After the animal communicating veterinarian goes too far for his clientele, he and his friends escape their hometown to the sea in search of the Great Pink Sea Snail.After the animal communicating veterinarian goes too far for his clientele, he and his friends escape their hometown to the sea in search of the Great Pink Sea Snail.After the animal communicating veterinarian goes too far for his clientele, he and his friends escape their hometown to the sea in search of the Great Pink Sea Snail.
- Won 2 Oscars
- 6 wins & 15 nominations total
Frank Baker
- Trial Spectator
- (uncredited)
Buddy Bryan
- Roustabout
- (uncredited)
Garrett Cassell
- Inmate
- (uncredited)
Edward Cast
- Prison Guard
- (uncredited)
Judy Chapman
- Dancer
- (uncredited)
Judy the Chimpanzee
- Chee-Chee
- (uncredited)
Phyllis Coghlan
- Courtroom Spectator
- (uncredited)
Robert Cole
- Roustabout
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia"The Reluctant Vegetarian" was one of the hardest scenes to film, mainly because of the number of animals that had to sit still for a lengthy period. The cast had hours of rehearsal and preparation before filming started. The first take went very well, until Sir Rex Harrison stopped singing. Director Richard Fleischer asked him why, and Harrison said he heard him yell "Cut!" Fleischer denied it, and they were starting to argue about it when both heard a voice yell "Cut!" The guilty party turned out to be Polynesia the Parrot. Harrison said "That's the first time I've ever been directed by a parrot. But she may be right. I probably can do it better."
- GoofsWhen considering ways to change the course of the island, Dr. Dolittle says elephants cannot swim. Elephants are excellent swimmers, which he should know.
- Quotes
Dr. Dolittle: I do not understand the human race/Has so little love for creatures with a different face./Treating animals like people is no madness or disgrace./I do not understand the human race.
- Alternate versionsIn the general release version of the film, the songs "Where Are The Words", sung by Anthony Newley, and "Something in Your Smile", sung by Rex Harrison, were omitted.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Film Review: Richard Attenborough (1968)
- SoundtracksOverture
Written by Leslie Bricusse
Performed by 20th Century Fox Studio Orchestra, conducted by Lionel Newman
Featured review
Hit-and-Miss Musical.
I do admit that I like "Dr. Dolittle" for the most part, but the film struggles with a sometimes silly story and unclear direction. The titled character (Rex Harrison) learns that dealing with animals is better for him than dealing with human beings. Thus he becomes a doctor for the animals and learns how to speak their various languages. He goes on a long and seemingly empty journey to find a giant pink snail and an equally over-sized moth. The screenplay is not too strong and most of the performances are sophomoric. However, Rex Harrison somehow makes it all work with an enthusiastic and very likeable performance. The songs are not bad either. In fact the "Talk to the Animals" is one of those few songs from a movie that just seems timeless for some reason. "Dr. Dolittle" did receive a Best Picture Oscar nod in 1967 along with much, much darker films like "In the Heat of the Night", "The Graduate", "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". "Dr. Dolittle" was the beginning of the end for the Hollywood musical as it had been in the past. Overall the film stays above water, but do not expect a masterpiece. 4 stars out of 5.
helpful•43
- tfrizzell
- May 6, 2002
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Cudnovati dr. Dulitl
- Filming locations
- Marigot Bay, St Lucia(giant snail on the beach)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $17,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 32 minutes
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