After losing his wife seven years earlier, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle, famed doctor and veterinarian of Queen Victoria’s England, hermits himself away behind the high walls of Dolittle Manor with only his menagerie of exotic animals for company. But when the young queen falls gravely ill, a reluctant Dolittle is forced to set sail on an epic adventure to a mythical island in search of a cure, regaining his wit and courage as he crosses old adversaries and discovers wondrous creatures.
Practical Effects
The practical animal designs that got buried in CGI.
Production
Gorgeous Victorian sets wasted on fart jokes.
Acting
RDJ's inexplicable Welsh-adjacent accent choice.
Director
Stephen Gaghan
Robert Downey Jr.
Dr. John Dolittle
Harry Collett
Tommy Stubbins
Michael Sheen
Dr. Blair Müdfly
Jim Broadbent
Lord Thomas Badgley
Antonio Banderas
King Rassouli
Rami Malek
Chee-Chee (voice)
Jessie Buckley
Queen Victoria
Emma Thompson
Poly (voice)
John Cena
Yoshi (voice)
Kumail Nanjiani
Plimpton (voice)
Craig Robinson
Kevin (voice)
Ralph Fiennes
Barry (voice)
Tom Holland
Jip (voice)
Octavia Spencer
Dab-Dab (voice)
Selena Gomez
Betsy (voice)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
RDJ insisted on doing extensive reshoots with new director Jonathan Liebesman after original screenings bombed, essentially rebuilding half the movie.
This marked RDJ's first post-Marvel starring role, making its $175M budget and critical drubbing a fascinating case study in A-list fallibility.
US
