Doctor Who: The Underwater Menace Animation - Should You Buy It?

[@SeaDevilLagoon]

While I personally prefer The Smugglers, I'm really excited to hear about this project. It looks pretty great - in my opinion the least successful animations are ones that don't do the surviving soundtracks any justice, for example Fury or Abominable, both of which are lacking in atmosphere. I think that the 'Saturday morning cartoon' feel will work wonders for a story like this, with over-the-top performances and colourful imagery and costumes. I suspect Planet 55 would have done stories like Fury justice - the Moonbase is probably my all time favourite.

[@JoshSnares]

100%!!

[@chrise7359]

Agreed. I wish Planet 55 tackled Daleks Masterplan or The Smugglers, as they worked well with the shadows and slightly darker tone. Actually, I wish they did the entire range! I loved their later work, and forgive those early problems as initial teething issues and misfortune.

[@Joey15811]

​@chrise7359 master plan will probably be one of the last 2 along with Marco Polo given how many characters, sets etc as well as number of episodes

[@alexlazebat839]

i thought the smugglers and underwater menace were being animated for the 60th anniversary

[@steveg5122]

SatAm Who is awesome.

[@sadmanadib8536]

Whoever is animating this, please do justice to the "Nothing in the world can stop me now" scene, it's important

[@JRCSalter]

I am so looking forward to that. I don't want to be dissappointed

[@davidbanan.]

IT IS IMPORTANT. If that scene isn't the most over the top dramatic thing I will... be a lil miffed i guess

[@carealoo744]

He should turn into a shinigami. Episode 4 is missing anyway.

[@kurtvanderbogarde8402]

Both versions. It got remade for the start of episode 4. Not a lot of people notice that.

[@alexh110]

This line raised a rapturous cheer from the audience at yesterday's BFI premiere!

[@whovian59]

Like you, I’m a big Hartnell fan, so I’d love to see any 1st Doctor animations, or even colourisations. Clearly, the newly coloured clips from The Smugglers would make great additions to the special features on the animation release, but time will tell. As for Underwater Menace… will I buy it? Nuzzing in ze Vorld can stop me now!!! ❤

[@ireallydidntwanttomakeanac575]

After watching this video, you've convinced me. I'm going to buy Downtime.

[@JoshSnares]

The correct choice

[@MaddoxProductions1]

That's an interesting point though; would the '67 episodes and the animations being separated qualify for the DVD as well, or *just* the Blu Ray? I've never owned the Blu Rays but I've heard they've differed in how they presented their content from the DVD counterparts before.

[@JoshSnares]

I only get the blurays, so I have no idea haha

[@terryfinchguitarist]

I wish they would animate the historical stories, especially the massacre and the myth makers

[@lucywillis4174]

Space pirates next, please..

[@Lindigo12]

I'd love to see the wheel in space next, I know it's not the most popular episode but it would be great to finally have all the cyberman stories done and accessible in this format

[@ChickenEater692]

When the animated snippet from episode 1 turned up as an extra a few years back, I was over the moon thinking it would be the next one. I've got such a soft spot for it.

[@Hessey96]

I definitely think fans should buy this set. So we can continue the animations. We're so incredibly close to the 2nd doctor era being complete and we need more Hartnell animations. The more we support these sets. The more animations we can have.

[@literacylabyrinth4018]

Yeah that makes sense.

[@richardbarth918]

Yea I am buying it just to support and hell I will watch it a few times before the bluray that I am buying anyway.

[@jasonbuffone237]

I bought the last release. This might be one of the worst Doctor who episodes ever made. It's an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back. And I've seen a movie called puppet shark.

[@collectionfanatic]

I really hope a future animated story is The Daleks' master plan. I just like the idea of all the classic dalek stories being available.

[@rch6]

I love the story. One of my favorites honestly. Old school story-telling, long and.... yeah always felt hurt that there were so many epiosides missing.

[@SuperCookie64]

Despite only 3 episodes surviving, I found that story surprisingly enjoyable thanks to Josh's fantastic animation of it.

[@kitfisto4711]

They should just add the rough and tumble scene from macra at a random point in an episode with no context, all perfectly rotoscoped and handdrawn. I would instantly buy 5 copies.

[@ChickenEater692]

And I'd buy the next 10!

[@kitfisto4711]

@@ChickenEater692 Hell yeah!

