The Universal Pictures movie Dolittle released in January 2020 includes alongside a multitude of other creatures, a ferocious and terrifying dragon.

The dragon, named Ginko-Who-Soars, is a fire-breathing dragon who guards the magical fruits of Eden. It is voice acted by Frances de la Tour, best known as the wonderful Miss Ruth Jones in the UK TV sitcom Rising Damp, and more recently seen as Madame Olympe Maxime in a couple of the Harry Potter movies.

With a host of stars including Antonio Banderas and Robert Downey Jr playing the lead role of Doctor Dolittle, this film promises lots of action and adventure. You will find talking squirrels, giraffes, bears, tigers, monkeys and more. Lots more!

Why is there a dragon in Dolittle?

This is a question that more-than-a-few movie fans have asked. The answer commonly given is that in the first book in the Doctor Dolittle series, “The Story of Doctor Dolittle” by Hugh Lofting, the 15th chapter is titled “The Barbary Dragon”. In it Doctor Dolittle and a few of his animal companions attempt to escape from the pirate Ben Ali, also known as the Barbary Dragon. You can read the chapter and hear the audio here.

It has been suggested that the writers of Dolittle (2020) decided use the pirate Beni Ali, The Barbary Dragon as inspiration for a real dragon character. Whether it works or not is a matter of personal taste. I’ve not seen the film yet but when I do I’ll let you know what I think!

Where can I watch Dolittle (2020)?

At the time of writing Dolittle is not yet available on DVD or Blu-ray but you are able to pre-order it. If you have Amazon Prime you will be able to watch Dolittle as soon as it is released.