Entertainment
Selena Gomez Isn't The Only Famous Voice Behind The Animals In 'Dolittle'
With Tony Stark now officially out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — following his death in Avengers: Endgame — Robert Downey Jr. is moving on to other gigs. His first post-Avengers role is a character with whom you're probably already familiar: Dr. Dolittle. Downey plays the famed literary character in a new reboot, but who voices the animals in Dolittle?
'90s kids will certainly remember the 1998 Eddie Murphy film Dr. Dolittle, which had no shortage of stars lending their voices to its various animal characters. Norm MacDonald brought his sarcastic wit to Lucky the Dog, comedy legend Albert Brooks lent his vocals to Jake the Tiger, Ellen Degeneres voiced a dog, Chris Rock was a guinea pig, and a number of other actors and comedians showed up as other critters — including Gilbert Gottfried, John Leguizamo, Paul Reubens, Jonathan Lipnicki, Julie Kavner, Jenna Elfman, Brian Doyle-Murray, and the late Garry Shandling.
With such a star-studded cast in the 1998 version, the cast of the new reboot will have quite a time fielding an equally impressive lineup of voice actors. So how does the voice cast of Dolittle stack up? Take a look below to find out.
Emma Thompson
Dolittle's most important ally and oldest friend in the film is a macaw named Polynesia, AKA Poly, and she's voiced by the two-time Oscar-winner.
Rami Malek
Speaking of Oscar-winners, the reigning Best Actor voices Chee-Chee, a loyal gorilla who enjoys games and carries around a literal security blanket.
Selena Gomez
The music superstar plays a giraffe named Betsy who makes up one-half of a dynamic duo with the next entry on the list.
Marion Cotillard
Another Academy Award-winner, the French actor voices the fox Tutu; the BFF/Partner in Crime of Betsy.
John Cena
The pro wrestler-turned-actor naturally plays the biggest and burliest animal of the bunch, a polar bear named Yoshi. Oddly enough for a polar bear, however, Yoshi prefers warm climates to cold ones.
Kumail Nanjiani
The newly-buff actor and comedian lends his recognizable voice to a nervous ostrich named Plimpton, who serves as a reluctant ride to Dolittle.
Octavia Spencer
Yet another Oscar-winner — the fourth among the voice cast, if you're keeping track — Spencer voices a nice but somewhat dimwitted duck named Dab-Dab.
Tom Holland
Dr. Dolittle, I don't feel so good. Holland will bring the chemistry he shared with Downey in the MCU to Dolittle by voicing the titular doctor's pet dog, Jip.
Ralph Fiennes
The Voldemort actor brings his unique brand of villainy to the film by way of a vicious tiger named Barry.
Craig Robinson
The former Office star voices an arrogant and vengeful squirrel named Kevin, who serves as a guide to Dolittle's crew — but who also has his own personal motivations.
Jason Mantzoukas
The actor's voice talents have drawn acclaim on Netflix's Big Mouth, and now the comedy veteran is providing the vocals for a comedic dragonfly named James.
Frances de la Tour
Welp, here's one you probably didn't see coming. Frances de la Tour may not be all that well-known to moviegoers, but she's a legend of the stage, having won a Tony and three Olivier Awards. Oddly enough, she voices a fire-breathing dragon named Ginko-Who-Soars, as such things apparently exist in this movie.
With the amount of prestigious awards won by the voice cast of Dolittle, it's safe to say that this movie's level of talent is at least equal to that of the 1998 version.