[@THIRV]

Great stuff as always Josh! For me, I’d like to see The Wheel In Space animated, as that completes the season and primes it for a Pat box set. 😊

[@Rod-in-a-Pod]

I will buy any animated version - as they are a way of bringing lost stories back to life. Its a shame there isnt a queue for more.

[@JRCSalter]

Yes, I will be buying this, if only to support the creation of more animations. Also, it's the Underwater Menace. I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing Zaroff screaming that nothing in the world can stop him now.

[@ShowRyuKen]

Nice Trog t-shirt, Josh.

[@JoshSnares]

TROG!!!

[@whovian59]

Yes, Josh. Just what is that movie promoted on your T-shirt? I’m old enough to recognise Joan Crawford, so would love to know, please ? Xx

[@mrdoctorgilmore]

Since I don't collect the Blu-ray's I'll be definitely getting the DVD. Hopefully the Smugglers rumours are true too.

[@JoshSnares]

Hopefully!

[@jimtheperson.4999]

I hope we get a savages animation.

[@Dirvinator]

Underwater Menace and The Savages were confirmed months ago I'm pretty sure

[@JazzyWaffles]

​@@DirvinatorPretty sure it was Smugglers, not Savages

[@Dirvinator]

@@JazzyWaffles ah too true, I always get those two mixed up

[@agentBaDWolf47]

Animation of The Dalek Master Plan

[@TonksMoriarty]

I listened to this one recently and loved it! Given the striking action currently going on with WAG and SAG-AFTRA it ended up being very poignant: Elites stealing the talents and work of their perceived lowers.

[@ksay7649]

i suppose if people do not buy it then they wont make anymore

[@enterlinemediavisual]

I think Disney+ only has rights to new episodes form the new seasons of Doctor Who and it doesn't cover any previous seasons (new or classic) or even the animations. The animations could be co-funded by BritBox.

[@christopheralthouse6378]

Wouldn’t it be weird if the “mysterious benefactor” turned out to be Ian Levine? 😅😂

[@sideways251]

the disc changing wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to sit through, "doctor who title and disc number" - logos etc - "to select audio navigation press enter now" every time

[@Thenesrookie]

I honestly would really love to see the Highlanders animated. I watched Power of the Daleks for the first time last week and loved it, went to move on to the next episode (the highlanders) and just didn’t vibe with the Telesnap Recons after the great POTD animation.

[@theevildalek5425]

The animation looks interesting. It seems to be a mix of both animation teams (BBC Studios who did Shada, Faceless Ones, Evil of the Daleks and Big Finish who did Fury from the Deep, Galaxy 4, Abominable Snowmen). Seems to be a joint effort between both. I imagine character animation & character design was done by one team (BBC Studios) and backgrounds & layouts were done by the other (Big Finish). From the teaser, the characters look like they’re in the same art style as seen in Evil of the Daleks (the 2nd Doctor & Jamie models are the same from Evil, with Jamie being in the wrong costume), but the backgrounds & layouts of characters is more similar to the Big Finish animations (which I personally don’t like). Some people say that because it was said in The Mirror back in January that both Underwater Menace & The Smugglers were getting animated (as well as colourised 60s Doctor Who episodes), a Smugglers animation is basically confirmed, but I still wouldn’t say Smugglers or full colourised 60s episodes is 100% confirmed because of this. I remember back in 2018 when The Mirror said Macra Terror was being aniamted, they also said Wheel in Space. And while it technically wasn’t wrong as a part of Ep. 1 was animated, we still don’t have a full one. Some info mixes up & we don’t get exactly what was said. . Underwater Menace animated = ✅ . Smugglers aniamted =❔ . Colourised 60s Doctor Who =❔ What we might get instead of Smugglers being animated & fully colourised 60s Who is instead just the surviving clips of The Smugglers l being colourised (which just happened) & just Underwater Menace animated But, I am hoping to be wrong there 🤞 What I will say tho is in that original January Mirror article, it did say that the funding for these new animations was not from Disney, so we can scratch that potential off for now…

[@stuartwho]

First world problems. Effort having to change discs.😂 my next animation would be The Myth Makers.

[@f.b.cavalcante1276]

the answer is always: Yes. the disc 2 is basically a upgrade to the original release.

