Yellow Submarine
Yellow Submarine
In the 1960s the Beatles Mania was at its height, and there was a demand for Beatles films. The Beatles made five films with A Hard Day's Night (1964), Help! (1965), Magical Mystery Tour (1967), Yellow Submarine (1968), and Let It Be (1970). The first four films were under contract with United Artists, that required that they do four films for them, and the last film documented the making of the Let It Be album as well as the tension that led to the breakup of the band.
Yellow Submarine released in 1968 was the Beatles first animated feature film, though there was also a Beatles cartoon for a time as well. The film doesn't actually feature the Beatles voicing their characters, however they do appear in a brief live action scene at the end that was enough to fulfill their contractual obligations to UA. The film was directed by George Dunning; with a screenplay written by Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn, Erich Segal, and Roger McGough (who went uncredited). The story of the film is inspired by the Beatles song Yellow Submarine, and much of the visuals and scenes were inspired by various Beatles songs that played throughout the film. Yellow Submarine was distributed by United Artists, and produced by Apple Films, King Features Syndicate, and TVC London.
Yellow Submarine featured the voice talents of John Clive as John; Geoffrey Hughes as Paul; Peter Batten as George (though he went uncredited because he was arrested for running away from the British Army on the Rhine in West Germany, and George's line were finished by Paul Angelis); Paul Angelis as Opening Narrator, Chief Blue Meanie, Ringo, and some of George's lines; Dick Emery as Max, Lord Mayor, and Jeremy Hillary Boob; and Lance Percival as Young/Old Fred. The Beatles themselves appeared in a live action scene at the end of the film, and the songs were performed by the band. The songs themselves worked to create the scenes in the film, and the imagery and art for the scenes were either inspired by or make reference to the songs.
The songs used in the film in whole or in part include: Yellow Submarine, Hay Bulldog, Eleanor Rigby, Love You To, All Together Now, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Think For Yourself, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, With A Little Help From My Friends, Baby You're a Rich Man, Only A Northern Song, All You Need is Love, When I'm Sixty-Four, Nowhere Man, It's All Too Much, and A Day In The Life. The psychedelic rock sounds and imagery lent itself to animation very well, and the animators developed groundbreaking animation for the film, using multiple styles of animation including rotoscoping, and a style of limited animation that would go on to become influential in the industry. The art style is reminiscent of the psychedelic pop artist Peter Max, who though is often given credit for it, had no involvement in the film.
Though Yellow Submarine was not a box office success it was a critical success. The film was highly praised by critics for its imaginative design, and groundbreaking animation. However the US audiences received a different version of the film than the original version released in the UK, and a few songs were cut from the film. Those were restored in 1999, those songs were also finally added to the soundtrack album as well.
Yellow Submarine has also left a lasting impression on pop culture, from there being a ska band called The Blue Meanies, to inspiring a professional wrestler to be named Blue Meanie, and then there are all of the references and nods to Yellow Submarine in popular films and television, including of course in an episode of The Simpsons. There was talks of a remake being made with motion capture CGI, thank whatever is holy out there that that idea never happened, that would have ruined the film's legacy.
I have always loved this film, I first got turned on to this film in 1999 by my ex-wife who was a huge Beatles fan, and I was immediately impressed by the beautiful art, animation, and the imaginative story, and how it brought to life the songs, and mixed them in a way that it tells an actual narrative that makes sense. Overall it is an absolutely beautiful film, and has always been one of my favourite animated films. Yellow Submarine is a huge departure from the animation styles of companies like Walt Disney, and pushed the boundaries of art and animation, and that is something that I absolutely love, for the same reason I love animated film directors like Ralph Bakshi, and the way that multiple styles of animation are mixed to create a look that has a deeper depth, and can capture emotions through stimulating the senses. This si a film that I hope continues to live on for future generations, and I would go so far as to say that this is a must-see animated film, that is great for audiences of all ages. I know that in recent years the Beatles have lost favour in the eyes of some, but they created beautiful music, and the imagery in that music leds itself really well to animation. If you have not yet seen Yellow Submarine, I highly recommend checking it out.
Yellow Submarine featured the voice talents of John Clive as John; Geoffrey Hughes as Paul; Peter Batten as George (though he went uncredited because he was arrested for running away from the British Army on the Rhine in West Germany, and George's line were finished by Paul Angelis); Paul Angelis as Opening Narrator, Chief Blue Meanie, Ringo, and some of George's lines; Dick Emery as Max, Lord Mayor, and Jeremy Hillary Boob; and Lance Percival as Young/Old Fred. The Beatles themselves appeared in a live action scene at the end of the film, and the songs were performed by the band. The songs themselves worked to create the scenes in the film, and the imagery and art for the scenes were either inspired by or make reference to the songs.
The songs used in the film in whole or in part include: Yellow Submarine, Hay Bulldog, Eleanor Rigby, Love You To, All Together Now, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Think For Yourself, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, With A Little Help From My Friends, Baby You're a Rich Man, Only A Northern Song, All You Need is Love, When I'm Sixty-Four, Nowhere Man, It's All Too Much, and A Day In The Life. The psychedelic rock sounds and imagery lent itself to animation very well, and the animators developed groundbreaking animation for the film, using multiple styles of animation including rotoscoping, and a style of limited animation that would go on to become influential in the industry. The art style is reminiscent of the psychedelic pop artist Peter Max, who though is often given credit for it, had no involvement in the film.
Yellow Submarine has also left a lasting impression on pop culture, from there being a ska band called The Blue Meanies, to inspiring a professional wrestler to be named Blue Meanie, and then there are all of the references and nods to Yellow Submarine in popular films and television, including of course in an episode of The Simpsons. There was talks of a remake being made with motion capture CGI, thank whatever is holy out there that that idea never happened, that would have ruined the film's legacy.
I have always loved this film, I first got turned on to this film in 1999 by my ex-wife who was a huge Beatles fan, and I was immediately impressed by the beautiful art, animation, and the imaginative story, and how it brought to life the songs, and mixed them in a way that it tells an actual narrative that makes sense. Overall it is an absolutely beautiful film, and has always been one of my favourite animated films. Yellow Submarine is a huge departure from the animation styles of companies like Walt Disney, and pushed the boundaries of art and animation, and that is something that I absolutely love, for the same reason I love animated film directors like Ralph Bakshi, and the way that multiple styles of animation are mixed to create a look that has a deeper depth, and can capture emotions through stimulating the senses. This si a film that I hope continues to live on for future generations, and I would go so far as to say that this is a must-see animated film, that is great for audiences of all ages. I know that in recent years the Beatles have lost favour in the eyes of some, but they created beautiful music, and the imagery in that music leds itself really well to animation. If you have not yet seen Yellow Submarine, I highly recommend checking it out.
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