It's Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, England, 1845. Fish seller Matthew Mugg (Anthony Newley) and his young friend Tommy Stubbins take a wounded duck to John Dolittle (Rex Harrison). Medical Dr. Dolittle has a menagerie of self supporting animals and is able to talk to them. General Bellowes accuses him of stealing his horse and Bellowes' niece Emma Fairfax (Samantha Eggar) is not happy with him either. Matthew is immediately in love. Dolittle is given a two-headed llama and he brings him to the circus run by Albert Blossom (Richard Attenborough).
The story rambles on and on. It meanders around in the first half. I don't hate it but I kept waiting for it to find a direction. It's only the second half when the four main characters go on an adventure. It's better to meander when the main cast remains stable at least. What I didn't expect is that Dolittle is almost a side character at times in his own movie. I also expected Rex Harrison to play it in a much wackier fun way. Quite frankly, he didn't seem to be a nice guy in the movie or in real life. The movie is too long. It does have lots of animals and the production looks big. Non of the songs are memorable. I'm guessing that Fox was trying to copy Mary Poppins. This is nothing like Poppins. This is a big production but not a fun one.
The story rambles on and on. It meanders around in the first half. I don't hate it but I kept waiting for it to find a direction. It's only the second half when the four main characters go on an adventure. It's better to meander when the main cast remains stable at least. What I didn't expect is that Dolittle is almost a side character at times in his own movie. I also expected Rex Harrison to play it in a much wackier fun way. Quite frankly, he didn't seem to be a nice guy in the movie or in real life. The movie is too long. It does have lots of animals and the production looks big. Non of the songs are memorable. I'm guessing that Fox was trying to copy Mary Poppins. This is nothing like Poppins. This is a big production but not a fun one.