Dr.Dolittle-Million Dollar Mutts (2009)

"...an animal lover's delight!  DVD.MovieRoomReviews.com

Editor's Note Kyla Pratt (HOTEL FOR DOGS) returns as young Maya Dolittle, who's thus far been able to handle the knack for animal communications she's inherited from her father with considerable responsibility. But, after Maya is called to treat a Hollywood ingénue?s depressed Chihuahua, she suddenly finds herself on the set of her very own television show! Soon enough, Maya begins to lose herself in the glamour of La-La Land. It?s going to take the help of some animal pals--including her smart-alecky but always reliable pooch, Lucky (Norm MacDonald)--to restore Maya's usual down-to-earth outlook.

	Kyla Pratt
	Norm MacDonald - Voice
	Alexander Zamm - Director

DVD Verdict 7 of 10
The moral of Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts story is so confused that it can't even be forgiven on the grounds that the movie is essentially a live-action cartoon. The flick's message to the current generation of tween girls is that one's dreams should be pursued with a maximum of amoral self-interest. If said pursuit results in a trail of human misery in your wake, well, at least you're happy. Maya's frustration with the notion that it will take her more than a few weeks to learn veterinary medicine leads her to bag her long-held dream in favor of playing co-host to a "Paris Hilton" clone on a tacky TV show. By the time she comes to recognize the value of patiently pursuing her original goal, she's on the set of her show, shooting its first episode. We can thus infer that her last-minute change of heart puts an entire crew of entertainment industry folks as well as a bunch of Teamsters out of work. Dozens of families surely suffer, but that's okay because Maya learned a valuable life lesson, and she is, after all, the center of the entire universe, right?...Okay, subjecting a tween romantic fantasy to that sort of rigorous analysis is admittedly ridiculous (yet still fun). Viewed purely as a piece of escapist entertainment for 9- to 12-year-old girls, Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts is still no High School Musical, but it does offer an attractive cast (including the requisite cute guy), fresh fashion, mother-daughter conflicts, and a bevy of smart-alecky animals that speak via CG-enhanced mouths. Kyla Pratt (who played Eddie Murphy's daughter in the two theatrical features) is a surprisingly capable lead, avoiding the broad and wide-eyed over-acting, stale line reads, and poor comic timing that generally plague performances in this genre...But competent lead performances aren't enough to elevate the movie from its hokey genre limitations. Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollard Mutts may appeal to tween girls, but everyone else is guaranteed to experience a mix of boredom and loathing. - Dan Mancini