[@5SSS]

I want the range to continue as long as possible so I'll be getting it ASAP

[@jezcartner4104]

I'm excited for this. Evil of the daleks animation was awesome

[@mrmister3782]

Kinda wish that VHS releases was still a thing

[@gamera2351]

Yes the #1 choice that I’d love to see animated is The Dalek Master Plan for sure. I’d think that’s almost everyone’s first choice. I’d say my second choice would be the one where Steven leaves to live with cavemen or something. Im to busy to look it up right now but you guys know better than me. It just comes across to me as the most obscure and forgotten Who story so for that reason I’d like to see it.

[@AtelierGod]

3D animation it’s better to be stylized than realistic in my opinion, Bionicle 3 Web of Shadows looks better than most 3D movies coming out in recent times.

[@hereticosjc]

2 videos in a week I love it! May sound silly but I'm always giddy when I see an upload from yourself. For lost era content I think you put the best stuff out there.

[@TheEarthquake1001]

I like watching these animations in colour. But i love watching the original episodes too. So even on the discs where they have the animated episodes in black and white and the original episodes on the same disc, I still need to swap discs for the original episodes because usually they put the colour versions on a separate disc from the original episodes

[@DrWhoFanJ]

Believe me, you’re far from the only person to be frustrated with that approach.

[@MednaTheFox]

Hope they do Celestial Toymaker next. That one seems really interesting to me.

[@davidembery9793]

I'll be buying it, the Collection might only have the episodes in black and white for instance. I doubt a s4 set would have all those episodes twice and the recons.

[@Evan_257]

Great video Josh! My understanding was that The Underwater Menace animation fell through due to the bankruptcy of Qurios, who did the 2013 Ice Warriors animation. I think this is referenced in the Black Archive on Underwater Menace by James Cooray Smith (which is an excellent read if you haven’t already!). Though both could be true - perhaps Planet 55 were approached afterwards and that also fell through? Would love to know any more info on that.

[@JAProductions494]

I’m impatient and I’m already struggling to wait until November when it is released Therefore, I couldn’t possibly wait until its release on the Collection Boxset 😂 Also, I don’t really understand the “special features” argument It’s clear that the colour animations are the main draw for people and is most appealing to general audiences. Therefore B&W animation is the special feature and that plus the surviving episodes compliment each other on a separate disc. I dunno, maybe the reasons run deeper and I’m just not knowledgeable enough

[@pious83]

When it comes to B&W animations, I don't get it either. Neither Moonbase nor The Invasion were negatively affected by merging the animated with the original episodes.

[@calvinkatt662]

Yeah, agree. The B&W animated and the surviving episodes should be on the same disk.

[@camerontomney]

really hope they animated smugglers, when hear the rumours about the smugglers getting animated please be true. like you said they need animated more hartnell storys. been looking forwards to underwater menace animated for years. very excited for the release. thanks you josh for another amazing video cheers

[@davidbyers7246]

I’d like to see “The Wheel in Space” as the next animated adventure. It was one of the first stories of Dr. Who I ever saw, as a small child when it was repeated in the early 1970s in Australia.

[@Grayvorn]

I think Hartnell animations, are far from being all over 😎

[@MrJimiJam]

Easy answer. If you want them to keep making animated reconstructions, YES, you should buy it.

[@dwiggins1]

I’ve bought the Blu-ray version here in America and I love it and they do have two discs. They have the black-and-white animation version on Disc1 and the color animated version on Disc 2. I’m glad they made both versions. I like the color versions better, but to each his own.

[@andyhight9441]

If I could choose any 2nd Doctor show to animate next it would be The Highlanders, If I could choose any H 1st Doctor to animate it would have to be The Celestial Toymaker (if not that then the Savages or Marco Polo).

[@BrendanJSmith]

As a lifetime lover of physical media, Doctor Who is an absolute nightmare to collect!

[@Kryojenix]

I'm going to buy it now, but maybe I won't watch it until after I've bought Teh Colleckshun seezun fore. There's a chance that even then, I won't watch it, but will sit smugly in a corner, staring up at the boxsets on my shelf and sniggering to myself, replete in the knowledge that I _possess_ them. I always unwrap them to make sure the discs play tho'...

[@snakedaemongaming6590]

Doesn't matter I'll buy both Steelbook Blu-ray and collection

[@AnubisX1]

Me personally, i will probably buy the first release digitally then get the physical series Collection set.. My viewing of it is, the more people who buy the animation either digitally or on DVD/blu-ray the more likely more animations will be funded and we might finally get the Wheel in space and Daleks masterplan.

