Yellow Submarine (1968)

This restored, animated valentine to the Beatles offers viewers the rare chance to see a work that's been substantially improved by its technical facelift, not just supersized with extra footage. Recognizing that its song-studded soundtrack alone makes Yellow Submarine a video annuity, United Artists has lavished a frame-by-frame refurbishment of the original feature, while replacing its original monaural audio tracks with a meticulously reconstructed stereo mix that actually refines legendary original album versions.

What emerges is a vivid time capsule of the late '60s and a minor milestone in animation. The music represents the quartet's zenith--Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The story line, cobbled together by producer Al Brodax and a committee of writers, is a broad, feather-light allegory set in idyllic Pepperland, where the gentle citizens are threatened by the nasty, music-hating Blue Meanies and their surreal arsenal of henchmen, with the Beatles enlisted to thwart the bad guys. Visually, designer Heinz Edelmann mixes the biomorphic squiggles, day-glo palette, and Beardsley-esque portraits of Peter Max with rotoscoped still photographs and film; Edelmann's animated collages also nod to Andy Warhol and Magritte in properly psychedelic fashion, which works wonderfully with such terrific songs.

High orthodox Beatlemaniacs can still grouse that the animated Fab Four are (literally) flat archetypes, but that's missing the sheer bloom of the music or the giddy, campy fun of the visuals. Making sense of the story is second to submerging blissfully in the sights and sounds of this video treat. --Sam Sutherland Amazon.com essential video

 Beware Shipping and Packaging
I purchased "Yellow Submarine" from Amazon through an outside source in Massachusetts. It took a long time to receive the DVD and once it arrived it was so poorly packaged (no bubble wrap, thin envelope)that the DVD case was damaged so that the DVD was flopping around inside the case.

If you decide to purchase insist on tighter delivery times and better packaging to insure your investment.

This is not a fault of Amazon. Every order I receive directly through Amazon arrives in a timely manner and is well packaged. This particular DVD came from an outside source. Just be carefull. March 4, 2008

 I wish that I owned this DVD...
This film is so freaking awesome. Sadly, MGM discontinued it. Why did they do that before I got a chance to buy it?! Ugh. Anyways, this is a classic, and the reason why I love the Beatles. A childhood favorite of mine. I simply love it. February 6, 2008

 Timeless Animation
Director George Dunning's "Yellow Submarine" (1968) represents a landmark achievement in the history of animation. Like the Beatles' music, the film has a timeless quality. Though the Fab Four's association with the project certainly helped, it was the endless imagination of Dunning, designer Heinz Edelmann and numerous animators that propelled the film to remarkable visual heights. (Regrettably, the Beatles did not provide voices to their animated counterparts. Instead, the producers hired Liverpool actors, who did a passable job emulating the group's deadpan wit.) Accompanied by the Beatles' classic songs, "Yellow Submarine" exposed viewers to a new and innovative vision of the cartoon medium. The film remains a masterwork of sight and sound. January 26, 2008

 Greatest Animated Movie of all time
I grew up on Disney animated movies and I will admit there early movies are hard to beat. This movie though does what Disney could not- use Beatles music. The music plays with the scene so well and I love the animation. Although the Beatles do not voice the characters, it doesnt take away the beauty of the movie. If you like animation then you wont be disappointed by the movie and if your a Beatles fan, then you should enjoy the film. Highly recommended. December 31, 2007

 Excellent for 60s memorabilia enthusiasts.
Though I remembered having seen parts of this movie as it was aired numerous times during my boyhood in the Seventies, back in those days much of Yellow Submarine's plot and symbolism were over my head, and I thought of it as just another animated kids' film which the adults didn't care for.

But nowadays, it's easy for me to pick out some of the movie's themes: the British hurling a little World War I-era humor at the Germans, childhood resentment of over-controlling parents, and Sixties druggie humor, all brought together in an animated version of the style of the Beatles' pop artist, Peter Max, with a workable plot. It's easy how kids would enjoy watching this animated gem from another time, and much of the symbolism is far enough over their heads to make it suitable for them to watch. Those of us who grew up listening to psychedelic Sixties music will enjoy it also, as an immersion into "British invasion" pop art.

I thoroughly recommend Yellow Submarine. December 14, 2007

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