April 11th, 2024
109 comments
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Doctor Who The Celestial Toymaker Animated DVD
Available to order from www.amazon.co.uk, www.hive.co.uk and HMV via www.ebay.co.uk
BBC Studios continues to offer Doctor Who fans the opportunity to extend their collection by announcing the latest release Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker on DVD and Blu-Ray. The two-disc set contains the third season story as well as special features. This classic series stars the First Doctor, William Hartnell and companions Peter Purves as Steven Taylor and Jackie Lane as Dodo Chaplet, with Michael Gough as the Toymaker.
Fans of Doctor Who have long lamented the loss of the original 1966 master recordings of all except one of The Celestial Toymaker. BBC Studios have carefully created an animated presentation of this lost classic story using off-air audio recordings of the missing three episodes.
The Celestial Toymaker sees the Doctor and companions separated when they come up against The Toymaker. While the Doctor plays the Trilogic Game, Steven and Dodo are forced to play seemingly childish but ultimately dangerous games with the aim of being reunited and getting back to the TARDIS.
All episodes have been animated in both colour and black and white and include original film elements which have been fully restored.
Special features include:
Disc One
- Episodes 1-4 – Animation – Black and White
- Episodes 1-3 – Reconstruction
- Episode 4 – Original 1966 Episode newly restored
- New Audio Commentaries
Disc Two
- Episodes 1-4 – Animation – Colour
- Making The Animation
- Doctor Who Escape Room – Team First Doctor
- Sylvester McCoy Introduction for episode 4 as per the original VHS release
- Photo Gallery
- PDF Material including camera scripts
Categorised under: Doctor Who DVDs, DVD
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NewAnimationSoon
December 12th, 2024 - 11:53amthe savages looks like its the next animated missing story.
Mainly as Amazon put it up for pre-order before removing it so I presume an official announcement soon with trailer then.
With March Release date for the actual product,
Bellal
December 10th, 2024 - 12:36amI have just gotten around to watching the TardisTimegirl Wheel in Space animation alongside the existing episodes and was completely blown away.
I’m usually not that interested with fan projects but my word I think this is the best animation we’ve ever had ( along with Macra ).
Don’t know how the BBC could pass on this. I would love for them to just release this straight away on dvd. Fan lobbying perhaps, would be another ticked off the list of ones to do.
Gordon
December 10th, 2024 - 1:58amIt got turned down because the bbc exec who spoke to them said: “We have to listen to the fans, and the fans don’t want 3D”. I do feel it’s a feeble excuse considering that was rejected after toymaker had been released and it got a pretty positive response by a good portion of those who saw it with an open mind. If it had been given the green light it would not have been released straight away. It would probably get a bit of money to polishing and tightening it up. As fantastic as I think it is I do think it could be done for a bit of a polish for a physical release. Lz skinner has talked about being willing to animate colour 16:9 and surviving episodes if need be if the bbc had said yes. Plus it would probably take time to schedule some special features too like commentaries and making ofs.
Nick
December 10th, 2024 - 6:31amMy goodness TardisTimegirl Wheel in Space is GOOD! Haven’t really liked the previous Dr Who 3D animations released by BBC but this is amazing work by a dedicated fan. Totally agree, a little tightening up with the figure action, but this definitely has potential to be released commercially.
Cully’s Pal
December 10th, 2024 - 5:54pmI saw it and thought it was excellent best animated Who Ive seen.
Bellal
September 17th, 2024 - 8:37pmNext animation announcement this Thursday the 19th?
Hoping it’s soon …
David
September 3rd, 2024 - 12:30pmI hope that the bbc will animate the missing stories from season 1 to 6 or possibly add them into a box set with mission to the unknown and the daleks master plan in a 2 pack then the other stories be put in a 3 pack boxset called missing stories 1 2 and 3
Marco polo
the crusade
mission to the unknown
The myth makers
Daleks master plan
The massacre
The savages
The smugglers
The Highlanders
The wheel in space
The space pirates
Rob
September 3rd, 2024 - 1:29pmI really think at the rate of animated story’s released (only one so far this year), I doubt all those will be animated in time for the collection sets or even at all.
