Dr. Dolittle 2 is an American comedy film, and the theatrical sequel to the 1998 film Dr. Dolittle. The continuing tale of the doctor who can talk to the animals—this time, it's Dolittle versus Darwin when the animals launch a labor strike to protect their forest from unscrupulous human developers. Dolittle quickly comes up with a plan: populate the forest with a species of animal that the law protects. He finds a perfect candidate when he comes across Ava (Lisa Kudrow), a lone Pacific Western bear living in the condemned forest. To provide her with a mate, Dolittle turns to Archie (Steve Zahn), a wise-cracking, fast-food loving, circus performing bear.
This film features a cameo appearance by Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin.
This is the final film in the remake series to feature Eddie Murphy, Raven-Symone and most of the original animal voice cast.
Plot
The movie starts out with Lucky the Dog (voiced by Norm McDonald) explaining John Dolittle's (Eddie Murphy) gift of talking to animals. John comes home from France and gives his wife a present from Paris while he was on talk shows and other things about his gift. He also gives his daughter, Maya (Kyla Pratt), a chameleon, named Pepito, from Mexico.
Also, Charisse's (Raven-Symone) sixteenth birthday is coming today, and John was mad because she decided to go out on a date when she was supposed to spend it at her house. She was also not doing well in her classes. As a punishment, her father takes her phone away. Later on, her boyfriend, Eric Wilson (Lil' Zane), comes over and he is told that they have to spend her birthday there so he joins them. John embarrasses Charisse by telling stories and doing stupid stuff. He is interrupted by Joey (voice of Michael Rapaport), a raccoon that tells him that his boss, the Godbeaver, wants to see him and he says no than later tells him to meet him in his car the next morning. He goes back inside and when they start singing happy birthday, Charisse's cake has the two annoying rats from the original film in it, claiming that they wanted to surprise her. John then brings them outside.
Afterwards, Charisse is in Maya's room later on as she hears a conversation between her little sister and Lucky and her father promises her they would go to Europe. The raccoon goes to her fire escape and John yells "Tomorrow" at him. So obviously, she thinks that he means they are going to Europe tomorrow. He tells her and his family that they are going.
The next day, John, Joey and a possum named Jimmy brings him to the forest outside of the city. He meets the Godbeaver (voice of Richard C. Sarafian) and the beaver shows him that the forest is being cut down. John plans to save the forest to get an endangered female Pacific Western bear together with a male to save their species though that is only if the male stays away from campsites and stores, though he only has one month to do it.
At a circus, John attempts to get Archie, the surviving male member in his species, to go out into the forest to teach him to become a real bear and mate with the lone potential Pacific Western bear female, Ava. Reluctantly, he agrees but John knows that Archie, being separated from his mother when he was six-months old, doesn't know what kind of bear he is and never acts as a real animal. John, after taking his family on a vacation to the forest for the rest of the month then makes a deal with Ava to not make any decisions for the month and promised to turn Archie into someone she will love to provide, hunt and protect for her when she has cubs, though she is already involved with someone else.
During the training, Archie attempts to catch a fish but he didn't have the time to grab one then drowned because of having an inability to lift his head out of the water, though he can't eat insects, and can't hibernate. After a unsuccessful attempt to be taught by two bears, John hires his animal friends to make an attempt to stop Charisse and Eric from making out, though unlike the training, it was a success.
Meanwhile, John then teaches Archie and Lucky to be the strongest males in their species, though the training goes to trouble when John accidentally scolds Lisa and then, unwittingly ignores her for the next few days. Then, John tells Archie that he will win Ava's heart, by challenging a fight to her boyfriend, the tough, western-accented Kodiak Bear, Sonny.
Then, every animal in the forest watches as John dances with Lisa and the two attempt to embrace but Lucky accidentally blows it, making John angrily getting the animals away from the cabin and Lisa dumps him by making him sleep on the couch, much to his chagrin. Then, Archie attempts to get Ava's attention by singing her a song while imitating John in a smooth voice and on a tree branch but blows his attempt when he is too heavy for the branch to hold and he falls down, humiliating himself.
