1968`s Yellow Submarine was a landmark in animated film, blending fresh, experimental animation with the timeless music of the fab four.
Fab Four Make Yellow Submarine as Spin off of Cartoon TV Series
Yellow Submarine began as a spin-off of the Beatles successful animated cartoon series, a series that contractually was never shown in the UK. However the band were keen that the conservative nature of the TV series was ditched in favour of a more experimental kind of film. At the same time the studios were keen to have another money earning Beatles picture on their books following the success of A Hard Days Night (1964) and Help!(1965). The four were unwilling to make another live action film. Their music was moving into a new direction and psychedelia was on the rise.
Drawn In: From Small Screen to Big
TV Cartoons, a company based in the UK, had made a number of the TV series episodes and were approached to make the big screen spin-off. Initially enthusiasm was limited but when the animators heard preview tapes of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band they were inspired to be as creative as they dared. The late sixties was a time of hedonism and experimentation, despite its child-friendly plotting and designs Yellow Submarine is a product of this free-thinking time.
It’s All too Much: Animation Style in Yellow Submarine
What sets Yellow Submarine apart from other family centred animated pictures is the clash of styles and techniques it employs. Director George Dunning encouraged his team to use the songs as a launching pad for ideas. The end result is a dizzying blur of technique from traditional cell-based animation, through rotoscoping on Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds to incorporation of live action and photocopies in Eleanor Rigby. So much was free-thinking encouraged that there wasn’t even a finished script ready when production began on the film.
It was 40 Years Ago Today: Beatles Songs in Yellow Submarine
Despite the approval of the Beatles the band themselves had a very limited connection to the film, only actually appearing in the final moments in a live action sequence. As in the TV series actors were used to voice the fab four, although more accurate sound-a-likes were used. In addition to older songs and tracks from Sgt. Pepper four original tunes were recorded in order to help bolster sales in the soundtrack album:
- All Together Now
- Only a Northern Song
- Hey Bull Dog
- It’s All too Much
When I Get Older: Beatles Animation Ages Gracefully
Yellow Submarine has stood the test of time well. It remains a perennial family favourite with catchy tunes, surreal imagery, film references and extremely silly jokes. Artistically its merging of mainstream animated cinema with the underground/experimental film movement, its use of post-modernism in an accessible and humorous way as well as it’s appropriation of pop art sensibilities mark it as one of a kind. Although a product of its time, a time when the world was in turmoil and counter-cultural revolution was in the air, Yellow Submarine has remained a whimsical and enjoyable classic.
