Starring Burt Lancaster, Michael York, Nigel Davenport, Barbara Carrera and Richard Basehart, the plot follows a scientist who attempts to convert animals into human beings.

In 1911, three men are floating in a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean following the wreck of the ship Lady Vain.

The last survivor, Lady Vain's engineer Braddock, is nursed back to health in the compound governed by the scientist "Dr. Moreau".

One day, Braddock witnesses Moreau and Montgomery manhandling a chained creature who is not human; the island is home to more than just this one.

The following day, Braddock takes a rifle and leaves the compound, determined to see how the hybrid creatures live.

Moreau calls on him to utter aloud the three laws the scientist passed on to them: no going around on all fours; no eating of human flesh; and no taking of other life.

[a] Braddock (still struggling to remain human), Maria, M'Ling, and the still-coherent and benign beastfolk servant women stave them off.

Sometime later, they see a passing ship, and the serum has worn off, returning Braddock to his full human state as Maria looks on with changed, feline eyes.

The 26 animals featured in the film were given affection training by Toni and Ralph Helfer at the Enchanted Village of Buena Park, California, and then shipped from Miami to Saint Croix.

Written by Doug Moench and illustrated by Larry Hama, the comic-book adaptation had a slightly less happy ending than the film, with Maria reverting into a cat-woman just before help arrives.

[6] Lorber Films released the film under its Kino Lorber Studio Classics imprint available for the first time on Blu-ray in the U.S.[7] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Island of Dr. Moreau holds an approval rating of 54%, based on 24 reviews, and an average rating of 5.1/10.

Its consensus reads: "The Island of Dr. Moreau takes a reasonably entertaining pass at adapting its classic source material, although key scenes are let down by struggles with special effects".