I admit I haven't tuned into the "Dolittle" franchise at all since its original 1967 version with Rex Harrison as the talented veterinarian who can talk to the animals. But if Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts, the 5th (fifth!) episode in the new Dolittle series is anything to judge the new films by, then it looks like I haven't missed much.
This straight-to-video romp has Eddie Murphy's "Doc" nowhere to be found (apparently he's off helping the pandas in China), but luckily his daughter Maya Dolittle (played by the perky Kyla Pratt, who has been with these films since the beginning) has inherited her dad's gift of animal linguistics. The film opens with Maya preparing for her first year of veterinary school. A chance encounter with a cat in a tree lands Maya on TV, drawing the attention of uber-celebrity Tiffany Monaco (think Paris Hilton, but with a little more meat on her bones), whose little doggy just hasn't been himself lately. Could Maya come to LA in her private jet to help? Of course! And so begins a series of misadventures with Maya, Monaco, Maya's dog Lucky (voiced by an uncredited Norm McDonald) and various faux celebrities with pet problems in need of Maya's assistance.
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While in Hollywood, Maya is lured away from school by the chance to help animals immediately (after a fashion), accompanied by easy money and potential fame. Will she do the right thing, give up on her chance at celebrity to go back to school so she can really help animals? What do you think? The film starts out interestingly enough, with Lucky unpacking Maya's bag as she tries to pack for school, and with a clever pet monkey whose one-liners nearly steal the show (such as it is). But it quickly veers off into the predictable: star-struck teen uses her gift to help celebrities' pets while meeting a charming young actor who conveniently owns a female dog who takes an instant liking to Lucky, etc., etc. Even a surprise appearance by a bearded Judge Reinhold as a studio exec does little to add anything of interest to the film (hey, everybody needs work). When it all wraps up after an annoyingly mindless "chase sequence," you're left with that undeniable feeling: I want the last 87 minutes of my life back.
The Picture
From the look of it, I'd guess that Mutts was shot on HD digital video. There is plenty of detail in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio 1080p AVC-encoded transfer, and colors are rendered accurately enough but the shots have that soap-opera-like video look to them, lacking the depth of a top-notch source. There are no major flaws with the transfer per se, but it lacks the finesse and polish of a bigger budget flick, which only reinforces the notion that this is strictly a low budget affair.
The Sound
Kudos to Fox for providing a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack here, though I'm not sure the source material merits it. There are plenty of sounds and effects coming from all 6 channels (and some deep throbbing low bass in the scene whether they visit a hip-hopper in his studio). The chase sequence uses the channels well for an immersive and cacophonous effect. But honestly nothing here really stretches what could have been done with a lossy Dolby Digital or DTS mix. You won't be throwing this one in your player for a demo, but the sound serves the plot (such as it is) so there's no point dwelling on the limitations of the source material.
The Extras
"Tiffany's Tricked Out Cell Phone" purports to be Ms. Monaco's behind the scenes look at the film using her cell phone camera, but really it's just three short segments on such fascinating topics as doggie fashion. "Star Tours: Dolittle Style" is no better, with just some footage of a few of the locations they used in the film, and "No Business Like Show Business" is yet another fluffy featurette, which was so enthralling that my kids asked me to please turn on something else after about 60 seconds. I should be thankful that there were no additional extras as I don't think I (or my kids) could have handled more.
Fox does include a standard def DVD of the film in the package. Considering the DVD alone sells for only $1 less than the Blu-ray on Amazon, this is a pretty nice bonus (if only the film were worth watching on any format).
Final Thoughts
When my kids (ages 5 and nearly 4) saw the box for Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts, they immediately wanted it for "movie night," and to be frank, they were entertained enough by the film as to sit reasonably still and giggle occasionally during its 90-minute run time. But I have no doubt that they will not be requesting this one again. It actually gives me hope for the future of Blu-ray Disc. If Fox can afford to put titles like this onto Blu-ray, then it's certainly not the niche format format for early adopters that it once was. But unless you're a rabid fan of the series, then I'd suggest a rental, and then only if your top three picks are unavailable. They should have given more screen time to the monkey.
Where to Buy:
Product Details:
- Actors: Kyla Pratt, Tegan Moss, Judge Reinhold, Norm McDonald (voice), Pauly Shore (voice)
- Audio Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French, Spanish)
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Thai
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Number of Discs: 2 (1 Blu-ray, 1 DVD)
- Rating: PG (for some rude humor)
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Release Date: May 19, 2009
- Run Time: 87 minutes
- List Price: $29.99
- Extras:
- Tiffany's Tricked Out Cell Phone
- Star Tours: Dolittle Style
- No Business like Show Business
- Bonus DVD version of the film
