The animals are fun, the characters are likeable, and the movie has a nice subtle message for kids. And boy, has Pratt grown up since Dolittle 2 (shown).
Parental approval is one thing, but actually being able to sit through a film designed for kids is quite another. In this matter, I was grateful that Shapiro directed his actors to play it reasonably real, not over-the-top, which has come to define the cheap comedies that have overpopulated the Disney Channel these days.
And the animals? All I can say is cool. For a change we get to see some different critters, many of them endangered (including an anteater) and all of them provided by the Mountain View Conservation & Breeding Center, whose goal is to breed threatened species and then reintroduce them into the wild. Oh, there are a few corny lines and moments featuring the dog and a Capuchin monkey, but for the most part it's fun watching the animals do their thing among the humans.
"Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief" is rated PG for "brief mild language and some rude behavior"--but as I said, it's not all that much. This one comes as close to a G rating as you can get, I think.
Video:
Not much to say about the video quality except that it's a decent picture. It doesn't blow you away, nor does it disappoint. The film is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, which stretches to fit the entire 16x9 television monitor. Colors are pleasantly bright and rich, and though there's a very slight fuzziness around some of the edges it's still a clear picture with a decent amount of detail.
Audio:
The audio is a decent English Dolby Digital 5.1, with additional options in Spanish and French Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, and subtitles in English and Spanish. It's a clear, if not dynamic, soundtrack that makes pretty good use of rear effects speakers, especially when the animal antics kick in. Music also gets channeled through more speakers than the dialogue. "Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief" is closed captioned in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras:
The bonus features are scant and brief, but fun to watch. Three of them-"Casting Critter Sessions," "Working with Actors of a Different Breed," and "Goin' Wild"-feel so similar in focus that they could have been combined into one feature. In them, Pratt and others talk about working with the animals, and we see plenty of behind-the-scenes footage. It's funny, in a way, to hear her talk about how she had to fly in especially to meet with the monkey, to make sure she got along with it. Nothing was said about what they would have done if the two didn't hit it off, though. A fourth feature gives us a brief tour of the Mountain View Conservation & Breeding Center in Canada, which supplied all the animals, and we hear more about their efforts to sustain endangered species.
Bottom Line:
Maybe it's because I expected a real turkey that I was pleasantly surprised that "Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief" was as entertaining as it was. Then again, thinking back to the first two films, maybe it's just because this one doesn't go so far over-the-top or settle for cheap laughs. The animals are fun, the characters are likeable, and the movie has a nice subtle message for kids. Is it predictable and formulaic? Yep. But it does what it attempts fairly well, and for that I give it some credit.
And the animals? All I can say is cool. For a change we get to see some different critters, many of them endangered (including an anteater) and all of them provided by the Mountain View Conservation & Breeding Center, whose goal is to breed threatened species and then reintroduce them into the wild. Oh, there are a few corny lines and moments featuring the dog and a Capuchin monkey, but for the most part it's fun watching the animals do their thing among the humans.
"Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief" is rated PG for "brief mild language and some rude behavior"--but as I said, it's not all that much. This one comes as close to a G rating as you can get, I think.
Video:
Not much to say about the video quality except that it's a decent picture. It doesn't blow you away, nor does it disappoint. The film is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, which stretches to fit the entire 16x9 television monitor. Colors are pleasantly bright and rich, and though there's a very slight fuzziness around some of the edges it's still a clear picture with a decent amount of detail.
Audio:
The audio is a decent English Dolby Digital 5.1, with additional options in Spanish and French Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, and subtitles in English and Spanish. It's a clear, if not dynamic, soundtrack that makes pretty good use of rear effects speakers, especially when the animal antics kick in. Music also gets channeled through more speakers than the dialogue. "Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief" is closed captioned in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras:
The bonus features are scant and brief, but fun to watch. Three of them-"Casting Critter Sessions," "Working with Actors of a Different Breed," and "Goin' Wild"-feel so similar in focus that they could have been combined into one feature. In them, Pratt and others talk about working with the animals, and we see plenty of behind-the-scenes footage. It's funny, in a way, to hear her talk about how she had to fly in especially to meet with the monkey, to make sure she got along with it. Nothing was said about what they would have done if the two didn't hit it off, though. A fourth feature gives us a brief tour of the Mountain View Conservation & Breeding Center in Canada, which supplied all the animals, and we hear more about their efforts to sustain endangered species.
Bottom Line:
Maybe it's because I expected a real turkey that I was pleasantly surprised that "Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief" was as entertaining as it was. Then again, thinking back to the first two films, maybe it's just because this one doesn't go so far over-the-top or settle for cheap laughs. The animals are fun, the characters are likeable, and the movie has a nice subtle message for kids. Is it predictable and formulaic? Yep. But it does what it attempts fairly well, and for that I give it some credit.
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