Eddie Murphy’s Dr. Dolittle leaves Netflix January 31; sequel still available

Polygon reports that Eddie Murphy’s 1998 comedy Dr. Dolittle will leave Netflix on January 31, and its 2001 sequel Dr. Dolittle 2 is also available to stream.

Based on Hugh Lofting’s 1920s stories, the film follows a workaholic physician who begins hearing animals after hitting a dog—Lucky—who reignites his ability and is voiced by Norm Macdonald. The article says Murphy’s performance blends panic and straight-man reactions, but that the movie’s standout element is an ensemble of comic voices, including Chris Rock, Albert Brooks, John Leguizamo, Gilbert Gottfried, Garry Shandling and Julie Kavner.

The piece describes the 2001 sequel as weaker overall but still worth a watch for Michael Rapaport’s wiseguy raccoon Joey and Macdonald’s return in a comic b-story. It says the sequel’s plot has Dolittle, now famous for treating animals and humans, enlisted by a godfather-like beaver to save a forest by pairing Lisa Kudrow’s bear Ava with a circus bear, Archie (Steve Zahn), while largely recycling the original film’s workaholic-family arc; the article also notes three later direct-to-video sequels that drop Murphy and focus on his daughter Kyla Pratt and Lucky.

Key Topics

Culture, Eddie Murphy, Dr. Dolittle, Norm Macdonald, Hugh Lofting, Netflix