Personally, my head tells me I can’t see Marco Polo being animated (my favourite) as it’s a Hartnell historical and seven episodes. The Crusade recon is on the collection set, so very doubtful. I would even doubt DMP due to it’s length and the amount of work to complete this epic.
I think any four part stories are up for animation, I think season 3 is more likely for the next release or two, to bulk out the amount of stories available for the collection set.
I think Wheel is no brainer with Trout and Cybermen. Not sure about the Space Pirates as lots of episodes to animate and not many photos of characters, although ep 2 exists.
It is, what it is. Animation is time consuming and expensive, plus two teams and I think even with a third it might be a struggle to get them all done due to DMP. I mean at a push you would need at least a year and a large team to get that complete.
What are everyone else’s thoughts?
Rob
September 3rd, 2024 - 1:34pmLike I said my favourite story yet to be animated would be Marco Polo. A great story and cast with all those lovely colour photos, Marco Polo documentary (history) and a making of as many of the cast are still with us.
Carole Anne, Waris, Clive Doig and Derren, whom I drop a message to occasionally. Derren did an updated interview for a Prisoner boxset this year, so still active!
James
September 3rd, 2024 - 2:22pmEven if each set came out with 1 story short they will all eventually get animated. Like the idea of box sets like the old dvds they used to do. Mission and dmp on 1 set with catchy title, marco/crusade and myth on another as historical, Outer Space for wheel and pirates.
I’ve said on another thread about getting Uniclan to make a deal with BBC to remake dmp like they did with mission. Either Bradley as 1st Doc or cgi hartnell face either tech used for star wars and Indiana Jones or motion capture on apes/LOTR. They did a stealla job with mission. Be great to continue it.
With a few which aren’t completely missing could they not just animate the missing eps and clean up the eps which exist?
Unless they know of episodes they exist in lrivate hands so are ousting off animating some stories in hope of getting them returned?
Rory
September 3rd, 2024 - 5:26pm@James, fully animated stories are easier to sell to networks as they don’t switch between live action black and white and animated full colour. All of the stories they’ve done full animations for have done this, animating even the existing episodes, so there’s no reason why they would stop.
Rory
September 3rd, 2024 - 5:31pm@rob, I can see them all being animated, just not in time for the Collection sets. There’s enough love in the teams to want to do them all, so if there’s any money there then they will happen.
The improvements in 3D animation by Shapeshifter mean that Highlanders with all the tartan could now be viable, and even Marco Polo with all of the costume changes, so let’s not rule anything out as impossible.
James
September 4th, 2024 - 12:07pmRory. I know they’ve animated even existing eps aswell as the missing. Just thought be slightly cheaper to not do existing ones and concentrate on the missing. Are they still being sold to networks? I thought that was only the bbc America deal that ran out a few years back so they could be broadcasted in the US?
Scotel
September 4th, 2024 - 12:47pmThere is no current co-production partner, it’s all BBC Studios. However any future deals are likely to be made with streaming services (even if its just the iPlayer) so current productions still need to be made with that in mind as these will end up as back catalogue offerings, and they’ll want full animations for consistency.
Gordon
September 4th, 2024 - 1:28pmYep. Pretty much what scotel says. It’s all for consistency for potential future broadcast/streaming. Unless there is a discovery that takes a story up to 1 missing episode I’ll be surprised if they ever decide to just fill in the gaps again. It’s only 8 episodes left that they would need to redo or 4 stories that have missing episodes existing in them. For the likes of wheel and space pirates they have to create the sets costumes and characters for those missing episodes anyway. I don’t think it would be that much of a saving. Same with masterplan. The only one that might save is crusade but considering the challenges it’s probably bottom or near bottom of the queue if it’s done.
James
September 4th, 2024 - 2:16pmJust wondered as they didn’t animate all of The Web of Fear or The Invasion or The ICE Warriors as they had just the 1 or 2 eps short. But understand for consistency for future deals.
