'Doctor Who' Stop-motion Christmas Special Funded by Fans

There are all different kinds of traditions over this holiday season. In the US, families enjoy the stop-motion stories of Rankin/Bass’ TV specials such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Whereas UK families enjoy the adventures of a man named Doctor Who in his Christmas specials. If, like me, you are a fan of both then you will be entranced by the stop-motion shorts on YouTube called Doctor Puppet. Thanks to its supporters, a new short will be released just in time for Christmas.

These charming fan-made specials were created back in 2012 by animation artist Alisa Stern. A small team of musicians and artists from both New York and England help with production. Over five-hundred fans and supporters from all around the world have helped to raise $16,015 on Indiegogo. Stern explains that it is a “very modest budget for a professional animation production” and that the funds had not been “to make a profit, but rather just to cover our costs while making the episode”.

For non-Whovians out there, Doctor Who is about a time-travelling, usually fast-talking, hero. The reason I say ‛usually’ is because he has the power to regenerate. This means he can change his looks, personality and, more importantly, he can be played by a different actor. The new short is to be a “dark musical adventure” featuring a puppet version of the twelfth Doctor, who is played by Peter Capaldi in the current BBC series. The Christmas special will be available online the week before Christmas 2014.