In the latest entry of our ongoing series, Screen Rant’s Ryan George reveals what (probably) happened in the pitch meeting for Dolittle - a new take on the doctor who talks to animals, starring Robert Downey Jr. in the title role. Featuring a bizarre accent, a polar bear voiced by John Cena, and bagpipes in an unexpected and very upsetting place, Dolittle is a movie that has to be seen to be believed.
The fact that Dolittle was dumped in a dismal January release slot is the first clue that something went very wrong with this film. It was directed by Stephen Gaghan, who is best known for the geopolitical thriller Syriana and had never helmed a family-friendly studio film before. Dolittle also had a staggeringly massive budget of $175 million, possibly because Universal Pictures over-estimated the built-in fan appeal of the Dolittle Cinematic Universe.
In this take on Hugh Lofting’s The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, Downey plays a Welsh(?) doctor who lives a reclusive life in an old mansion full of animals, still grieving the death of his wife. He’s dragged back out into the world when Queen Victoria becomes seriously ill, and the only cure is the rare MacGuffin fruit, which only grows in a land far, far away. Cue a voyage across the ocean on a boat packed with celebrity-voiced CGI creatures.
Dolittle was released close enough to Cats that you’ll probably be able to book back-to-back viewings of these two Universal films, connected not only by the theme of talking animals but also by having terrible reviews and being box office disasters for the studio. It’s certainly a precipitous drop from Downey’s last movie, Avengers: Endgame, which made $2.8 billion at the box office and squeaked past Avatar to become the highest-grossing movie of all time.
Universal seemed to realize early on that Dolittle was a dud, following poor reactions to test screenings, but attempts to fix the movie in reshoots may have only made things worse. Among the scenes that were added to try and punch up the humor was a regrettable moment in the climax when Doctor Dolittle shoves his hand up the bottom of an angry dragon and pulls out a set of bagpipes - which is followed by the dragon farting at length. This scene does not magically transform Dolittle into a better movie, but at least it’s memorable.
More: Why Dolittle Bombed At The Box Office