Anon
September 4th, 2024 - 3:20pmThe ice warriors and the invasion were done long ago when it was just the episodes being replaced. Then they had no intention to animate existing episodes. Web 3 was the only episode of that story to be animated as 5 of the six existed. And it was a test episode for the new style animation.
Gordon
September 4th, 2024 - 11:27pmStories like invasion, reign of terror, ice warriors, tenth planet and moonbase was done during the dvd era when the budget was only available to do 1-2 episodes and the remit then was to just be gap fillers. From 2016 the remit had evolved to make the animations their own productions and animation had became affordable enough to do more than 2 episodes. Web 3 got done as it was much cheaper to do 1 episode than 6 and also gave them a chance to experiment in a new style which they went and expanded and improved upon with the celestial toymaker
James
June 25th, 2024 - 10:15pmSo there were a few brief clips in The Giggle of colourised Celestial Toymaker and the Doctor. Did they do thr full colourization of episode 4 for the release? Or just the brief clips for the 60th episode only?
The Unlicensed Physician
June 25th, 2024 - 11:33pmClips only.
Bellal
June 25th, 2024 - 8:26pmHave watched and enjoyed everything, but am curious. Was the remaining epsiode 4 restored in any way or is it exactly the same as from the lost in time dvd?
Prowl 1701
June 25th, 2024 - 9:57pmI believe it has been remastered.
Gordon
June 25th, 2024 - 10:00pmNewly remastered for this release
Bellal
June 25th, 2024 - 10:05pmThanks. Audio obviously far improved, wasn’t sure of the picture.
The Unlicensed Physician
June 25th, 2024 - 11:35pmThe previous version was Vidfire mark 1 (juddery) and had some poor painting out of boom shadows that fell on the robot (looked like water damage).
Tom Williams
June 12th, 2024 - 6:24pmAnyone after the standard copy without worrying on ordering online Asda have them at only 14.99 in store went too one in Peterborough and had two copy’s remaining
Bellal
June 12th, 2024 - 12:02amGot the dvd for the spine (completionary reasons). Will eventually get season 3 bluray in god knows however many years.
Love loose cannon recons and mainly watch these more often than the animations. Cleaned up audio and overall recon presentation great to see.
The real surprise was the color animation. I was thoroughly impressed. Usually I like keeping to source material with maybe having larger sets/ backgrounds, for added scale. This completely does its own thing and I think it is great. Yes, to nitpick, facial movements could be better and improved, but I absolutely love the sheer imagination of the story realised. Was like watching a brand new story for the first time. This more than any other can be realised is such a uniquely interesting take. I have to say a real treat watching and was pleasantly surprised at how certain tasks were tackled. Perfect for fantasy world and fascinating to watch.
Extras good overall as well. I think, despite its flaws, this is one of the most interesting attempts and it’s clear to see the thought that went into it. Probably best this style is kept for this alone, certainly to this extent, but a real delight to have this on the shelf at last. Both the ‘proper’ version and this reimagining.
F D R
June 9th, 2024 - 9:28amgot mine yesterday not bad at all i have only watched the black and white version i like the animation more then i thought i would the body movements are a lot better then the web of fear though the faces of the regulars are a bit,,,,, the other characters and the background are good the dvd extras are nice too if it had a making of for the original episodes it would be good bit that is me being picky
Anon
June 12th, 2024 - 8:39pmNot sure there were enough people left to do a making of the original story. Peter purves, one of the dancing dolls (single episode, no lines) but I think that’s it in terms of the actors. Not many production team left either.
Anon
June 7th, 2024 - 11:11amMines been dispatched
Bellal
May 31st, 2024 - 1:50pmHaven’t gotten DWMagazine for a few years. I think there was a piece on this. Was anything interesting talked about or revealed?
Gordon
May 31st, 2024 - 2:28pmIt was a review. Nothing really much of note revealed in it
Bellal
May 31st, 2024 - 3:01pmThat’s grand. Thanks Gordon. Not long now to wait