Robert Downey Jr.'s Dolittle First TV Spot Released

Dolittle is on the way in just a few short months and the film unveiled a new TV spot today. There is some new footage in the trailer which focuses more on the title character. Some very funny moments occur between Robert Downey Jr. and a tiger that seems intent on having the doctor for lunch. The entire thing wraps with a pretty humorous riff on Dolittle using a mirror, by way of a reflective surface on a watch, to distract the cat. If people really miss the actor a ton, this sort of family-friendly adventure should go a long way toward mending their ailing hearts. Downey is obviously having a good time as the strange doctor and that is coming through in his performance in a huge way. It looks like there's going to be a bunch of hijinks in Dolittle, and the actor would have it no the way.

He said of the part earlier this year, "First of all the missus is front and center with Joe Roth producing Doolittle. I'm having a good time, though I decided to give myself, like, 40 additional challenges, like a Welsh accent — which even Welsh people say is hard to do."

"Then there's all this stuff down the pike," Downey continued. "We're looking at another Sherlock Holmes, we're developing Perry Mason for HBO. I still want to do Pinocchio."

Here's the synopsis for Dolittle:

"After losing his wife seven years earlier, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle (Downey), 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, Wild Rose) 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 and a raucous coterie of animal friends, including an anxious gorilla (Oscar winner Rami Malek), an enthusiastic but bird-brained duck (Oscar winner Octavia Spencer), a bickering duo of a cynical ostrich (The Big Sick's Kumail Nanjiani) and an upbeat polar bear (John Cena, Bumblebee), and a headstrong parrot (Oscar winner Emma Thompson), who serves as Dolittle's most trusted advisor and confidante."

Dolittle is set to hit theaters on January 17, 2020.