Starring: The Beatles, Paul Angelis, John Clive, Dick Emery, Geoffrey Hughes Directed By: George Dunning (II) Average Rating: Audience Rating: G (General Audience) Binding: VHS Tape Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, NTSC Label: MGM (Video & DVD) Number of Items: 1 Release Date: September 14, 1999 Running Time: 90 minutes Theatrical Release Date: November 13, 1968
Amazon.com essential video: 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
5.1 Surround To be honest, the only reason I bought the DVD was for the 5.1 Surround Sound of the music tracks. Die-Hard Beatle fan. Saw the movie as a kid. It was just ok. If you want to hear the music in 5.1, don't hesitate. It sounds real good.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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