Yellow Submarine

Price: $16.98
(as of May 14, 2021 17:28:54 UTC – Details)

Australia released, NTSC/Region 1 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Mono ), English ( Subtitles ), French ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN, SPECIAL FEATURES: Behind the scenes, Booklet, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Commentary, Featurette, Interactive Menu, Remastered, Scene Access, Storyboards, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: The Beatles agree to accompany Captain Fred in his Yellow Submarine and go to Pepperland to free it from the music hating Blue Meanies . …The Beatles – Yellow Submarine

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.