STARS : Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson, Ossie Davis, Oliver Platt and the Voice Talent of Norm MacDonald, Chris Rock, John Leguizamo, Albert Brooks and Garry Shandling

In what is probably the rarest of rare events, Dr. Dolittle is a remake that is far superior to the original. Of late there have been very few of these : Planet of the Apes, Psycho and Just Visiting to name a few which are all pale imitations of their inspirers.

John Dolittle (Murphy) is an ordinary boy, with an extraordinary gift : he can talk to animals. His father thinks he is going insane and punishes John by taking away his best friend, his pet dog. As a result, John is traumatised and loses his ability. Fast forward many years later and John Dolittle is now a successful doctor as per his father’s wishes who works in a promising practise on the verge of a grand discovery.

However, when John accidently hits a dog, with his car, his gift starts to come back. At first, he is understandably distressed and thinks he’s lost his mind but gradually comes to realise how much help he can now be both animal and human patients.

Thankfully there is not a single song to be heard by the main characters, can anyone say “If I Could Talk To The Animals” but there are plenty of laughs during the film’s very short running time of just over 80 minutes.

Aimed squarely at kids who will be amused for the duration of the film although some of the more jaded adults may struggle to keep interest.

THE EXTRAS

*Theatrical Trailer (2:15 mins) - Trailer for Dr Dolittle, presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, It looks quite good and does not give away all the movie, but draws you in.

CONCLUSION

An excellent movie for kids and all animal lovers. Great fun and plenty of good one liners.