The Story of Doctor Dolittle

Doctor Dolittle is a children's book by the English author Hugh Lofting, which was first published in 1920 under the title The Story of Doctor Dolittle and was the first in a series of books. It was also filmed several times.

Action

John Dolittle lives with his sister together in the small town Puddleby -on-the -Marsh and was originally a doctor for humans. His love for animals and his willingness to take them with him, but vergraulte both his sister and his patients. Finally, the doctor decides only to treat animals, where it benefited is that he understands the language of animals, which he has learned with the help of the parrot lady Polynesia.

When an outbreak of disease in the monkeys in Africa, the doctor makes to the parrot Polynesia, the crocodile, the monkey Chee-Chee, Jip the dog, Dab -Dab the duck, Gub - Gub the pig and the owl Too-Too with a borrowed boat on the way there. There he meets the king of Jolliginki, the Dolittle prohibits the passage due to bad experiences with other whites and locked in jail. The group manages to escape by a trick, so the doctor can finally heal the sick animals of Africa. When it is time to return to England, coming from Africa animals remain at home while the pushmi pulling you, the front and rear part of the body has a head, followed by the group. You outsmart pirates free a boy and save his uncle. By the issue of the unknown pushmi pulling you Dr. Dolittle earned enough money to return and according Puddleby and to pay his debts.

Films

In the 1930s, Lotte Reiniger created, the lofting knew personally, on the basis of the finished drawings by the author some silhouette films about the book. Plans to use it for a whole range and to film the complete book failed due to lack of money. It emerged that three eight -minute-long movies Travel to Africa, Dr. Dolittle in danger as well as in the lion's den.

In 1967 an elaborate Hollywood movie musical version Doctor Dolittle, combined the motifs of different stories. It was directed by Richard Fleischer. Dr. Dolittle presented by Rex Harrison, other roles were filled by Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley, Richard Attenborough and William Dix. The film was a huge success and received nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. An award given the visual effects while the song ( If I could ) Talk To The Animals, sung by Rex Harrison, won the Oscar for best song.

1998 and 2001, Eddie Murphy the vet in modern versions of the theme is, of course, have in common only the basic idea of speaking with animals with the template. Your sense of humor is contrary to the spirit of the novels entirely and is only conditionally suitable for children.

Continuations

Hugh Lofting wrote further novels around the quirky veterinarian: Doctor Dolittle floating island, Doctor Dolittle Post Office, Doctor Dolittle Circus, Doctor Dolittle Zoo, Doctor Dolittle 's largest travel, Doctor Dolittle Doctor Dolittle on the moon and animal opera. Posthumously Doctor Dolittle were still mysterious lake, Doctor Dolittle and the green canary and Doctor Dolittle released new adventure.

Adaptation

• The Soviet writer Korney Chukovsky published in 1938 his strongly rejected Dr. Dolittle Dr. Aibolit adaptation.

German book editions

The book was first translated into German in 1926 by Edith Jacobsohn and appeared in Jacob 's son publisher Williams & Co.. After 1945 it appeared in Cecilie Dressler Verlag. A recent translation by Gisbert Haefs dates from the year 2005.

• Doctor Dolittle and his animals, Süddeutsche Zeitung / Library, 2005, ISBN 3-86615115-2

As an audio book:

• Hugh Lofting: Doctor Dolittle. Audio book, read by Elke Heidenreich, ISBN 3-906547-29-9