A skilled physician, Dr. John Dolittle has long supressed a very special talent he possessed as a child: the ability to communicate with animals. Forgotten are his childhood memories of counsel with his four-legged friend until a near accident awakens his long dormant talents. Now owls, horses, guinea pigs -- anything that could claim a spot in the animal kingdom -- seek his medical advice. Dolittle's confusion, his colleague's terror and his family's concern are all alleviated as a healthy dose of animal behavior reminds him what it means to be human.