It’s been a pretty huge year for finales, like AVENGERS: ENDGAME and STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. But as a wise band once said, every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end, which is why DOLITTLE is aiming to be the first big blockbuster of 2020.

Director Stephen Gaghan’s film is the latest remake/adaptation of author Hugh Lofting’s classic children’s book series, yet DOLITTLE still feels like a fresh and exciting take on material that might be new to audiences at large. This is especially true in the movie’s period-appropriate approach, which feels like more of a tip of the hat to the 1967 film DOCTOR DOLITTLE, rather than the more modern remake of the same name, starring Eddie Murphy.

Speaking of star power, DOLITTLE has a pretty impressive all-star cast voicing various animals. And at the heart of the lineup is Robert Downey Jr., playing Doctor John Dolittle in all of his animal-chatting glory.

Whether it's a giraffe, a duck, a dog or a gorilla, DOLITTLE’s protagonist can communicate with them with the greatest of ease. This makes the fact that voices such as Marion Cotillard, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland and Rami Malek are talking back all the more exciting.

And there’s plenty more talent where that came from, as the roster of familiar voices stretches throughout the entire cast of animal friends that the good doctor pals around with. So, if you’re a fan of folks like John Cena, Selena Gomez, Kumail Nanjiani and Ralph Fiennes, you’ll want to keep your ears tuned to hear their voices throughout.

To recap, we’ve got a beloved classic as the basis of DOLITTLE, with a cast to die for voicing and acting in this potentially huge film. And yet, there’s one final piece of the puzzle that slots in to make this movie a big hit to watch out for in the month of January: It looks absolutely epic in scope and scale.

Judge for yourself by watching the trailer below, which showcases everything we’ve talked about thus far:

DOLITTLE is aiming to be the first big blockbuster of 2020, and it’s doing so with a journey that values kindness over conflict, and a hero with heart. It’s familiar territory for Robert Downey Jr., but at the same time, it’s fresh enough that it should excite his fans with an opportunity to see another side of the legendary actor’s talents.

DOLITTLE talks to animals on January 17 and tickets are on sale today on our website!