Director Stephen Gaghan”s “Dolittle” is a fantastical adventure based on the eponymous central character of a series of children’s books by Hugh Lofting.
Doctor Dolittle (Downey) is a physician who shuns human patients in favor of animals, with whom he can speak in their language. He later becomes a naturalist, using his abilities to speak with animals to better understand nature and the history of the world. Impressed with his work the Queen of England (Jessie Buckley) gives him a manor in the countryside, which he uses to house all sorts of animals from far and wide.
Over the years, the good doctor falls in love with Lily (Kasia Smutnaik), an adventurous explorer, and together they have adventures around the world. But when Lily attempts to cross the ocean all alone, she perishes in a storm.