| Released | 1998 |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Director | Betty Thomas |
| Written by | Nat Mauldin, Larry Levin |
| Music | Richard Gibbs |
| Studio | 20th Century Fox |
| Rated | PG-13 |
Dr. Dolittle is a feature film comedy loosely based on the original Doctor Dolittle concept created by Hugh Lofting. The movie starred Eddie Murphy as a physician who can hear animals talking to him.
Dr. John Dolittle is a no-nonsense physician who is nevertheless somewhat concerned about the pending corporate buyout of the hospital where he works. When he has an accident involving a dog, he re-discovers a unique ability: he can talk to animals. At first, he resists this ability, even considering himself crazy, but eventually he learns to embrace it.
Jim Henson's Creature Shop supplied the following animatronic animals for dialogue, stunt scenes, and other movements: Lucky the dog, Jake the tiger, Rodney the guinea pig, a pair of rats, and a pigeon married couple. All other animal characters were portrayed solely by live animals, augmented with digital effects supplied by various companies.
A string of sequels followed, all without Creature Shop involvement.
Cast[]
- Eddie Murphy as Dr. John Dolittle
- Ossie Davis as Archer Dolittle
- Oliver Platt as Dr. Mark Weller
- Peter Boyle as Calloway
- Richard Schiff as Dr. Gene Reiss
- Kristen Wilson as Lisa Dolittle
- Jeffrey Tambor as Dr. Fish
- Kyla Pratt as Maya Dolittle
- Raven-Symoné as Charisse Dolittle
- Steven Gilborn as Dr. Sam Litvack
- Paul Giamatti as Blaine (uncredited)
Voices[]
Creature Shop Voices[]
- Norm Macdonald as Lucky
- Albert Brooks as Jake
- Chris Rock as Rodney
- Reni Santoni as Rat #1
- John Leguizamo as Rat #2
- Julie Kavner as Female Pigeon
- Garry Shandling as Male Pigeon
Other Voices[]
- Ellen DeGeneres as Prologue Dog
- Brian Doyle-Murray as Old Beagle
- Gilbert Gottfried as Compulsive Dog
- Paul Reubens as Raccoon
- Jenna Elfman as Owl
Creature Shop Credits[]
- Lead Puppeteer: Allan Trautman
- Performance Coordinators: Allan Trautman, Ian Tregonning
- Puppeteers: Bill Barretta, Kevin Carlson, Bruce Lanoil, Drew Massey, Ian Tregonning, Mak Wilson
- Creative Supervisor: David Barrington-Holt
- Visual Supervisor: Peter Brooke
- Puppet Builders: Rick Cedillo, Marian Keating, Robin McCarthy, Leticia Sandoval, Amy Whetsel, Julie Zobel
- Feather Technician: Robin Dufay
- Hair Technicians: Karin Hanson, Kate Studley, Cyndee Wilkes, Lisa Cordero
- Finishers: Duke Cullen, Stephanie Thompson
Creatures[]
See also[]
- Doctor Dolittle, the stage musical