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| Starring: Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson, Raven-Symone, Jeffrey Jones, Kevin Pollak, Kyla Pratt, Lil' Zane. Voices of: Steve Zahn, Lisa Kudrow, Norm McDonald, Frankie Muniz, Michael Rapaport, Mandy Moore. Director: Steve Carr Writer: Larry Levin Studios: 20th Century Fox, Davis Entertainment. Rated: PG (for language and crude humor) Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes Year: 2001 So, this is the second in a whole batch of sequels this summer (the first sequel was The Mummy Returns), this one the sequel to the box office hit of 1998, Dr. Dolittle, which was actually a remake of another movie from the 1960's. But the studio has changed the sequel to a more family friendly, educational experience than the crude humor the first one contained (which was rated PG-13, by the way). But the sequel is by no means a bad movie. It concerns our hero John Dolittle (Eddie Murphy), the doctor that can talk to animals. Our hero has done quite well for himself now, for he is very rich and is now a part time vet. He has left little time for his family, however, as he discovers on his daughter Charisse's (Raven-Symone) 16th birthday, when she introduces her new boyfriend (Lil' Zane) who works at a Domino's Pizza. His younger daughter Maya (Kyla Pratt) is now a lot older as well and is trying desperately to inherit her father's ability. If that wasn't enough, a raccoon named Joey (voice of Michael Rapaport) has come seeking his services for his boss, The Beaver. The Beaver eventually tells him that he has to stop a few evil execs (Jeffrey Jones, Kevin Pollak) from destroying their forest home. The only problem is that he must find a rare bear to mate with another bear in the forest in order to keep the execs from winning the battle. Thus, Archie (voice of Steve Zahn), a circus bear, enters the picture. Dolittle begins to think it is impossible mainly to the fact that Archie is spoiled and fame seeking, but once Archie sets his sights on Ava (voice of Lisa Kudrow), his hopes are lifted. Let me just put it this way. The movie uses a lot of jokes which were used from the first and it also contains a little too many childish jokes, but the good performances make up for it. Eddie Murphy is very good in his role, as are the rest of the cast members. But the real stars of the movie are the voices, which include Lisa Kudrow, Steve Zahn, Michael Rapaport, Frankie Muniz, Norm McDonald, Mandy Moore, Andy Dick, Molly Shannon, Cedric The Entertainer, Jamie Kennedy and many more. All of them are funny in their sometimes brief animal stints. Overall, a family treat which you should go see with your family and no one else. *** 1/2 stars --Cory Thompson |