Doctor Dolittle

G

Released Dec 19, 1967

2h 32m

Kids & Family

Musical

List

29%

21 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Dr. John Dolittle (Rex Harrison) lives in a small English village where he specializes in caring for and verbally communicating with animals. When Dr. Dolittle is unjustly sent to an insane asylum for freeing a lovesick seal from captivity, his animals and two closest human friends, Matthew Mugg (Anthony Newley) and Tommy Stubbins (William Dix), liberate him. Afterward, they join Emma Fairfax (Samantha Eggar) and set out by boat to find a famed and elusive creature: the Great Pink Sea Snail.

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Alice B. T

This is the first and best version. The one with Eddie Murphy as Dr. Dolittle was hilarious, but it's like comparing apples and oranges.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Awful. The treatment of the animals used is abysmal - bears being forced to walk on their hind legs, seals having balls thrown at their faces. Horrid

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

donald d

A very dated movie, with NO memorable songs for a so-called musical. The movie drags on and on and.....

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

joel h

I thought Doctor Dolittle was boring when I watched it as a kid, but when I watched it as an adult…it's still pretty boring. Here's the weird thing, though, my kids really liked it. I don't know why, exactly, maybe it's because they just liked seeing animals do silly things, or maybe it's the outlandish story. Regardless of what it was, we ended up having a nice time watching it together, even though I don't really care to watch it again.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

steve d

It's not great but still the best version out there.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

jordan m

I think the movie favored lengthy musical numbers over a thick plot, which makes a lot of sense for a musical when it is not 2.5 hours long. This felt like they fired their editing staff to save money & just put every scene & song they could think of in there, going through three entirely disparate plots that could've been stretched into 3 better-focused 80-minute movies. I liked the rugged look & Dr. House-like voice of Rex until I read about how much of a butthole he was on-set for this movie. The songs were fine for what they were, but just very uneventful.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Richard Fleischer

Director

Rex Harrison

Doctor John Dolittle

Samantha Eggar

Emma Fairfax

Anthony Newley

Matthew Mugg

Richard Attenborough

Albert Blossom

Peter Bull

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Ian Nathan

Empire Magazine

Not even a decent performance from Richard Attenborough can save this disappointing production.

Rated: 2/5

May 12, 2008

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Leslie Bricusse's adaptation retains the delightful aspects while taking considerable liberty with the plot. His music and lyrics, while containing no smash hits, are admirably suited to the scenario.

May 12, 2008

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

It's so clumsy and pounding that taking a child to it might be grounds for a visit from family services.

May 12, 2008

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The offer of free food worked beautifully, and Academy voters shamelessly nominated this debacle for Best Picture (thereby rubbing shoulders with the landmark likes of The Graduate and Bonnie and Clyde).

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 18, 2021

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

Unseen Films

The only redeeming moments come from spasms of unintended campiness like a scene where Harrison sings a love ballad to a seal dressed as an old woman.

Rated: 3/10

Jun 27, 2020

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

The failures on display are legion, so many that it's hard to know where to start.

Rated: 1/5

Jan 19, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Dr. John Dolittle (Rex Harrison) lives in a small English village where he specializes in caring for and verbally communicating with animals. When Dr. Dolittle is unjustly sent to an insane asylum for freeing a lovesick seal from captivity, his animals and two closest human friends, Matthew Mugg (Anthony Newley) and Tommy Stubbins (William Dix), liberate him. Afterward, they join Emma Fairfax (Samantha Eggar) and set out by boat to find a famed and elusive creature: the Great Pink Sea Snail.

Director: Richard Fleischer
Screenwriter: Hugh Lofting, Leslie Bricusse
Distributor: CBS/Fox, 20th Century Fox
Production Co: APJAC Productions, 20th Century Fox
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 19, 1967, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 18, 2012
Runtime: 2h 32m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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