Summary
Dr. Dolittle 3 is a 2006 American direct-to-video fantasy comedy film and the third film in the Dr. Dolittle series. It stars Kyla Pratt, the original daughter in the remake series, as Maya. Starring alongside Pratt are Kristen Wilson as Lisa Dolittle and Norm Macdonald as the voice of Lucky the Dog.
| Dr. Dolittle 3 | |
|---|---|
 Official DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Rich Thorne |
| Written by | Nina Colman |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | John Davis |
| Starring | Kyla Pratt Kristen Wilson John Amos |
| Cinematography | Eric J. Goldstein |
| Edited by | Tony Lombardo |
| Music by | Christopher Lennertz |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
This is the first film not to feature Eddie Murphy as Doctor Dolittle nor Raven-Symoné as Charisse Dolittle, although they are mentioned in the film. 17 years later, it was revealed in a 2023 interview that the reason they did not return because Murphy's too uncomfortable for playing the father of a grown adult daughter.[1] This is the last Dr. Dolittle film to feature Kristen Wilson as Lisa Dolittle as in the sequels Dr. Dolittle: Tail To The Chief and Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts Lisa Dolittle is played by Canadian actress Karen Holness.
Plot edit
Maya (Kyla Pratt) has evolved considerably from the first film. Though she was formerly an anti-social individual who was more interested in her science projects, Maya has transformed into the typical teenager. Like her sister Charisse, she inherits their father John's capacity for communicating with animals (she is a part-time veterinary assistant), her life has changed drastically on all fronts. She often ends up in trouble with her parents, while her friends think she has gone insane.
With John away on business, Maya's mother Lisa (Kristen Wilson) sends her and her dog Lucky (voice of Norm MacDonald) to a dude ranch named "Durango", so she can find herself. The ranch is owned by Jud (John Amos), and his son Bo (Walker Howard). While at the ranch, Maya, who desperately tried to keep it under wraps so as not to arouse suspicion, uses her talent to "talk to the animals" in order to save Durango from being taken over by a neighboring dude ranch.
Maya is at first reluctant to show her ability to others, fearing rejection from her friends, but eventually does so. With her help, the Durango ranch enters a rodeo competition with a $50,000 award, and wins it. Also, she shares her first kiss with Bo and finally wins his heart.
Cast edit
- Kyla Pratt as Maya Dolittle
- Kristen Wilson as Lisa Dolittle
- Walker Howard as Bo Jones
- John Amos as Jud Jones
- Luciana Carro as Brooklyn Webster
- Tommy Snider as Clayton Taylor
- Calum Worthy as Tyler
- John Novak as Walter
- Chelan Simmons as Vivica
- Ecstasia Sanders as Tammy
- James Kirk as Peter
- Gary Jones as Principal
- Carly McKillip as Tammy's Friend
- Emily Tennant as Party Kid
- Alistair Abell as Honkey Tonk Announcer
- Peter Kelamis as Rodeo Announcer
- Louis Chirillo as Bus Driver
Voice cast edit
- Norm Macdonald as Lucky[2]
- Danny Bonaduce as Ranch Steer
- Gary Busey as Butch
- Ryan McDonell as Skip
- Tara Wilson as Kiki
- Chenier Hundal as Chip
- Paulo Costanzo as Cogburn the Rooster
- Chris Edgerly as Diamond the Horse, LP the Horse, Pig, Rattlesnake
- Eli Gabay as Rodeo Bull, Rodeo Steer
- Vanessa Marshall as Tan Hen, White Hen
- Mark Moseley as Harry the Hawk, Patches the Horse, Ranch Steer, Rodeo Longhorns, Silver the Horse
- Jenna von Oÿ as Gracie
Production edit
The film shot in BC, Canada.
Releases edit
This film was released direct-to-video in 2006; on April 25 for Region 1 and May 1 for Region 2.
Dr. Dolittle 3 was released on Disney+ on January 15, 2021.
Reception edit
Critical response edit
Of the three reviews at Rotten Tomatoes, two are negative:[3] Scott Weinberg, said, "Cheap-looking, atrociously written, and delivered with all the energy of a breach-birth bovine, Dr. Dolittle 3 is all kinds of terrible". David Cornelius of eFilmCritic.com described the film as "not so much poorly made as it is lazy and cheap". Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media was positive to the film.
References edit
- ^ "Raven-Symoné Says Eddie Murphy Was Right to Pass on 'Dr. Dolittle 3'". Entertainment Tonight.
- ^ Weinberg, Scott (April 6, 2006). "Doctor Dolittle 3". DVDTalk.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
- ^ "Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
