Project-Blu Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts, by M. Enois Duarte

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts

By: M. Enois Duarte, 5.31.2009

The Movie Itself:
Sometimes, I wonder if family movies are possibly the most challenging to make of any entertainment media. The subject matter must not only be kid friendly, but the genre must also appeal moderately to the parents being forced to watch it. It's very difficult to create something which will be enjoyed by two very different demographics. And comedies involving animals, for some strange reason, seems to be the go-to theme that somewhat bridges this audience. However, this doesn't always work with adults like it does with children.

Without its main attraction to draw mature viewers (i.e., Eddie Murphy), Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts is not particularly funny nor is it entertaining. But for the kiddies, this straight-to-video flick offers a decent diversion with a well-intentioned message. Only Kyla Pratt and Norm MacDonald (uncredited) reprise their original roles, respectively, as the animal-talker Maya and the wise-cracking mutt Lucky. While this may suffice for a 90-min. comedy geared at children, it's really not enough for the attention span of parents.

Intent on using her unique talent of talking to animals, Maya prepares for her first year of Veterinary school to eventually help creatures of all different sizes, much like her now-famous father. But with the realization of many school years ahead of her, Maya accepts an offer by the Paris Hilton-wannabe Tiffany (Tegan Moss) to travel to Hollywood and help celebrity pets now. With Lucky in tow, she finds Tinseltown providing her with a world of opportunities for achieving her dreams. Soon, she learns that the easiest route is not always the best method, and must figure out a way to make it back home and earn the education she really needs.

Regardless of the fact that this fifth installment of the Dr. Dolittle series clearly targets the little rug rats of the family, the storyline is barely passable, plodding along from one ever convenient plot point to the next. In fact, the entire narrative becomes so predictable that any interest still remaining after the exposition is immediately abandoned. There's something obviously shady about Tiffany's agent, and the collie, owned by the love interest, gives away the ending. I can't imagine any child not figuring out where the story goes just from reading the synopsis.

On the bright side, I suppose, Maya's foolhardy adventure exposes the emptiness of celebrity life, while enforcing the importance of education and the proper use of one's talent. When you have that much going for you, the fact that the narrative lacks a smooth flow turns into a quibble over minor details. Comedy and humor are also greatly missed here, but the few smirks from this adult could be construed as a few giggles in the little tykes.
Rating: 4/10

The Presentation:
It's a safe bet that most any straight-to-video movie will not be given the time and care to look its best, whether on standard DVD or in high definition. In this newest chapter to the Dr. Dolittle franchise, the picture quality is not surprisingly less than stellar, with an AVC MPEG-4 transfer framed in a 1.78:1 window that doesn't hold up to the best presentations available on Blu-ray.

The movie looks fairly clean and nicely resolved, thanks to the use of digital HD cameras. Still, fine objet and textural details feel weaker than it should, with many moments of softness and even ringing in the distance. Primaries are rich and vibrant, giving the picture a lively and jovial appearance. Unfortunately, the palette is not always consistent; sometimes looking a bit overdone and unnatural, making flesh tones look unrealistic and reddish, while at other times appearing somewhat dull and weak. The pink Cadillac the Tiffany character drives around in is a great example of this inconsistency. While delineation holds up strong, blacks seem stable throughout but add nothing to the image quality and come across rather flat than full-bodied. Most noticeable drawback is a contrast level that runs way too hot, causing whites to bloom in many instances and washing away a great amount of detail - can't even make out the difference between clouds and sky sometimes, let alone the architecture of some Beverly Hills mansions.
Rating: 7.0/10

On the audio side, things don't seem to improve much either. Although Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts is a dialogue-driven comedy, this DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is far from being a lively piece of aural entertainment. In fact, the surround speakers are practically non-existent, save for a few instances of minor score bleed that barely register any worthy attention. Throughout, the mix felt more like a mono track, as the majority of the action appeared to come out of the center channel and only filled the soundstage at critical moments of the narrative. Low-frequency effects are greatly lacking, even for a kid-flick full of physical comedy. While vocals show nice reproduction and well balanced in the design, the entire lossless track never really impresses and lacks excitement for a movie geared at younger audiences.
Rating: 5.6/10

Overall Presentation: 6/10

** 10 = Reference / 8 - 9 = Excellent / 7 = Good /
6 = Satisfactory / 5 = Average / 4 & under = Below Average **

The Extras:
If after watching the movie one were willing to explore further, the bonus features don't offer much and are mediocre at best. Nevertheless, Fox Home Entertainment packaged this Blu-ray edition of Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts with a Digital Copy of the movie, but all the featurettes are presented in standard definition.

Tiffany's Tricked Out Cell Phone (5 min)
Explores costume design of the animals, as well as the actors.
No Business Like Show Business (8 min)
Making-of featurette with interviews of cast and crew more or less discussing the work that goes into making any movie.
Star Tours: Dolittle Style (5 min)
Misleading title is actually about touring the various sets and not about the homes of real stars.

Rating: 1/10

Final Thoughts:
Like any sequel, Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts is nothing compared to the one which started it all, especially with the lack of Eddie Murphy's talent. It's difficult to imagine even children slightly enjoying this latest installment of a film franchise most folks didn't even know existed. Of course, there is an audience out there - consisting of younger children, to be sure - and Million Dollar Mutts will not lead them astray. The Blu-ray edition of the movie debuts with a satisfactory video quality and an okay lossless track.
Rating: 4/10