TV Critics: Walt Disney; Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency; Planet Earth II

“It’s such a good story, and the animation is so beautiful, I was completely swept up in it. Afterwards I felt a bit icky and emotionally manipulated. Not unlike the effect of watching a Disney movie.”
Chitra Ramaswamy, The Guardian

“The footage of Walt, doing Mickey Mouse’s voice, playing with his daughters, on a cruise, was blissful. His early animators’ contributions felt as precious as voices from Leonardo’s studio.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“This was one of those worthy, plodding documentaries that you watch despite its narrative style, rather than because of it. In fact, they would have been far better off getting Disney to make it.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“The opener focused more on a straight-arrow retelling of what’s undoubtedly a compelling story. I’d like a little more on his darker side, but I’ll still be tuning in for part II.”
Jeff Robson, The i

“Was Disney manic-depressive? Did he hide his slumps? Were there other breakdowns? This programme wasn’t saying. No doubt the great man was sceptical about psychological analysis, but that doesn’t mean that his biographers have to be.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It proposed something few television biographies dare to do, a complex personality, a mix of parts, an artist who liked money. That was what made the programme so engaging.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“Samuel Barnett’s goofy, CBeebies-esque Gently had me yearning for Sherlock. No one wants a detective whose style is more Mickey Mouse than Marlowe.”
Chitra Ramaswamy, The Guardian

“If Douglas Adams fans can stick it out through the first few episodes, they’ll find there’s actually a great deal here to enjoy. Landis has created a flawed but addictive comic romp that demands binge-watching.”
Tristram Fane Saunders, The Telegraph

“This immersive series has been a worthy successor to the 2006 original. Advances in technology have enabled intimate high-definition close-ups and gasp-inducing aerial shots, while the series has teemed with talking point sequences.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“Attenborough’s last great series may have had its seen-it-before moments but the sequence with the hawksbill turtles, like the leopards hunting pigs in Mumbai, was fresh, vivid and telling.”
Andrew Billen, The Times