Dolittle movie - guide to the voice cast, who's playing who | Gallery

By Neia Balao 8:08am PST, Jan 14, 2020

Robert Downey Jr. is back, and this time he's playing a veterinarian with a peculiar talent: He's able to speak to animals! On Jan. 17, 2020, the adventure-fantasy flick "Dolittle" hits theaters, and we seriously can't wait to see what shenanigans Dr. Dolittle gets into! Join Wonderwall.com as we take a look at the star-studded voice cast to find out who's voicing whom…

Kicking off our list is none other than Dame Emma Thompson, who voices Poly, a willful macaw who's Dolittle's trusted pal.

Having starred in a plethora of notable films including "The Remains of the Day," "Howards End" (for which she won an Oscar), "In the Name of the Father" and "Sense and Sensibility" (for which she won a screenwriting Oscar), Emma Thompson is among Britain's most acclaimed actresses. In addition to her Oscars, the "Last Christmas" star has also won two Golden Globe Awards and one Primetime Emmy. Emma is also an impassioned activist — she's an ambassador for ActionAid, a patron of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and a supporter of Greenpeace, among many other initiatives. In 2021, Emma will star in Disney's live-action crime-comedy film "Cruella" alongside Emma Stone.

Tom Holland voices Jip, the faithful dog.

After being cast as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films back in 2015, Tom Holland made a name for himself in Hollywood. But aside from being a talented actor, Tom is also a trained dancer: After starring as Billy in "Billy Elliot the Musical," he was scouted by a choreographer and started taking ballet lessons. The 23-year-old Brit has quite the year ahead of him. "Onward," "Chaos Walking" and "The Devil All the Time" are among his forthcoming films.

Rami Malek voices Chee-Chee, the well-intentioned mountain gorilla.

Since debuting as recluse hacker Elliot Alderson on the USA Network drama series "Mr. Robot" back in 2015, Rami Malek has certainly taken Hollywood by storm. The breakthrough role garnered him much attention and critical praise including a 2016 Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series. In 2019, the Los Angeles native garnered further acclaim when he won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best actor for his portrayal of the late Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody." His Academy Award win was also historic, as he became the first actor of Egyptian heritage to win in that category. Rami next appears in 2020's "No Time to Die" (he's a Bond villain!) and "The Little Things."

John Cena voices Yoshi, the high-spirited polar bear.

Former WWE superstar John Cena is one professional wrestler who has successfully transitioned into acting! John quickly became the face of WWE, headlining countless pay-per-view events and closing out WrestleMania a whopping five times. He made his acting debut in 2006's "The Marine," delivered a memorable performance in Amy Schumer's "Trainwreck" in 2015 and has since landed starring roles in Hollywood blockbusters including "Blockers," "Bumblebee" and "Playing With Fire." John will also appear in the forthcoming James Gunn-directed superhero film "The Suicide Squad," otherwise known as "Suicide Squad 2," which hits theaters on Aug. 6, 2021.

Kumail Nanjiani voices Plimpton, a skeptical but well-intentioned ostrich.

Kumail Nanjiani is perhaps best known for his role as Dinesh Chugtai on the hit HBO comedy series "Silicon Valley," which ran from 2014 to 2019. In 2017, the "Stuber" actor starred in the 2017 romantic comedy "The Big Sick," which he co-wrote with wife Emily V. Gordon (fun fact: the film was inspired by their real-life love story). They scored an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay for the project. Aside from "Dolittle," the Pakistan-born actor has two other films on the way: "The Lovebirds," in which he stars alongside Issa Rae, and the Marvel movie "The Eternals," for which he's completely transformed his body.

Octavia Spencer voices Dab-Dab, the zany duck in the bunch.

Octavia Spencer made her feature film debut in 1996's "A Time to Kill," though her breakout role was in 2011's "The Help," a performance that earned her an Academy Award for best supporting actress. She was also nominated for Oscars for her work in 2016's "Hidden Figures" and in Guillermo del Toro's 2017 film "The Shape of Water." She's also appeared in "Smashed," "Instant Family," "Luce" and "Ma." This year, Octavia will also voice a character in the March Disney-Pixar film "Onward" and will star in the Robert Zemeckis-directed dark-fantasy film "The Witches."

Marion Cotillard voices Tutu, the red fox who's best friends with Selena Gomez's character, Betsy, the amicable giraffe.

French actress Marion Cotillard has received many accolades over the course of her career including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe for her performance in 2007's "La Vie En Rose." Her breakout Hollywood role came back in 2003 with Tim Burton's fantasy-drama movie "Big Fish." That led to a variety of work in films like "A Very Long Engagement," "Inception" and "The Dark Knight Rises." In 2020, Marion will star in the musical movie "Annette" alongside Adam Driver.

From Disney star to pop star! At just 27, Selena Gomez has established herself as a true triple threat — she's a singer-songwriter, actress and TV producer. Her breakthrough role came as endearing teen witch Alex Russo in the Emmy-winning Disney Channel show "Wizards of Waverly Place," which ran from 2007 to 2012. She went on to act in various films including "Monte Carlo," "Spring Breakers" and "The Dead Don't Die." She's also executive produced Netflix's controversial series "13 Reasons Why" and the docu-series "Living Undocumented." Aside from acting and producing, Selena's made a name for herself as a singer: She released her third studio album, "Rare," in January 2020 following a long break during which she recovered from a kidney transplant related to her battle with lupus and sought treatment for mental health issues.

Craig Robinson voices Kevin, the opinionated red squirrel.

Craig Robinson is best known for his portrayal of Darryl Philbin on "The Office." In addition to currently playing Doug Judy on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," the actor-comedian-singer has appeared in many notable films including "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," "Pineapple Express," "Hot Tub Time Machine," "This Is the End" and "Dolemite Is My Name." "Dolittle" isn't the only film he's lending his voice to: Craig also voices a character in the upcoming animated flick "The Ark and the Aardvark."

Ralph Fiennes voices the fierce Bengal tiger, Barry.

Ralph Fiennes has been racking up award nominations for decades, including Oscar and Golden Globe nods for his work in "The English Patient" and "Schindler's List" (for which he won a BAFTA Award). The British actor is also a celebrated theater performer who in 1995 took home a Tony Award for his portrayal of Hamlet. Ralph is set to appear in a handful of films this year including the James Bond flick "No Time to Die," "The King's Man" and "The Dig."

Carmen Ejogo voices lioness Regine in "Dolittle." The British actress's list of credits include performances in "Love's Labour's Lost," "Away We Go," "The Purge: Anarchy," "It Comes at Night" and "Alien: Covenant." She's also known for her portrayal of Seraphina Picquery in the "Fantastic Beasts" movies as well as for her role as Amelia Reardon on HBO's "True Detective."

Frances de la Tour voices dragoness Ginko-Who-Soars in "Dolittle." Frances, who's perhaps best known to audiences in her native Britain as Miss Ruth Jones on the 1970s sitcom "Rising Damp," is a Tony Award recipient and three-time Olivier Award winner. The theater actress has also appeared in films like "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1" and on TV shows like "Cold Lazarus," "Big School" and "Vicious."

Jason Mantzoukas voices James, the dragonfly Dolittle encounters in a prison cell. Jason has landed notable roles on both television and in movies in projects like "The League," "The Good Place," "Big Mouth," "The Dictator," "Conception," "Sleeping with Other People" and "They Came Together." Jason is next set to appear in the 2020 Antoine Fuqua-directed sci-fi flick "Infinite" alongside Mark Wahlberg, Dylan O'Brien, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sophie Cookson.