Doctor Dolittle 3

Maya Dolittle (Kyla Pratt, One on One) takes center stage in this tweener-oriented sequel to the fur-friendly entertainments. While Eddie Murphy and much of the original gang have moved on, his on-screen daughter talks to the animals and works at a veterinarian clinic--just like dear old dad--when not attending school. Naturally, the animals talk back, like the family pooch and a mischievous monkey--who tends to materialize at the most inopportune times--from the first installments. So some things haven't changed. On the other hand, the 17-year-old's primary concerns are popularity, putting together the perfect look, and bagging a boyfriend. It won't be easy. The other kids think she's a freak because of that animal thing, and the chatty creatures keep getting her in trouble with her parents. Her mom, Lisa (Kristen Wilson, who returns to the fold), sends Maya to a dude ranch to straighten her out, but the animals won't leave the "weirdo" alone. (The ranch is run by John Amos of Good Times fame.) Eventually she finds a way to put her Dolittle skill to good use and returns home a heroine. Fast-paced, if forgettable, this straight-to-DVD movie is manufactured to appeal more to the That's So Raven and Lizzy McGuire set than to fans of the original duo (let alone the British musical with Rex Harrison). --Kathleen C. Fennessy