Main Human Characters in Dr Dolittle
Dr John Dolittle is a fictional physician and veterinarian who can communicate with animals. In the 2020 live-action film, the character is portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. The story follows his reclusive life after losing his wife and his journey to save a dying queen on a fictional island. The character originates from the classic British novels by Hugh Lofting, first published in the early 20th century. The 2020 film was produced by Universal Pictures and Roth/Kirschenbaum Films, with a screenplay by Stephen Gaghan and Dan Gregor. The film was released in January 2020 and grossed over 250 million dollars worldwide against a production budget of 175 million dollars, according to industry tracking sources like Forbes.
Tommy Stubbins is the young apprentice who becomes Dr Dolittle's assistant and student in the 2020 film. The character is portrayed by actor Harry Collett, who was born in 2004 and is known for roles in British television and film. Tommy serves as the audience surrogate who witnesses the doctor's unique ability and joins the expedition to the island. In the original Hugh Lofting books, Tommy is a local boy who discovers the doctor's secret and begins learning animal languages. The 2020 film adapts this role into a more central, active companion who helps navigate the journey through exotic locations and dangerous encounters with poachers and other threats.
Key Animal Characters and Their Voice Actors
The 2020 live-action film features a large ensemble of CGI animals, each voiced by a major Hollywood actor. The polar bear character, named Yoshi, is voiced by Kumail Nanjiani. The blue falcon named Gabrielle is voiced by Emma Thompson. The gorilla named Chee-Chee is voiced by Rami Malek, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor in 2019 for his role in Bohemian Rhapsody. The raccoon named Kevin is voiced by John Cena, and the chameleon named Regine is voiced by Octavia Spencer. The ostrich named Betsy is voiced by Frances de la Tour, and the tiger named Barry is voiced by Tom Holland.
In the animated Dr Dolittle series and films, the animal characters often have different designs and personalities while maintaining the core concept of a doctor who talks to animals. The 1967 musical film Doctor Dolittle starred Rex Harrison as the doctor and featured animated sequences with animal characters. The animated series Doctor Dolittle, which aired in the late 1980s, featured a different cast of animal friends including a dog named Dab-Dab and a duck named Dab-Dab. The 2020 film uses advanced CGI and motion capture technology to render the animals, with visual effects supervised by teams at studios such as Framestore and DNEG, according to production credits and industry reports from SEC filings and trade publications.
Film Versions, Production Companies, and Global Reception
The Dr Dolittle franchise spans multiple film versions, starting with the 1967 musical, followed by the 1998 animated film and its sequels, and the 2020 live-action reboot. The 1998 animated film was produced by Davis Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It grossed over 294 million dollars worldwide and spawned two direct-to-video sequels. The 2020 live-action version was directed by Stephen Gaghan and produced by Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, a multinational mass media and technology conglomerate headquartered in the United States.