Dr. Dolittle: Eddie Murphy	Jack Riley: Kevin Pollak
Maya Dolittle: Kyla Pratt	Charisse: Raven-Symone
Lisa Dolittle: Kristen Wilson	Eric: Lil' Zane
Director: Steve Carr	Voices by: Lisa Kudrow, Norm Macdonald, Steve Zahn and Molly Shannon

30 Second Bottom Line: A doctor who can speak with animals is called upon by his friends in the forest to save it from the clear cutting process by lumber companies and greedy politicians.

Story Line: Dr. Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) operates a private veterinary practice which has him working so many hours that although his understanding wife Lisa (Kristen Wilson) can tolerate it, his 16 year old daughter Charisse (Raven-Symone) cannot. After a disastrous birthday party with boyfriend Eric (Lil' Zane) at the Dolittle home, instead of going out on a date, which is what Charisse wanted, her father announces that he will take the family on a European vacation. That makes peace in the household until he changes his mind because of an animal emergency.

Called upon by some of his talking animal friends, Dolittle is asked to use the magic he has displayed with other animals who were reluctant to mate on bears in the woods. The animals want to protect a forest that will fall victim to extensive clear cutting by corporate giant Jack Riley (Kevin Pollak). Their salvation is if there is an animal living in the forest that is on the endangered species list, the harvesting will be prevented.

There is a female bear in the forest that could be on the endangered species list if she has babies. But there are no males for her to mate with. Since she has no chance of procreatiing, the forest appears doomed to destruction. The mission of Dr. Dolittle is to take a domesticated bear from a circus and get him to adapt in the wild and mate with the female. This leads to a number of humorous events as the good Doctor talks to the bears and trains the male on how to enamor himself with the female. She sort of likes him but she wants a "man" who can provide food and defend against enemies in addition to being a good lover.

Tell Me More About It: Dr. Dolittle 2 is creative, well acted and has plenty of jokes that young boys will like regarding urination and farting. For adults, the plot wears thin after about an hour and usually when I give three stars to a kid's film, it's because it also works for parents who might be sitting in the audience. What this film does have is political insight.

Seeing the effect of clear cutting in our forests and thinking about the impact it has not only for humans but for animals as well, is something that our children should be aware of. Also understanding that corporations don't act alone, but in concert with politicians is another important civics lesson. The concept of a fair bargain is also addressed in knowing when to say "no," even when a person is dressed in a suit, has nice manners and a pleasant smile. We teach our children not to trust strangers and sometimes that also applies to people who are pretending to be our friends.

Another dimension of the film is portraying the challenge of a father dealing with a 16-year-old daughter. Even in their own house, she can only be reached by her pager or cell phone. Knowing when to "let go" by the parents is difficult. Tradition within the family is fine but at some point it's OK to let the daughter go out on a date. If the date does spend time at the house, those old baby jokes should not be brought up.

Dr. Doolittle 2 is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, but it does offer a lot by throwing in the mix things that young boys in particular want to hear along with messages that they also need to hear. Anytime you can speak to our youngsters and deliver a message without preaching, they just might listen. And here, both parents and their children learn important lessons in life.

Eddie Murphy: Shrek	Kevin Pollak: The Whole Nine Yards
Kyla Pratt: Love & Basketball	Raven-Symone: Cosby Show-TV
Kristen Wilson: Girl 6	Lil' Zane: Finding Forrester
Steve Carr: Next Friday