Dolittle (film)

Dolittle
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStephen Gaghan
Screenplay by
Story byThomas Shepherd
Based onDoctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGuillermo Navarro
Edited by
Music byDanny Elfman[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17) (United States)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$175–192.4 million[2][3]
Box office$251.5 million[4]

Dolittle is a 2020 American fantasy adventure film directed by Stephen Gaghan from a screenplay by Gaghan, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand, based on a story by Thomas Shepherd. Dolittle is based on the title character created by Hugh Lofting and is primarily inspired by the author's second Doctor Dolittle book, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922). Robert Downey Jr. stars as the title character, alongside Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Jessie Buckley, Harry Collett, and Kasia Smutniak in live-action roles, with Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, and Marion Cotillard voicing an array of creatures.

It is the third iteration of film adaptions based on the character, after the 1967 musical Doctor Dolittle starring Rex Harrison and the 1998–2009 Dr. Dolittle film series starring Eddie Murphy as the titular character and later Kyla Pratt as his daughter, and the only one not to be distributed by 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios).

The project was announced as The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle in March 2017 with Downey set to star, and the rest of the cast joined over the following year. Filming began in March 2018 and lasted through June, taking place around the United Kingdom. The film underwent three weeks of reshoots in the spring of 2019, directed by Jonathan Liebesman and written by Chris McKay, after initial test screenings yielded poor results.

Universal Pictures theatrically released Dolittle in the United States on January 17, 2020. The film received generally negative reviews and grossed $251.5 million worldwide, making it a box-office bomb for a reported loss of $50–100 million. It was nominated for six Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, winning for Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.

  1. ^ "Danny Elfman to Score 'The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference reshoots was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference carolinereid was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Dolittle". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.