Movie spotlight
The Doctor visits his old Time Lord friend Chronotis in Cambridge, 1979. But the ruthless Skagra has also arrived to retrieve a book that will help unlock one of the Time Lords' greatest secrets: what is Shada? Filming for this story was never finished, and in this version the unfilmed material is completed via animation.
In this animated reconstruction of a classic Doctor Who story, the Fourth Doctor and his companion Romana travel to the legendary prison planet of Shada. They uncover a sinister plot by the renegade Time Lord The Master to steal the planet's energy, which would grant him immense power and threaten the fabric of the universe. The Doctor must race against time to prevent The Master from succeeding and rescue his friends.
As an animated reconstruction of a story that was famously never completed in its original live-action form, 'Shada' was generally well-received by fans. It provided a long-awaited conclusion to a beloved narrative and allowed for the iconic Fourth Doctor to be fully realized in animation. Critics and audiences appreciated the faithfulness to the original script and the opportunity to experience a lost piece of Doctor Who history.
A satisfying animated realization of a classic, unfinished story.
Captures the spirit and dialogue of the original Fourth Doctor era.
A welcome addition for long-time fans of the series.
Google audience: Audience reviews generally praise the animation for bringing a long-lost Doctor Who adventure to life. Fans appreciate the opportunity to see Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor in action and the faithful adaptation of Douglas Adams's script. Many consider it a fitting tribute to a story that was originally cut short.
The original 'Shada' serial was filmed in 1979 but was never completed due to industrial action by BBC staff, making this animated version a much-anticipated fulfillment of a lost classic.
AI-generated overview · Verify ratings on official sources
I have a friend who was involved in the commissioning of these hybrid animation versions of the old missing or incomplete "Dr. Who" series' and I think my scepticism was probably borne out with this rather curiously spliced story. With indu...