Dolittle (Blu-ray + DVD)

"Dolittle," also referred to as "The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle," is a 2020 American fantasy adventure film based on the Stephen Gaghan, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand collaborative screenplay adaptation of a "story" written by Thomas Shepherd, a pastiche inspired by the Hugh Lofting 1922 "The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle" novel and characters; it is the third film adaptation based on the 'Dolittle' character, after the 1967 musical 'Doctor Dolittle' starring Rex Harrison and the 1998 – 2009 'Dr. Dolittle' film series starring Eddie Murphy. Directed by the screenwriter Stephen Gaghan, the film stars an awesome cast of humans: Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. John Dolittle, a Welsh widowed veterinarian who has the ability to speak to animals. Antonio Banderas as King Rassouli, king of Monteverde, Lily's father and Dolittle's father-in-law. Michael Sheen as Dr. Blair Müdfly, an old schoolmate and rival of Dolittle. Jim Broadbent as Lord Thomas Badgley, one of the Queen's chairmen who sends Müdfly to thwart Dolittle. Jessie Buckley as Queen Victoria, the Queen of the United Kingdom. Harry Collett as Tommy Stubbins, Dolittle's self-appointed apprentice. Kasia Smutniak as Lily Dolittle, Dolittle's deceased wife and King Rassouli's late daughter. Ralph Ineson as Arnall Stubbins, Tommy's uncle. Carmel Laniado as Lady Rose, a maid of honor to the Queen who becomes Tommy's friend and love interest. Joanna Page as Bethan Stubbins, Tommy's aunt. Elliot Barnes-Worrell as Captain William Derrick, a British Captain Officer who follows Dr. Müdfly's orders. Sonny Ashbourne Serkis as Arnall Stubbins Jr., Tommy's cousin. Only to be outshone by the zoological cast: Emma Thompson as Polynesia ("Poly" for short), a wise and brave blue and yellow macaw with an English accent and Dolittle's most trusted adviser. Rami Malek as Chee-Chee, a shy but noble mountain gorilla. John Cena as Yoshi, a happy-go-lucky polar bear who wears a chullo because he is always cold. Kumail Nanjiani as Plimpton, a mischievous and critical but well-meaning ostrich who wears striped stockings and argues with Yoshi as well as carrying Dolittle around on occasion. Octavia Spencer as Dab-Dab, a helpful but deluded duck with a metal leg. Tom Holland as Jip, a loyal dog who wears glasses. Craig Robinson as Kevin, a cheeky-chippy red squirrel with a bad attitude. Ralph Fiennes as Barry, an aggressive and moody Bengal tiger with golden fangs, who lives on Monteverde and has a past with Dolittle. Selena Gomez as Betsy, a friendly Maasai giraffe. Marion Cotillard as Tutu, a French red fox who is best friends with Betsy and often rides on her head. Frances de la Tour as Ginko-Who-Soars, a fire-breathing dragon who guards the magical fruits of Eden. Jason Mantzoukas as James, a comical damselfly. Nick A. Fisher as Mini, a cute sugar glider. Tim Treloar as Humphrey, a humpback whale that Dolittle enlists. Jim Carretta as Arthur, a bearded mouse who was in Dolittle's beard before it was shaved off. Carretta also voices Leona, an octopus that belongs to Queen Victoria. Ranjani Brow and Kelly Stables as The Mice. Scott Menville as the Army Ant. David Sheinkopf as Don Carpenterino, the boss ant who is Dolittle's and James' contact on Monteverde. Will Arnett as a hare in one of Rassouli's prison cells, who wears an eyepatch and is a friend of Barry. And let us not overlook 'Styx', the walking stick insect spy, not listed in the cast, (reminiscent of 'Bowtruckle' in "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore"). The adventure begins with Tommy Stubbins who accidently injures Kevin the squirrel. Seeing the mishap and the caring Tommy, the sympathetic "Poly" the macaw leads Tommy to carry Kevin to Doctor Dolittle for life-saving surgery. Successful, the adventure continues as the good doctor is summoned to attend another emergency of grave consequence. Released January 17, 2020, Running 101 minutes. Professional film reviewers, known as critics, have outdone themselves in being unduly critical, opining that the narrative and theatrics are in effect witless. Even Robert Downey Jr. expressed regrets about starring in the production. To them, I say, it is they who are foolish for being unable to appreciate the childish aspects of life. I found the film's story, the performers' characterizations, the animations, and the visuals wonderfully fantastic, fanciful, and delightful, giving flight to our imagination. The production is certainly not as brilliant or spellbinding as the 2002 "Dinotopia" or the 2019 - 2022 "His Dark Materials," but it is nonetheless enjoyable, entertaining, and great fun to watch.

Excellent movie. Would recommend.

Robert Downey Jr. has pulled yet another fine character out of his hat. This character is nothing like Sherlock Holmes, the rich playboy/ super hero known as Ironman, as his wonderful performance as Charlie Chaplin, or in Heart and Soul where he plays a young man with friendly ghosts popping in and out of his body. No doubt he will be my favorite actor for a long time. Dolittle was a good movie, a fun time clean film for the whole family. Dolittle (RDJ) somewhat hesitant to leave home since his wife died years before, is sent on a quest and joined by a young boy with a ship load of animals who speak as humans. RDJ spoke in a Welsh accent and mumbled a bit, which was part of his charm in the film and he was rather eccentric. This wasn't his best movie but with the list above and all the many films he'd been in it would need to be exceptional. Though Dolittle wasn't an exceptional movie I'd suggest you collect some young movie watchers and make a lot of popcorn because the story was fun and RDJ was a fine Dolittle.

Was a good gift

I grew up watching these movies! Not the same /: still a fun family movie but not really my kind of movie anymore.

I loved the Dr. Doolittle books when I was a kid but have been a little disappointed in the movie versions. This one I like. Its story stays true to the books without trying too hard to follow them. It's funny, has good acting and very believable characters. Especially the animals. The 3D is very well done and looks really good on my OLED TV. If you want a fun 3D movie to show to your kids, this one is great.

I watched the preview for Dolittle and it looked like it was going to be terrible. My kids hadn't seen it so I figured we would rent it for the heck of it, not expecting much. I wish I would have bought it instead of renting! It was hilarious! I saw a part of Robert Downey Jr's humor that I would like to see much more of. The move even has a decent adventure based story line that reminded me of Disney stories. Now to the bad... I do have to admit that some of the animations could use a little work. Just a little bit of work tho. My kids are 11 and I'm in my 30's and all of loved this movie and would definitely watch it again. It's a 5 star movie and I definitely recommend it.

I was a bit skeptical about this adaptation of the 1966 version with Rex Harrison which is a beloved classic. When an attempt is made to redo a classic it often times is not as good as the original version. However, I am happy to say that I really liked this rendition, the story line was wonderful and Robert Downey Jr., did not disappoint as he made the character of Dr. Doolittle more real with the human emotions and faults we all have with just enough weirdness to make him an interesting lovable puzzle. Additionally, the animals were also a riot each having a distinct personality that makes you smile throughout the story. I would definitely recommend this movie for family fun night or if you are needing a laugh to chase away the blues this would be one to watch.