Doctor Dolittle is best known for being the only person who can understand animals. Literally. That’s because he can converse with them in a way that no other person on the planet can. While it may not be exactly the kind of film you would expect to see in a climate that is filled with superheroes, it is a family friendly bit that can work with the right people.

And Universal’s Dolittle starring Robert Downey Jr. could be just that kind of film, especially when it’s going to open the new year. The studio has released a new trailer which sees Downey Jr. as the titular character, who sounds an awful like Sherlock Holmes – and acts a little bit like him too – and who goes on an incredible journey where he will encounter animals that only he can talk to. Check out the trailer below.

While there may be various takes on the Dolittle character, director Stephen Gaghan‘s take gives the famed veterinarian a bit of an eclectic spin by having him go on an adventure to find a cure for the sick queen (Jessie Buckley) he is joined by an apprentice (Harry Collett) and his troupe of exotic animals like a gorilla (Rami Malek), a duck (Octavia Spencer), an ostrich (Kumail Nanjiani), a polar bear (John Cena), and a parrot (Emma Thompson).

Tagging along for this one-of-a-kind adventure is a loyal dog who wears glasses (Tom Holland), a mouse (Craig Robertson), a ferocious tiger (Ralph Fiennes), a friendly giraffe (Selena Gomez), a fox (Marion Cotillard), a lioness (Carmen Ejogo), and a Ginko-Who-Soars (Frances de la Tour).

However, the trailer doesn’t offer much from the voice cast, which looks to be pretty large. They aren’t even mentioned by name in it. Although the plot synopsis gives us a general idea of what the film could be about, the trailer itself doesn’t reflect any of that, but rather, we see Dolittle going on an adventure to far off lands where he will encounter not only interesting animals but interesting people as well. And one of those people will be played by Antonio Banderas.

Here’s the official synopsis for Dolittle:

After losing his wife seven years earlier, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.), famed doctor and veterinarian of Queen Victoria’s England, hermits himself away behind the high walls of Dolittle Manor with only his menagerie of exotic animals for company.

But when the young queen (Jessie Buckley) falls gravely ill, a reluctant Dolittle is forced to set sail on an epic adventure to a mythical island in search of a cure, regaining his wit and courage as he crosses old adversaries and discovers wondrous creatures.

The doctor is joined on his quest by a young, self-appointed apprentice (Harry Collett) and a raucous coterie of animal friends, including an anxious gorilla (Rami Malek), an enthusiastic but bird-brained duck (Octavia Spencer), a bickering duo of a cynical ostrich (Kumail Nanjiani) and an upbeat polar bear (John Cena) and a headstrong parrot (Emma Thompson), who serves as Dolittle’s most trusted advisor and confidante.

Dolittle arrives in theaters on January 17, 2020.

Trailer

Poster

He’s just not a people person. #DolittleMovie pic.twitter.com/NXJxOytqyH

— Dolittle (@DolittleMovie) October 12, 2019

[Source: Universal Pictures YT]