Archie then refused to come out of his newfound cave because of humiliating himself in front of Ava and John attempts to get him out by calling him a coward. Archie proclaims that it was hard but John knows how hard it is when his wife grows mad at him, Charisse growing mad at him too and spending his family vacation with a pizza guy as Charisse's boyfriend. John constantly calls him a coward and pokes him, much to Archie's chagrin. When Archie hits John, making him fall on a muddy hole, Archie begins to listen to his "inner bear".
As he brings Ava a fish, Archie wants to know why Sonny is acting like Prince Charming, though Ava reveals that he brings a "hundred fish" and asking her if she'll be in heat, rather than telling her how beautiful she was and making her life comfortable with fun, poetry and laughs. The two then went out on a walk and as Lucky knows, there is "love in the air".
Then, Lucky then attempts to win the affection an attractive female wolf (though throughout the film, Lucky attempts to get her attention two times but both are unsuccessful as she runs off as Lucky assumes the weakness position for wolves and heads off after drinking Lucky's water bowl and being chased by John who teaches Lucky and Archie to be alpha males). The attempt was successful as Lucky urinates around her territory and she is about to go out with him but one of her packmates came and finds Lucky urinating part of the pack's territory and the two wolves leave, much to Lucky's depression.
Then, Archie and Ava, after the walk, find a bee hive on a fallen tree at the edge of a very tall hill and Archie attempts to get it but Ava tells him that many bears had died getting it, so he agrees. Sonny arrives at the scene and attempts to run Archie off but he gets outwitted by his rival, though he doesn't like getting confused. Archie still wants Ava around but Ava reluctantly goes with Sonny, much to Archie's depression.
Afterwards, Mr. Potter, the owner of two logging companies, attempts to make a deal with John and when Archie arrives, he tells John he has his "big finish", knowing that he will win Ava about John telling him to listen to his "inner bear". Back at the cabin, Charisse is beginning to hate living in the forest and is annoyed with her family talking to the animals, though John doesn't know what is bothering her. Meanwhile, Archie goes after the bee hive on the fallen tree branch while watching out for his balance and the log is beginning to collapse as the animals watch and John attempts to stop Archie from getting the hive.
The bees that are protecting the hive attack Archie, go after John but then, chase after Mr. Potter's apprentice. Archie, at all last, finally gets the hive, winning Ava's heart and earning the respect of the other animals, though a furious Sonny could have got that hive if he wanted and Ava then dumps him to go with Archie.
When the two play hide-and-seek to mate, Mr. Potter's apprentice tranquilizes him. John returns after this and finds that Archie, being hit by the tranquilizer dart, destroyed the back of a restaurant in the woods. After getting advice from the other animals of what happened, John visits Archie in jail after an attempt to get one more week to get Archie to mate with Ava to save the Pacific Western bear species. Archie then discovers that he may be too dangerous to be set free and is going to be sold to a Mexican circus.
Then, John realizes that Charisse has developed her father's gift of talking to animals, though it has been in her for two weeks now. Later, John held a meeting for every animal in the forest to not give up without a fight no matter what kind of animal expression they have and everyone agrees to do it and free Archie. The animals, led by Charisse, Eric, and Maya, rebel against the loggers and every animal around the world go on strikes as an effort to free Archie.
Mr. Potter and his apprentice are then attacked by some of the animals at the company, such as a swarm of rats, a fleet of pigeons, a pack of wolves and Mr. Potter's apprentice is then attacked by the swarm of bees outside the building, while Mr. Potter is cornered by Ava and Joey. Then, when the animals refused to have twelve acres in their home, the strike kept growing, though every animal pros are getting in on the act. As a deal is made, the Dolittles and the animals have saved the entire forest outside of San Fransico.
The film then ends as Charisse and her father getting closer than ever and helping Pepito with his blening problems, Lucky once again winning the affection of the female wolf and cubs being raised by Archie and Ava, though the brother-sister duo are taught by Archie on how to sing and dance.
Cast
Animal Voice Cast
References
External links