[@joshsobchak9902]

Personally I'm not interested in Collection sets where the majority of episodes are missing. Meanwhile, Seasons 3-5 of the modern series are some of the most popular, so that could be cool to see.

[@thethinkingcatakaneonormie3527]

Really the one I want animated is Marco Polo and the Highlanders

[@raymoorey8425]

See I always have a plan, I will buy the new release but on DVD, and then purchase blu ray in the box set collection 😎

[@carealoo744]

Even if we were to ignore the fact that turning the color down on your own TV is like a 15 second process, and I don't think it's worth wasting space on a disc for the exact same animation without the color, surely it couldn't be that big of an issue to just add some sort of feature into the disc so that you can switch it to color or black and white at will.

[@soullessmin]

I will definitely be getting this, to replace the previous release I got for Xmas after it came out... I did love it, but this will be better!

[@matthewboreham205]

not sure about the smugglers three more troughton ones to do highlanders, wheel in space and space pirates

[@dalek1665]

Josh snares: says he’s not going to upload for a while. 3 days later: uploads video as the previous one coincided with the announcement of a missing episode animation

[@Cubicnoir]

I wonder if there would be ever missing live episodes have ever been found yet?

[@Ningy909]

me in the corner still waiting for Wheel in Space like 😶

[@jdzencelowcz]

I know I'M buyin' it when we get it in the states!

[@mjanovec]

Since we don’t know when the Season 4 box set will be released… presumably 1 to 5 years from now… I don’t want to wait until then to enjoy this. Plus any money I spend on this release is my “vote” in support of more animations and reconstructions. If everyone took the stance that they will wait for the season sets, these animations may not get made at all.

[@jeremythomaswebb1485]

Already Back Again! :D I should have known as soon as the Underwater Menace was announced you would do a video covering the announcement. Always great to hear your thoughts :)

[@JoshSnares]

I wasn't planning on coming back so soon, but the BBC tempted me with an animation! haha

[@jeremythomaswebb1485]

@@JoshSnares Haha They must have heard you had returned and quickly put together the Underwater Menace announcement before you went back into Hiding! :D

[@TheRandomGuyTheFarNoGameCat]

Yesssssss! This has made my whole ****** day.

[@sabrinatirabassi3529]

Of course I should. Next.

[@tom2point0]

I’m loving you’re making vids again!

[@Attempt62]

I'm legally required to mention that OH PEEPY how dare you host a criminal in your home

[@JoshSnares]

Love my peepy :)

[@jerobriggs6861]

I've already preordered it. So yes, I'm buying it.

[@jerobriggs6861]

I also really like The Underwater Menace, so I'm really happy it's finally getting a more proper release.

[@jeffdunne1299]

As always a great video

[@bradleywillard2361]

I’ll buy this release, because I’m the BBC’s bitch, clearly. However, if they continue to release 3D animations in the style of ‘The Web of Fear,’ I would rather submit myself to the Timelash. I will not touch that trash until the Season 5 Collection box set is released.

[@JoshSnares]

Save your breath for the Timelash! Most depart with a scream..

[@jasonotoole1822]

Good to see you back Josh and this is great news that there is another animated Doctor Who story!!

[@stevehodge133]

I agree with you, The Daleks Master Plan is definitely the one I would love to see animated next. I really hope some day we get that one.

[@stephenreed2093]

❤ the Trog t-shirt!

[@MERCS2046]

Oh im buying it.

[@CuttleFresh]

Here’s the thing, if we support this release we might get The Dalek’s Masterplan someday 😅😅

[@johnny--dollar]

Trog T-Shirt!

[@Kryojenix]

Your enunciation of "abominable" is improving! Speaking from the point of view of a neutrally reversed polarity of course.

[@JoshSnares]

I have a speech impediment and an Australian accent, this is as good as it gets.

[@Kryojenix]

@@JoshSnares legit, Straya! Go ‘Tillies! Sorry, I didn’t mean to have a go at you. A lot of people pronounce that word a bit funny and it’s one of the small beautiful things that Cybermen miss out on. Just in this video your pronunciation delivered a bit of special extra piquancy to it! 😄

[@timecontroller8800]

I really can’t wait for the dalek master plan as that’s something I am sure we would all want to see

[@SouthPark333Gaming]

Adric is literally paying for these

[@JoshSnares]

thanks adric

[@dragondaveltd1992]

Let's hope for The Celestial Toymaker, The Massacre, The Smugglers, The Wheel in Space, The Highlanders and The Savages with animation soon

[@jimmymcshane6804]

Obviously getting Daleks Master Plan would be amazing, but mostly I want them to complete a season. Seasons 1, 2, 5, and 6 are one animation away form being complete.

