I must have been the only person in the world never to have seen the Dr Dolittle films so I thought I'd add them to my DVD rental basket. Dr Dolitte 2 came the other day and I got round to watching it yesterday. However, I've still not seen the first one! This is a film only review.

*Plot*
John Dolittle can talk to animals. Something that his family, especially his teenage daughter can find extremely irritating at times. One day, his racoon friend tells him that a beaver has requested to see him in the forest. John goes along to meet the beaver and learns that there are plans to cut down the forest, therefore meaning that the wildlife who live there will die. John knows he has to do something to help but is not sure what.

He ponders what to do and realises that the forest cannot be cut down if there is an endangered species living there. There is one bear there at the moment who is endangered, however John learns that there must be more than one member of the species who are willing to keep the species going. Therefore, John makes it his mission to find another bear to put in the forest with Ava.

This is when he comes across Archie, a circus bear who has performed all his life. He is not sure that he wants to go into the forest as he is not keen on fending for himself and much prefers the creature comforts he has being a performing bear. However, John manages to persuade him to go into the forest. Now the only problem is winning over Ava's heart.

*Opinion*
I wasn't sure if I would like this film. Although I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this series I was unsure if it was my sort of thing. However, I'm pleased to say that I loved this film and found it funny and entertaining throughout. I loved the plot of the film as I thought it was relevant to todays society and I also enjoyed the characters.

The plot had a lovely theme to it and it flowed really nicely. There was never a dull moment and although the main story of the bears took up the majority of the film, there was also a sub-plot involving John's daughter which helped to break the film up a bit. I really liked the ending of the film, although it was predictable it had a lovely ending which made me very happy!

The characters really are what make this film. For example there are talking bears, dogs, wolves and a chameleon in this one! The animals are very funny and all have their own personalities which make it fun and interesting to watch. This I imagine would especially appeal to children as the animals are portrayed very well and this aspect of it is very different to any other films I have seen. John is also a very good character, as is his daughter Charisse. They portray the typical father daughter relationship where they don't always see eye to eye.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film and thought it was perfect to watch in an evening where nothing else was on TV. The plot flowed really well and the film was over before I knew it. It was very funny and perfect family viewing.

*Additional Information*
The film was released in 2001.
It stars Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson, Raven Symone and Kyla Pratt.
It is rated a PG and lasts 87 minutes.
It has been rated just 4.7/10 on IMDB (which I am surprised at!)

*Summary*
Great family film definitely worth a watch.