Doctor Who Season 2 Trailer Teases The Doctor Getting (Literally) Animated

Two seasons deep into this newest iteration of "Doctor Who," 15 since the revival series first kicked off, and a whopping 26 since the franchise first arrived back in 1963, the beloved sci-fi/fantasy series is about to go where it never has before: into another medium entirely. Ncuti Gatwa's casting as the newest Doctor and Varada Sethu's as the newest companion Belinda Chandra were both instant hits, but it wouldn't be proper "Who" without an unexpected twist or two. This time around, the joint BBC/Disney production is getting animated on us — literally.

Whovians are certainly used to this show's usual premise, which involves the in-over-their-head companion getting swept up in the Doctor's fantastical adventures. Season 1 turned into a pleasantly surprising success (as seen in /Film's review here), with Russell T. Davies making his grand return as showrunner, executive producer, and writer. Season 2 is looking to keep the good times rolling by embracing both the old and the new. Previous companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) finds herself in the mix once again, but the real show-stopper here has to do with something we've never seen from "Who" at any point in its past. While desperately attempting to bring his new companion back to the time and place where she belongs, the good Doctor naturally makes things a bit more ... complicated. Enter the TARDIS, some time-hopping shenanigans into the distant past and future, and even a shocking jaunt into the world of animation.

For all this and more, check out the brand-new trailer above!

"Our entire reality is in danger," the Doctor exclaims at one point in the trailer, which is exactly the kind of stakes fans have come to anticipate from a series like "Doctor Who." The journey to save the universe this time around, however, looks to be as unconventional as anything in the show's history up to this point. All the usual franchise staples are present and accounted for here, from futuristic robots to time travel gone horribly wrong to characters with impeccable fashion sense. But with some unknown threat attempting to stop our heroes from accomplishing their mission, things certainly get a bit complicated along the way ... and, in the process, the property looks like it'll be adding some creative choices that mark a first for this timey-wimey show.

Although our favorite characters might be getting the animation treatment in at least one episode to come, the real highlight of the trailer footage has to be the sense that the show is as silly, earnest, and emotional as it's ever been. From returning showrunner Russell T. Davies, this newest season of "Doctor Who" stars the aforementioned Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu as our main duo, along with Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Christopher Chung, Rylan Clark, Alan Cumming, Anita Dobson, Freddie Fox, Michelle Greenidge, Jonah Hauer-King, Ruth Madeley, Jemma Redgrave, and Susan Twist. The new season will be comprised of eight total episodes and is scheduled to hit Disney+ streaming where available (along with the BBC and BBC iPlayer for fans in the UK) on April 12, 2025. You can check out the official season synopsis below:

The Doctor meets Belinda Chandra and begins an epic quest to get her back to Earth. But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-traveling TARDIS team must face great dangers, bigger enemies, and wilder terrors than ever before.