[@Fee-Nix]

Another great video Josh. I saw the episodes on their original run (blush). P.S. Love the Trog (1970) T-Shirt.

[@DrWhoFanJ]

Well, given it finally lets all four episodes of the story be watchable (rather than Episode One and Episode Four being listen-only), obviously I’m getting this release! I’m not waiting what could be years just for the Collection to reach Season 4, especially when we still don’t even know how it will arrange all the animations to ensure they fit! Regular BD for me; never understood the point of paying more for a worse product as steelbooks require.

[@ksaunders4362]

Meh, I’ll go for the third option…..I’ll buy both! 😄. I’m still hanging out for an animation of Marco Polo. I know, I know - I keep banging on about this in your comment section every time the topic comes up, Josh, but I really want to see those costumes!

[@ii237]

Great news: just take my money now, BBC …and keep going!

[@JoshSnares]

they've figured us out haha

[@ii237]

@@JoshSnares 🥳

[@robvegas9354]

That's really cool! I personally would like an animated series of Tobias Vaughn and PACKER!!! where they have to share an apartment after the events of The Invasion, maybe they have one of the crazy Cybermen living next door as a belligerent neighbour. This would be a good spin off show.

[@Gothic55]

Great news - I will of course buy both separate underwater menace and season four boxset, We need to support any release of reconstructions. Still hoping for missing episodes to be found. 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@saintarkweather]

I don't care what anyone says, this story is amazing. A ton of fun, interesting setting, good side characters, its campy, sure, but that isn't always a bad thing!

[@johngoode3509]

Highlanders animation is inevitable. Embrace it. Jaime swings on the last of a ship during a fight with redcoats

[@SpringtrapLover2010]

Ok

[@TheMameBus]

100% gonna buy this even if I'm not a big underwater menace fan, the scare of the range potentially being over had me so frightened I think I'd be betraying myself by not supporting it. I think personally my ideal next animation would need to be a hartnell story, maybe marco polo for the sake of having a complete season 1.

[@ashleytuchin7693]

I'll definitely be buying the solo release as well as the eventual Collection set. I'll take whatever they give me.

[@TabbyTimeOut]

I'll buy the Underwater Menace when it comes out. To support the range and god knows when they will get around to releasing season 4.

[@MaddoxProductions1]

🐟

[@thehorrorist3471]

Thumbs up for the Trog shirt! Would love to see you cover genre films as well!

[@AtelierGod]

Maybe the silent benefactor, is you!

[@JoshSnares]

Im too broke! Haha

[@AtelierGod]

@@JoshSnaresallegedly.

[@TheRandomGuyTheFarNoGameCat]

I'm absolutely buying this twice.

[@kazinwho]

The Myth Makers, please. Such an underrated story!

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

Good news - still not sold on the Letraset colour palette so will be watching the B&W version - and hopefully the new photo-recon will take a leaf out of LC book as their effort really was a sterling effort esp for ep4..

[@anthonyfrew1571]

I love the fact that the whole serial is animated - a complete whole in its own right - after all the surviving episodes remain

[@buffyslyth1517]

I just really want Troughton's remaining missing episodes animated first but I'm biased as he's my favourite doctor.I'd happily buy the space pirates animated! Although I will admit I have a preference for wheel in space being next and I could concede that other stories are favoured over space pirates! Will get the DVD as soon as it comes out as it's become a great event watching them as soon as they are released with my dad. I used to watch Troughton on VHS with my dad growing up in the 90s and I'm so happy to see animations brininging to life my favourite era like it's new.

[@Joey15811]

I would prefer the Toymaker next given he is returning. I think they need to alternate season 3 with other seasons

[@jdzencelowcz]

I'd maybe go with The Space Pirates, I know it's bad, but I wanna see them animate a battle scene for the ending episode.

[@Joey15811]

If they haven't found it then yes. That story if something exist visually the story might be better outside of that Milo character.

[@MandmaMusic]

Love the artwork mockup!

[@JoshSnares]

It’s the cover from the Vinyl! Haha

[@MandmaMusic]

@@JoshSnares oh. still good tho! 😂

[@algorthedruid4897]

You nailed it, exactly my opinion