It's a little disorienting to see Eddie Murphy play the straight man in a film. For that matter, it's odd that he plays only one character, but that's exactly what he does in Dr. Dolittle 2, a light, painless sequel to the 1998 original. He reprises his role as Dr. John Dolittle, a physician who is able to communicate with animals.

Kristen Wilson returns as John's wife, Lisa, as do Kyla Pratt and Raven-Symone as his daughters, Maya and Charisse. In the years since he discovered his talent, his family has learned to live with the constant interruption of animals seeking the help of the famous Dr. Dolittle. It's not long before an entire forest is seeking John's aid.

To save the forest, Dr. Dolittle must find a mate for Ava, the resident endangered Pacific Western Bear. The only suitable candidate is Archie, who agrees to leave his life as a sideshow performing bear for the potential glory of saving his species and the animals' homes. Of course, Archie is a total loser as bears go - he can't swim, is afraid of the dark, and has no idea how to fend for himself in the wild.

Not exactly high drama, but then again, this is a kid's movie. The plot is easy to follow, and plenty of time is given to the wisecracking animals. It seems a shame to waste the comedic talents of Eddie Murphy, but you can still catch him as Donkey in Shrek. As the voice of Archie, Steve Zahn gets the best lines, as does Norm Macdonald as the Dolittles' dog, Lucky. Another scene-stealer is the chameleon voiced by Jacob Vargas (Benecio Del Toro's partner in Traffic).

The animals are the real draw of Dr. Dolittle 2, and director Steve Carr (Next Friday) does a fairly good job of keeping them onscreen. The non-animal stories of the film are not deep, and they lose interest quickly. The one exception is the strained relationship between John and his teenage daughter Charisse.

Young actress Raven-Symone does a fine job of portraying the simultaneous warmth and hostility of a 16 year-old girl. Charisse Dolittle is embarrassed by her father's notoriety and longs for a normal life. Added to her troubles is a secret she's keeping from her father - and it's not just the fact that she's dating the pizza delivery boy, Eric (Lil' Zane).

Dr. Dolittle 2 is an easy film to watch, even if it does feel a little plastic at times. The "forest" scenes are obviously shot on a sound stage. There are the obligatory bathroom jokes and the "bad-guy-gets-his" jokes that are apparently mandatory for this type of film. For the most part, however, the movie is briskly paced and cute without being cloying. If you've already taken the kids to see Eddie Murphy as the voice of an animal, you can show them what he looks like when he is talking to the animals.