Dolittle (2020)
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A Welsh veterinarian with the ability to communicate with animals must embark on a perilous quest to save the Queen.
The story
In Victorian era Britain, Dr. John Dolittle is a Welsh veterinarian with the ability to communicate with animals. After his adventurous wife Lily dies at sea, Dolittle retreats from human society, living in seclusion at the animal sanctuary gifted to him by Queen Victoria. Years later, young animal lover Tommy Stubbins is forced to go hunting, accidentally wounding a red squirrel named Kevin. He finds himself led to Dolittle's home by Poly the macaw, who hopes his arrival will help Dolittle reconnect with humans. There, Tommy meets Queen Victoria's maid of honor Lady Rose, sent to summon Dolittle to help the queen, who has fallen seriously ill.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Victorian era Britain, Dr. John Dolittle, a Welsh veterinarian who can communicate with animals, lives in seclusion following the death of his wife. When a young boy named Tommy Stubbins and a maid of honor, Lady Rose, arrive to seek his help for the ailing Queen Victoria, Dolittle agrees to intervene to save his sanctuary. He discovers the Queen has been poisoned and must find the magical fruit of the Eden Tree. He assembles a team of animals for an expedition, eventually including Tommy. They face off against his rival, Dr. Blair Müdfly, and navigate various dangers, including a bandit island where they are captured by King Rassouli. After a series of perilous events, including a ship sinking and a confrontation with a dragoness, Dolittle successfully treats the dragoness and secures the fruit. They reach the palace in time to cure the Queen and expose the traitorous Lord Badgley. Following the victory, Dolittle reopens his sanctuary and takes Tommy as his apprentice.
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Stephen Gaghan
- Writers
- Stephen Gaghan · screenplay; Dan Gregor · screenplay; Doug Mand · screenplay; Thomas Shepherd · story
- Cast and characters
- Robert Downey Jr. · Dr. John Dolittle; Antonio Banderas · King Rassouli; Michael Sheen · Dr. Blair Müdfly; Harry Collett · Tommy Stubbins; Emma Thompson · Polynesia ("Poly" for short); Rami Malek · Chee-Chee; John Cena · Yoshi; Kumail Nanjiani · Plimpton
- Genres
- fantasy; adventure
- Themes
- communication; sacrifice; friendship
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; adventure
- Setting
- Victorian era Britain
- Premise and plot tags
- animal communication; quest; fantasy
- Source material / true-story basis
- the title character created by Hugh Lofting and is primarily inspired by the author's second Doctor Dolittle book, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922)
- Reception
- The film received largely negative reviews from critics, who criticized its script, humor, and pacing, though it was noted as being potentially suitable for very young viewers.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 15% · scale: percentage · review count: 241; Metacritic · score: 26 · scale: 100 · review count: 46; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 3 · scale: 5
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel · win
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle.; The production underwent three weeks of reshoots in 2019 due to poor test results.; The film was a box-office bomb, losing an estimated $50–100 million.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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