Where was Doctor Dolittle filmed?

1998

City Locations

Northern and Southern California

Location Types

Apartment, Cabins, Beach/Oceanview, Hospitals/Medical, Schools/Colleges

Location Styles

Americana/Anywhere America, Beach House, Beachfront, Resort, School

About Doctor Dolittle

The movie Doctor Dolittle was released in 1998, and an adaption of a movie musical of the same name from 1967. The 1967 movie was not as successful as the 1998 remake with an all-star cast including Eddie Murphy. It was directed by Betty Thomas and written by both Nat Mauldin and Larry Levin. This guide to the locations used for filming contains movie spoilers.

Eddie Murphy plays the main character of John Dolittle, who found that he could talk to animals at the age of five. The early scenes of the movie feature a young Dolittle, talking to his family dog about the reason that dogs sniff each other on the butt.

He learns that dogs do this to say hello, but at school when he tries it with his principal it upsets his father. His father then arranges an exorcism, and while it is happening the family dog attacks the priest. This causes Dolittle to resolve to stop talking to animals altogether.

The film then jumps forward to Dolittle as an adult, married to a woman named Lisa and with two daughters, Charisse and Maya. John works as a doctor and surgeon, and his company is about to be bought by another medical company.

After taking a family vacation, Dolittle returns only to be reintroduced to his gift from childhood. He hits a dog that he hears yell out, and the family Guinea pig Rodney suddenly begins speaking to him. Despite feeling crazy, Dolittle begins to help animals around the city and even adopts the dog he hit earlier in the film. He names the dog Lucky.

Later in the show, he meets a suicidal circus tiger and rescues a hurt owl. Dolittle also performs CPR on a rat, but when Lisa and his friend see this they think he must be crazy. This leads to Dolittle being sent to the mental ward in the same place he works for.

When Dolittle is able to get out, he once again denies his gift, but it also leads him to push Maya away. He sees how this has hurt her and decides to embrace his gift. He breaks into the circus where the tiger Jake is and breaks him out to perform lifesaving surgery.

He is helped by his friend and colleague Gene, who sees him sneaking into the hospital. A party is also going on in the hospital, and everyone ends up watching as Dolittle and Gene perform surgery on the tiger, saving his life. Dolittle accepts his gift after this, deciding not to sell the hospital, and becoming both a doctor and veterinarian.