Anna Daniels
Over the past decade or so, Disney has had great success translating classic fantasy stories into live-action films. Their latest attempt at a live-action fantasy blockbuster is Dolittle starring Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Dolittle. Although the trailers for the film seem harmless enough, viewers might be surprised to learn that the character of Dr. Dolittle has surprisingly racist origins.
Why the Dolittle books are so controversial
The Encyclopedia Britannica says the Dolittle series began a century ago when British author Hugo Lofting published The Story of Dr. Dolittle in 1920. The book was a success. It lead to several more sequels published over the course of the next 28 years. The popular 1922 sequel The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle won a prestigious Newbery Medal. Cinema Blend reports Voyages served as the basis for Disney’s Dolittle.
Beloved at the time, the books have become infamous in years since. In keeping with 1920s British attitudes, the content of these books is very racist towards black people. The portrayal of Prince Bumpo, a black prince, is particularly upsetting.
According to Washingtonian, The Story of Dr. Dolittle includes a scene in which the prince expresses his desire to become white. The New York Times says Bumpo wanted to become white so that Sleeping Beauty, the beloved fairy tale princess, would be willing to marry him. Dr. Dolittle reluctantly agrees to help Bumpo change his skin color by bleaching his skin white.
How the Dolittle franchise has dealt with its past
Such a story is utterly abhorrent to modern sensibilities. Even the publishers of the Dolittle books are aware how they’ve aged horribly in regard to racial issues. The New York Times reports a 1980s reissue of the books removed racial epithets, offensive illustrations of black characters, and the aforementioned skin bleaching scene. If you’re familiar with the Dolittle books, there’s a good chance you were exposed to these sanitized editions rather than the offensive originals.
Has the uncomfortable history of Dr. Dolittle dulled the character’s popularity? No. AllMovie reports that, in a dramatic and subversive twist of fate, a black actor, Eddie Murphy, took on the role of the doctor in a 1998 film. Unlike earlier Dolittle stories, this movie was set in contemporary times, letting go of the racist baggage of the original series’ Victorian setting.
What will Disney do with the story?
Now we will soon see the latest iteration of the franchise, the Robert Downey Jr. film Dolittle. Unlike its predecessor starring Eddie Murphy, this film will be set in the Victorian era, reports Entertainment Weekly. This would lead to controversy in the unlikely event it stays true to the original Dolittle books.
A culture’s moral compass can change drastically over the course of one short century. A children’s book which was once widely accepted can become very inflammatory. Hopefully, Disney will handle this new movie in a sensitive way.
Written by: Cheat
