Despite the dismal reviews, I quite enjoyed this charming adventure film. It has an old-fashioned fairytale feel, warm likeable characters, mysterious islands, lost loves, new loves, and a sense of good purpose. Taking a break from the mile-a-minute pace of contemporary children's animated features, Dolittle revels in adventure guided by a good heart. Sure, the plot isn't bursting with originality, but the dialogue is consistently charming and peppered with humor.

The graphics are amazing. You'll believe the animals are real and that they can talk. What I didn't believe, ironically, was that Robert Downey Jr. was talking. Clearly, he was dubbed. There's nothing wrong with recording dialogue after the shoot and integrating it in post. This practice is common. Many respectable films take advantage of this work flow. But, there's something quite amiss here with RDJ's voice. I could not reconcile the image with the voice. It felt like two different people. And even if Robert was experimenting with a unique accent, the voice simply didn't merge. Every other creature in the film had a voice that matched – only RDJ's voice felt out of place. A bit annoying? Yes. Nonetheless, I had a delightful time and enjoyed the film.

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