Meet the Voice Cast of Dolittle

Official poster from Universal Pictures

Robert Downey Jr. plays as Dr. John Dolittle in his new movie directed by Stephen Gaghan. Aside from Downey, Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, and Jessie Buckley, Dolittle features an all-star voice cast! This movie remake is Robert Downey Jr’s first film after Tony Stark’s death in the Avengers: Endgame last year. The movie is inspired by Hugh Lofting’s book, “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle.” 

The remake movie is a combination of live-action and CGI. The movie cast is mostly made up of voice actors because the story is about a veterinarian who can “walk with the animals, talk to the animals, grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals.”  The voice cast is so superb, the actors voicing the animals have six Oscars in total! Not only the voice cast, but also its director, Stephen Gaghan, has won an award for writing Traffic.

Who plays as the humans in the Dolittle movie?

The actors to play the human characters besides Downey Jr. as Dr. John Dolittle are, Chernobyl star Jessie Buckley as Queen Victoria, Antonio Banderas as King Rassouli, Jim Broadbent as Lord Thomas Badgley, and Michael Sheen as Dr. Blair Müdfly. 

Dolittle official trailer from Universal Pictures

Who are the voice cast of Dolittle?

Ginko-Who Soars (Frances de la Tour)

Frances is known for her roles in the Book of Eli and Into The Woods. De la tour will be the voice of the fire breathing dragon, Ginko-Who Soars.

Betsy the Giraffe (Selena Gomez)

After voicing Mavis in Hotel Transylvania, Selena Gomez is now the voice actress behind Betsy the Giraffe, who is one of the doctor’s friends. Gomez is a pop singer and actress. Prior to her voice acting career, she has played the main role in the series Wizards of Waverly Place, and roles in Spring Breakers, and Monte Carlo

Yoshi the Polar Bear (John Cena)

WWE superstar turned actor John Cena plays Yoshi. The polar bear always argue with Plimpton (Kumail Nanjiani.) Cena has been seen in Hollywood movies such as Bumblebee, Playing With Fire, and Trainwreck. He will also be part of the upcoming Fast & Furious 9, and as Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad.

Chee-Chee (Rami Malek)

Oscar’s 2019 Best Actor Award winner Rami Malek will play as Chee-Chee, an anxious gorilla. Dolittle will be Malek’s first film following the success of Bohemian Rhapsody. Malek has also appeared in the series Mr. Robot, and his next biggest role on screen would be the villain in the upcoming Bond film, No Time to Die.

Polynesia (Emma Thompson)

Emma Thompson will be the voice of Dr. Dolittle’s most trusted confidante, Polynesia. Polynesia, or Poly for short,  is a wise parrot, with a headstrong character. The two-peat Academy Award winning actress is most known for her characters in Sense and Sensibility, and Saving Mr. Banks. She also appeared as Sybil Trelawny in the Harry Potter franchise.

Plimpton the Ostrich (Kumail Nanjiani)

Nanjiani plays the character of the ostrich who always gets into fights with Yoshi the polar bear (John Cena). Kumail Nanjiani is the star of HBO’s Silicon Valley. His career boomed when he starred (and wrote) the romantic comedy, The Big Sick. He also starred in Men in Black: International.

Dab-Dab the Duck (Octavia Spencer)

After an Oscar win for The Help, Octavia Spencer plays the role of an overly energetic, and absent-minded with a metal leg named Dab-Dab. Thompson also has nominations for Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water.

Kevin the Squirrel (Craig Robinson)

Known as Daryl in The Office, Robinson plays the role of a vengeful squirrel. 

Jip the Dog (Tom Holland)

Robert Downey Jr. is not the only Marvel Cinematic Universe hero that is in the Dolittle movie. Tom Holland, known for his role as Peter Parker, or Spiderman, will be the voice behind the dog with glasses named Jip.

Barry the Tiger (Ralph Fiennes)

Ralph Fiennes voices Barry, a tiger who attempts to kill, then eat Dr. Dolittle in the film. Fiennes is an Academy award-nominated actor, and is known for playing the roles of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, Dark Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise, and German office Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List.

Tutu the Fox (Marion Cotillard)

Best friend to Betsy the giraffe, Tutu is voiced by Oscar-winning French Actress. She is popular for her role as Edith in La Vie En Rose, Inception, and The Dark Knight Rises.

Regine the Lioness (Carmen Ejogo)

Carmen Ejogo who is known for her roles in Selma and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the voice of a lioness in the Dolittle movie.

James the Dragonfly

John Wick 3‘s Jason Mantzoukas will be the voice of a wise dragonfly named James.

Dolittle was originally going to be released on May 24, 2019 but was moved to April 12, 2019, to avoid competition with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It was later pushed back to January 17, 2020, and is now showing in theaters nationwide.