Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief (PG)

The fourth in the Dr. Dolittle series and the second to be focused solely on youngest Dolittle daughter, Maya (Kyla Pratt), DR. DOLITTLE: TAIL TO THE CHIEF sticks to formula. This time Maya, whose famous dad is off in Antarctica, is looking for a way to beef up her college application to mythical San Francisco University's veterinary school. When the adorable pet dog of the president of the United States goes rogue, Maya gets her chance to prove herself, save an international wildlife treaty, and get the college recommendation letter of a lifetime. But Daisy (voiced by Jennifer Coolidge) isn't buying into Maya's borrowed veterinary techniques, and Maya has to find her own way to tackle the assignment she's been given.

As in previous movies, Maya is helped by her sidekick dog Lucky (Norm MacDonald) who gets all the best lines in the movie. Animal-loving kids will likely be enchanted by scenes where Maya interacts with wise-cracking wild animals, particularly a saucy French monkey named Monkey (Phil Proctor). The president, played by Peter Coyote, is reassuringly compassionate and tough, though his relationships with his own daughter and dog are far from perfect. His pep talk to Maya when she is about to give up, about failure being a part of life, is a valuable lesson for parents to reinforce.

It's rare that a fourth installment of a movie franchise mines new ground, and in that sense Tail to the Chief delivers as expected. But the movie qualifies as entertaining fare appropriate for the whole family, and it underscores good parenting lessons.

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Director: Craig Shapiro
Cast: Kyla Pratt, Norm MacDonald, Peter Coyote
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 90 minutes
DVD release: November 9, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: brief mild language and some rude behavior.