Parents' Guide to

The Voyages of Young Doctor Dolittle

By Tracy Moore, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Sweet animal adventure has some mild peril.

Movie G 2011 79 minutes
The Voyages of Young Doctor Dolittle Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 5+

Based on 2 parent reviews

BabyFaceCutie
BabyFaceCutie Adult
June 5, 2019
age 6+

Best characters ever!

I am in love with the characters! John is the best. He's sweet, innocent, cute, smart, gentle, kind, and cheerful. I think this movie should have it's own series on Nick. I've seen a few accounts on Youtube and Facebook who want that as well. I love the cast!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Kiendas
Kiendas Parent
May 8, 2013
age 4+

Awful awful waste of time

This movie is terrible. The animation is bad, but worse, the writing is garbage. No one should watch it, but it's on Netflix, so probably a lot of kids end up doing so. And they may even ask to watch it again-- not because it is any good-- it is not! -- but because 2 year-olds simply don't know any better. But you do. Choose something else.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE VOYAGES OF YOUNG DOCTOR DOLITTLE is an animated animal adventure about Doctor Dolittle's (narrated by Tim Curry) young nephew John, who shares his uncle's love of animals and gift for communicating with them. When John discovers Dolittle Island has been been taken over by a band of gorillas, led by the powertripping (and mean) Ramsey the Ram, he vows to save it and his animal friends, among them a parrot named Polynesia (Jane Seymour) and a nearsighted, lovelorn rhino, Eugene (Jason Alexander).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (2 ):

This animated film is a sweet, funny addition to the Hugh Lofting's children series Dr. Dolittle, and offers much of the same appeal and enjoyment as earlier incarnations. The Voyages of Young Doctor Dolittle is brightly animated, with colorful animal characters who more than earn their keep in comedic value, including a germaphobic bird, and a romantic-to-a-fault rhino. There are positive examples of loyalty and friendship, and sweet expressions of compassion.

Kids will enjoy the thrill of mild danger and the punchy animation, and the well-voiced, quirky characters are a nice change of pace from some of the blander animal fare. There's just enough suspense for a good scare, though sensitive kids might need a little reassurance during the bad guy's comeuppance.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why the animals in The Voyages of Young Doctor Dolittle used force to address conflict. How else could they have resolved their differences?

  • Go to the library and check out a Doctor Dolittle book. How is it similar to or different than this movie?

  • Why was it so important for young Dolittle to try to save the island?

  • Why was it so hard for Tango the monkey to decide what to do in the film? What lesson did he learn about friendship?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate