History Film / DrDolittle

* ScaryStingingSwarm: In ''Dr. Dolittle 2'', this happens to Archie [[spoiler:when he's trying to get the beehive for Ava]]. The bees then briefly go over to Dolittle, and after that, [[KickTheSonOfABitch they attack Riley]]. Twice, it happens again later too.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: In ''Dr. Dolittle 2'', [[spoiler:when Archie is trying to get the beehive]], the bees escape from it and try and attack Riley, who, up until this point, has been gleefully watching the scene through his binoculars and hoping out loud that the log breaks under Archie's weight. Riley sees the bees coming towards him, panics and runs for it. It also forms a BrickJoke when Potter locks him out of the building when the animals close in, and the bees reappear.

SomewhereAMammalogistIsCrying: All over the place, especially in the second film.

* {{Bowdlerize}} Depending on the network airing the movie, the line "Throw the damn ball!" might have its expletive removed, and Dolittle's question about dogs sniffing each other may also be trimmed. When the film on Disney Channel for a one-time engagement in November 2005, it was left largely untouched.

* TooDumbToLive: Ms. Parkis, the woman who is deathly allergic to shellfish and yet won't stop eating it. She even thinks that it doesn't count as shellfish if she removes the fish from its shell before eating it. After the third time this has happened, [[note]]that we see. This has happened at least once before[[/note]] Dr. Dolittle asks her if she has a death wish.

* AnimalGenderBender: A pigeon with a female voice has the familiar feather coloration -- which is a trait of male pigeons.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Dr. Dolittle. He at first hates animals after he stops talking to them as a child and at times doesn't take Charisse and Maya seriously, but especially Maya, who wants him to like her as a person. In the second film, this continues when he becomes a bit of an OverprotectiveDad to Charisse and snaps at Archie out of frustration at his refusal to cooperate. He still loves his family, though, warms up to animals after a while when he embraces the fact that he can talk to them, convinces the tiger not to commit suicide, is willing to save a rat (who had been a jerkass to him throughout the movie) from what he thinks is death (it's just gas), tries to save an entire forest from being leveled by a logging company, and the reason he snaps at Archie is not only because he won't cooperate, but because Lisa and Charisse are mad at him, he's being pestered by Charisse's annoying boyfriend, Eric, and because if Archie doesn't cooperate, the entire population of the forest won't have anywhere to live, and when it looks like the animals seem to have giving up trying to save the forest, he rallies them to carry on.

* OverprotectiveDad: In ''Dr. Dolittle 2'', Dolittle becomes a bit of one to Charisse when he finds out she has a boyfriend, namely a pizza boy called Eric.

* RaceLift: The white Dr. Dolittle of the original book series is now black... which, given some of the [[UnfortunateImplications racist implications]] of the book can be seen as a TakeThat by the filmmakers.

* KilledOffscreen: Rodney in the sequel, it's implied he was crushed by being sat on.[[note]]This was due to Chris Rock reframing from coming back to reprise the role.[[/note]]

* GoodFeelsGood: In the first movie, after accepting that he is really is hearing animals talking, Dr. Dolittle spends the evening helping a lot of dogs with a lot of medical issues, for free because they obviously can't pay him (being animals). The next day, he tells one of his partners at his practice that it was a terrific experience, because he felt like he was making a difference in people's lives.

* OhCrap: Archer, when he learns from Maya that her dad is getting her a dog. We learn it's because he's afraid that his son regain his ability to talk to animals.

A sequel, ''Dr. Dolittle 2'', was released in 2001. There are also three more direct-to-video sequels in which the central character is Dr. Dolittle's daughter Maya, played by Creator/KylaPratt. Pratt, along with Creator/NormMacDonald, the voice of family dog Lucky, are the only actors to appear in all five movies. Oddly enough, Lucky’s appearances in each of the sequels are all uncredited.

* TooDumbToLive: Ms. Parkis, the woman who is deathly allergic to shellfish and yet won't stop eating it. She even thinks that it doesn't count as shellfish if she removes the fish from its shell before eating it. After the third time this has happened, [[note]] that we see. This has happened at least once before [[/note]] Dr. Dolittle asks her if she has a death wish.

