All right Goldilocks. Come out. We know you're in there.

Just when you thought it was safe to go and see a sequel, Dr Dolittle 2 arrives with the wrong medication.

Nigel Bell

The battle for the kids is well and truly underway. While Shrek has stolen a march, this week sees the release of the second Dr Dolittle and cartoon series Recess. Next week it's the turn of, possibly, the biggest of them all - Cats and Dogs.

If one film is in danger of picking up the wooden spoon it's Murphy's latest outing.

"Where have all the animals gone?" "They've read the script and gone home"

After his supreme performance in Shrek, this is just back to basics. Worse, it's back to giving sequels a bad name.

As recently as last week, Jurassic Park III showed there could be new life after an original. Dolittle 2, however, is a tame retread. Same formula, virtually the same ending.

John Dolittle (Murphy) is successfully juggling a practice which deals with humans and animals. Urged to meet "the beaver" he hears about plans to destroy a forest and so make thousands of animals homeless.

Come on, laugh. It's a bear in the tub

The only way to stop the lumber developers is to mate a circus bear (Archie) with a native female (Ava - voiced by Friends Lisa Kudrow).

The majority of the film deals with Dolittle's attempts to return Archie to nature, including living in a cave and catching its own food.

It's also the cue for a series of toilet humour jokes (just like the first film) including one scene where Murphy becomes trapped in a lavatory with the big bear. Ho ho.

By the end the animals unite to battle the developers. Again this is similar to the first, when the beasts got together to help the good doctor operate on an ailing tiger.

Get this bear out of the way, he's cramping my style

What's most disappointing is that many of the humorous elements from that first outing are repeated here, so you have birds depositing their waste on the bad guys. Similarly, relationships within the Dolittle family are explored again.

Dr Dolittle 2 will appeal to older children. My seven year old fidgeted throughout whereas my 10-year-old couldn't stop chortling.

Indeed, there are humorous moments - there's Eric, the boyfriend from hell, a scene involving bears singing Copacabana and a training regime set to the music from Rocky.

But it's not enough to bring life to a disappointing sequel.