Doctor Who: Lux Review - 6 Ups & 4 Downs
5. DOWN - Cartoon Doctor And Belinda
The idea of the Doctor and Belinda being flattened and gaining more dimension as they share their emotions and anxieties is a good one. However, the execution of this sequence leaves a lot to be desired. It's not just the rather uninspired cartoon recreations of Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu (which pale in comparison to Mr Ring-A-Ding) but it's the voice acting.
The Doctor's two-dimensional brain makes him sound like a bad children's television presenter, which while being the point, doesn't quite gel. In fact, the Doctor and Belinda's cartoon voices sound quite patronising and over the top, which the best cartoon voice acting never does.
Ncuti in particular doesn't sound comfortable in cartoon mode, heightening his delivery but also somehow sounding quite flat. Whether he's a bit self-conscious in the recording booth or lacking strong direction, it makes the scene feel jarring, in a bad way. Thankfully, it doesn't last for long, and it's telling that the image of flesh and blood Doctor and Belinda against their cartoon background feels more visually interesting than their animated counterparts.
Chalk it up as another example of Doctor Who's complicated relationship with animated reconstructions.