* WhatTheHellHero: Lucky calls Dolittle out for ignoring his gift, blaming the animals for ruining his life, and refusing to help Jake, while he's stuck in the asylum.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Rodney the guinea pig is never mentioned again after the first movie. Given that Guinea pigs have short life spans, he likely died.

* GoodFeelsGood: In the first movie, after accepting that he is really is hearing animals talking, Dr.Dolittle spends the evening helping a lot of dogs with a lot of medical issues, for free because they obviously can't pay him (being animals). The next day, he tells one of his partners at his practice that it was a terrific experience, because he felt like he was making a difference in people's lives.

* HeelRealization: Dr. Dolittle's father has this when he sees his son operating on a tiger and realizing that he was wrong for treating his sons gift like it was evil. Telling Mrs. Dolittle that no, her husband is not crazy. He 'can' talk to animals.

* InstantlyProvenWrong: When Dr.Dolittle is in the Vet's waiting room, he overhears a woman screaming at her dog to lie down. The dog doesn't and the woman tells Dr. Dolittle that her dog is deaf. The dog immediately tells Dr. Dolittle, "I'm not deaf. I just can't stand listening to her."

* KilledOffscreen: Rodney in part 2, it's implied he was crushed by being sat on. [[note]]This was due to Chris Rock reframing from coming back to reprise the role.[[/note]]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Archer realized his mistake thinking his son's AnimalTalk is a disability, since he was afraid it would ruin his life, and for sending his dog away. Now he sees it as a gift.

* OhCrap: Archer, when he learns from Maya that her dad is getting her a dog.

* TranslationConvention: Since the movie is shown from Dr Dolitte's perspective, the animals speak English (except for one orangutan, who speaks Spanish).

* MistakenForInsane: Dr. Dolittle (who [[SpeaksFluentAnimal can talk to animals]]) comes across two rats, and one of them appears to be going into cardiac arrest. He takes them inside his workplace and gives the seemingly-dying rat CPR, much to the disgust of his coworkers and wife. [[GassyScare Then the rat breaks wind, revealing that he just had gas.]] Dr. Dolittle's coworkers promptly have him sent to an insane asylum.

** In ''Dr. Dolittle 2'', "Everybody matters." [[spoiler:The reason for it? Archie just said something similar and the WhamLine was spoken by Charisse. Dolittle then suddenly realizes she has inherited his ability to talk to animals because she understood what Archie said.]]

* RaceLift: The white Dr. Dolittle of the original book series is now Black... which, given some of the [[UnfortunateImplications racist implications]] of the book can be seen as a TakeThat by the filmmakers.

** Dogs. The last animal Dolittle spoke to as a boy was his pet dog. The first animal [[WhamLine that speaks to him as an adult]] is a dog that eventually becomes his pet dog.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Rodney the guinea pig does not appear and is never mentioned again after the first movie. Given that Guinea pigs have short life spans, he likely died.

* EsrnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Dolittle's gift allows him and his family to become extremely wealthy over time. By the fifth and final film, the family resides in a lavish mansion - a huge step-up from the condo they have in the first film]].

* DoggedNiceGuy: Subverted with Charisse’s boyfriend, Eric. Though Dolittle is openly rude and unwelcoming towards him, Eric doesn’t seem affected by it and maintains a positive attitude.

* {{Jerkass}}: Mark Weller and Blaine Hammersmith in the first film. Mark Weller is very greedy and is sometimes rude to Dolittle, while Blaine is Dolittle's old rival from their medical school days.

* RealityEnsues: After Gene punches Mark in the face and knocks him out, Gene holds his hand in pain from the impact.

* BeeAfraid: In ''Dr. Dolittle 2'', this happens to Archie [[spoiler:when he's trying to get the beehive for Ava]]. The bees then briefly go over to Dolittle, and after that, [[KickTheSonOfABitch they attack Riley]]. Twice, it happens again later too.