicester Square so far from Batman to Bean, and I can confidently say this is the biggest, and cutest! It’s going to be a hit with kids, and I for one will be walking my dog Simon here, if purely to see his reaction to this colossal canine!”
