| “ | Whatever made this dog grow could make our food grow, and then save Lyfegro. Please find him. | „ |
| ~ Tieran demands that Clifford be found and brought to him – his most famous quote. |
Zachary "Zac" Tieran, or more commonly known as Mr. Tieran, and simply by his surname Tieran, is the main antagonist of the 2021 fantasy comedy film Clifford the Big Red Dog, which is based on the children's book series of the same name by Norman Bridwell.
He is the selfish owner and CEO of Lyfegro who seeks to exploit Clifford for both fame and money, henceforth serving as the arch-nemesis of Clifford, Emily Elizabeth Howard and Casey Porter.
He was portrayed by Tony Hale, who also played James Suggs in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, Leslie Noodman in Sanjay and Craig, Apothecary Gary in Amphibia, Joker in Batman Ninja, and Doctor Psycho in Harley Quinn.
Personality[]
Zac is described from the film as an immature, childish, impatient, deceitful, and conniving person. He thought he can successfully run his own company to make a difference in the world, when in reality he has no idea how to. He would resort to bribery and cheating when he doesn't get his way. When his plans fails, he tries to ask his employees to help him out of any situation. This however fails as in the end, he owes the city a lot of money for his lying and damages.
Biography[]
Tieran is first seen in his lab running some experiments on animals that are mutated. At a meeting, he suddenly discovers Clifford on the news. Believing that something must gotten Clifford to grow so big, Tieran plots to have Clifford to himself. To that end, he falsely claims to the police and the citizens that he genetically engineered Clifford. He also tips off Emily Elizabeth's landlord Mr. Packard, resulting Emily, along with her Uncle Casey and Clifford, to be evicted out from their apartment (as dogs weren't allowed in the apartment complex).
Tieran then tried to bribe Casey and Emily into giving Clifford to him, but they refuse and instead run away with Clifford, resulting Tieran to declare a manhunt on the dog at the expense of the police resources. Even when Casey and Emily attempt to transport Clifford to an enormous animal sanctuary (owned by Owen Yu's father in Shanghai) by ship to safety, Tieran arranges for law enforcement to intercept the ship and airlift Clifford to Lyfegro, much to Casey and Emily's distraught.
Having succeeded in capturing Clifford, Tieran orders his scientists to run tests on the dog, but Casey and Emily gather their friends and neighbors to stop them from experimenting on Clifford, allowing him to escape away with Emily. Tieran and the cops are forced to chase Clifford to Manhattan Bridge Park, where Clifford and Emily reunite with Mr. Bridwell (the very same man who founded Clifford as a puppy and brought him to his animal rescue tent before handing him over to Emily). Around the same time, Casey comes with several news reporters and truthfully explains that Emily adopted Clifford and that Tieran lied to everyone.
Eventually, Tieran catches up with his attorney Colette and his employee Albert at the park, proclaiming that Clifford is the property of Lyfegro and that he was equipped with an ID chip that his scientists implanted earlier that will prove it. Tieran then calls for the police to scan the ID chip, knowing fully well that it will identify himself as the owner. However, out of disgust towards Tieran for his actions, Bridwell secretly uses a wave of magic to reprogram the chip in identifying Emily as Clifford's rightful owner to everyone, thus proving Casey's claims true, much to Tieran's distraught. With the truth exposed, the police and citizens realized that Tieran lied to everybody; even Mr. Packard develops a change of heart by eradicating the Howards' eviction and happily letting Clifford be his new assistant in the apartment complex.
After noticing what a deceitful and greedy person that Tieran truly is, the police chief angrily informs him that he will be given a serious fine for making false statements and wasting police resources in stealing away a dog that never belonged to him. Realizing now that he's in big trouble, Tieran tries to turn over to Colette for help, but she quits and leaves Tieran for because she found out he's a trater. Even when Albert offers to fill in for Colette, Zac refuses by stating that he doesn't care about Albert angerly because his mendacity about Clifford didn't accomplish what he hoped it would. It can be speculated that Tieran himself will be facing serious charges and end up in prison for his actions, and that Lyfegro will be shut down.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- Casey (Only for a brief moment)
- Colette (attorney)(until she finally realizes she's been lied to)
- Albert (Former right-hand)
Enemies[]
- Emily Elizabeth Howard (arch-nemesis)
- Casey (second arch-nemesis)
- Clifford (attempted victim)
- Owen Yu
- Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis
Trivia[]
- It's unknown what happened to the Lyfegro facility after Zac Tieran was apprehended; it could be that it was shut down or sold. It's also unknown weather of not he will end up getting revenge on Emily and her rescue partners for ruining his evil plan.
- Tieran is the third antagonist of the Clifford the Big Red Dog franchise, the first being George Wolfsbottom and his daughter Madison from the animated film Clifford's Really Big Movie, the film based on the animated series. However, unlike George and Madison (who have sympathetic traits and redeem themselves), Zac is far more despicable and more of a threat and does not redeem himself.
- Zac could be seen as somewhat similar to Mr. Bleakman from the animated series, as both are men who are antagonistic towards Clifford. However, Mr. Bleakman is generally friends with Clifford that is simply more annoyed with Clifford than anything, making him more of a jerk and a typical grumpy old man rather than a villain, whereas Zac is a genuine villain and enemy towards Clifford who actually tries to harm him (and other animals for that matter) despite Clifford doing nothing to him.