History Film / DoctorDolittle

* CatsAreMean: Averted. We rarely see Doolittle interacting with cats, but in "Like Animals," he makes it clear their "affection is plain."

* HollywoodNatives: The inhabitants of Sea Star Island initially appear to fit this trope, but it turns out to be a deliberate subversion. They are, in fact, highly educated and cultured, fluent in multiple languages, and only detain newcomers because of bad experiences with explorers. Granted, they plan to kill Doolittle's party for bringing bad fortune, but even that's done in strict accordance with their established laws.

** Rex Harrison's Doctor Dolittle is far colder and more impatient than the jovial, excitable and friendly man of the original books. Can said to be a sort of CharacterExaggeration, since even in the books the Doctor occasionally showed traces of being NotGoodWithPeople... just not nearly to the extent of the Doctor in this movie.

* BrutalHonesty: Dolittle, partly due to him being NotGoodWithPeople. Emma calls him "very rude" because of what he said about her uncle, but she follows up with "Of course, I wouldn't mind so much except everything he said was true."

* NotGoodWithPeople: Doctor Dolittle can speak with animals and relates well to them, but aside from a few close friends humans are really hard for him to deal with.

Many years later, the film received a ScreenToStageAdaptation, with Mark Williams as Dolittle.

* EverythingsBetterWithLlamas: The Pushmi-Pullyu. (In the original books, it's more like a gazelle.)

** Col. Bellows is much nastier than any of the book characters whose roles he absorbs.

* CanonForeigner: Emma Fairfax, her uncle Col. Bellows, and William Shakespeare the X. Story-wise, they loosely fill in for Theodosia, Sir William Peabody, and Prince Bumpo.

** Col. Bellows combines roles from the owner of the plow horse with spectacles, Sir William Peabody, and the judge Eustace Beauchamp Conckley from ''Voyages''

* AdaptationalJerkass: Rex Harrison's Doctor Dolittle is far colder and more impatient than the jovial, excitable and friendly man of the original books. Can said to be a sort of CharacterExaggeration, since even in the books the Doctor occasionally showed traces of being NotGoodWithPeople... just not nearly to the extent of the Doctor in this movie.

* DemotedToExtra: The Pushmi-Pullyu in the books had a far bigger role; here, it's reduced to a MythologyGag and [[TheCameo cameo]].

A 1967 American {{musical}} film, directed by Richard Fleischer and based on the ''Literature/DoctorDolittle'' books by Creator/HughLofting. It stars Creator/RexHarrison in the title role, with Creator/SamanthaEggar as Emma Fairfax, Anthony Newley as Matthew Mugg, and Creator/RichardAttenborough as Albert Blossom. Script, songs and score were written by Music/LeslieBricusse.

-->'''Matt:''' I told you ''Flounder'' was no name for a boat!\\

[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/original_movie_poster_for_the_film_doctor_dolittle.jpg]]

A 1967 film musical directed by Richard Fleischer, based on the ''Literature/DoctorDolittle'' books by Creator/HughLofting. It stars Creator/RexHarrison in the title role and Anthony Newley as his sidekick Matthew Mugg. Script, songs and score were written by Music/LeslieBricusse.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_481.jpeg]]

The film had a TroubledProduction, with hundreds of animals to wrangle, location shooting troubles, and Harrison throwing his weight around. Producer Arthur P. Jacobs even had a heart attack during production (but was happy to get another pet project of his, ''Film/{{Planet of the Apes|1968}}'', greenlit by the studio). It was a critical and popular flop, but managed to score two UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s, for Original Song ("Talk to the Animals") and Special Effects.

* AnimatedAdaptation: The 1970 TV cartoon produced by Creator/DepatieFrelengEnterprises was loosely based on this film.

Many years later, the film received a ScreenToStageAdaptation.

* BrutalHonesty: Dolittle, partly due to him being NotGoodWithPeople. Emma calls him "very rude" because of what he said about her uncle, but she follows up with "Of course, I wouldn't mind so much except everything he said was true".

* AnimalStereotypes: Subverted in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-V7oua1EVs Like Animals]]".

* AnimalStereotypes: Subverted in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-V7oua1EVs Like Animals]]".

-->'''Stubbins:''' ''[gleefully]'' I once read a story about a tribe who would burn people alive, and ate them for dinner. I bet that's what they're going to do to us.\\

* NightmareFetishist: [[TagalongKid Tommy Stubbins]], of all people. Case in point (when he and his friends have been imprisoned by the natives of Sea Star Island):
-->'''Stubbins''': (cheerfully) I bet you anything you like they're going to kill us.\\
'''Emma''': Whoever said children have beautiful minds has obviously never met ''you.''
** And later, when Dolittle and the gang are about to be ''executed:''
-->'''Stubbins''': (gleefully) I once read a story about a tribe who would burn people alive, and 'et them for dinner. I bet that's what they're going to do to us.\\
'''Dolittle''': Stubbins, will you please put a curb on your ''lurid'' imagination?

-->'''Matt''': I told you ''Flounder'' was no name for a boat!\\
'''Dolittle''': Nonsense. Flounder is a wonderful little fish, survived for millions of years.\\
'''Matt''': Hah! Aye, ''below'' the surface!

* RhymingWithItself: Kinda. "Talk To The Animals" rhymes "three lions" with "sea-lions".