“Once upon a time, or maybe twice, there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland. 80,000 leagues beneath the sea it lay, or lie. I’m not too sure.”
YELLOW SUBMARINE plays this weekend (July 20th and 21st) at The Tivoli at midnight as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli midnight series.
We all live in a Yellow Submarine and YELLOW SUBMARINE is proof that an animated film doesn’t have to be rendered in a digital environment to look perfect. I saw psychedelic 1968 Beatles exactly 36 years ago at a midnight show at the Varsity Theater in St. Louis in the summer of ’82. YELLOW SUBMARINE tells of the Fab Four’s battles against the deranged Blue Meanies and their Hand Glove, which is hellbent on obliterating the unearthly paradise of Pepperland until the musicians save the day with the powers of peace, love and music. I was surprised to learn (and even more surprised I didn’t already know) that the speaking voices of the animated boys were provided by John Clive, Geoffrey Hughes, Peter Batten, and Paul Angelis. Besides the musical numbers and a brief cameo at the film’s end, the real Beatles had little to do with the film, which was designed to fulfill their contractual obligation to United Artists. I was also surprised to learn that YELLOW SUBMARINE was produced by Al Brodax and George Dunning, the creative team behind the Beatles animated series that had run on Saturday mornings a couple of years earlier, a show the Beatles themselves reportedly did not care for. They were initially unhappy with the idea of Brodax and Dunning doing a feature film however, they changed their minds about YELLOW SUBMARINE when they began seeing completed footage. The “Mod” art design and animation was heavily influenced by illustrator Peter Max and this style popped up in a lot of black-light posters and advertising, most memorably for 7-Up, during this period and went on to influence the works of animators Ralph Bakshi and Terry Gilliam. Despite being a hippy-trippy stoner experience, YELLOW SUBMARINE was heavily merchandised for kids with YELLOW SUBMARINE lunchboxes, jigsaw puzzles, and model kits flooding toy stores in the late ’60s.
The Tivoli’s located at 6350 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO. Admission is a mere $8!
A Facebook invite for the screening can be found HERE
Reel Late at the Tivoli takes place every Friday and Saturday night and We Are Movie Geeks own Tom Stockman (that’s me!) is there with custom trivia questions about the films and always has DVDs, posters, and other cool stuff to give away. Ticket prices are $8. We hope to see everyone late at night in the coming weeks.
“Bad luck isn’t brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds.”
Another brilliant lineup of midnight movies for the ‘Reel Late at The Tivoli’ to kick off the summer 2018 season. It’s an especially good variety of titles that will draw the late night movie buff crowd with several retro surprises. The Midnight Movie experience has always catered to a college-age crowd and that’s the way it should be. The oldest film this time is YELLOW SUBMARINE from 1968 and the most recent is BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM from 1993. There’s no Miyazaki this schedule (a first in a long time!) and only a couple of standards including CLUE and AKIRA. I’ve been hosting the midnight show at The Tivoli for ten years now title I’m certain LIQUID SKY, ROBOCOP (1987), BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM, and SUSPIRIA are all new to the Tivoli midnight roster. I suspect they will draw good crowds.
The Tivoli is located in St. Louis at 6350 Delmar Blvd. in “the Loop”
Here’s the line-up:
June 1-2 SUSPIRIA (Extended Cut)
June 8-9BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM
June 15-16 LIQUID SKY (Vladislav Tsukerman) New digital restoration of the 1983 cult hit! – 35th Anniversary
Once upon a time…or maybe twice…there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland…
The Beatles’ classic 1968 animated feature film, Yellow Submarine, has been digitally restored for DVD and Blu-ray release on June 5th in North America. The film’s songtrack album will be reissued on CD on the same date.
Currently out of print, the film has been restored in 4K digital resolution for the first time by Paul Rutan Jr. and his team of specialists at Triage Motion Picture Services and Eque Inc. Due to the delicate nature of the hand-drawn original artwork, no automated software was used in the digital clean-up of the film’s restored photochemical elements. This was all done by hand, frame by frame.
Bonus features for the Yellow Submarine DVD and Blu-ray include a short making-of documentary titled “Mod Odyssey” (TRT: 7:30), the film’s original theatrical trailer, audio commentary by producer John Coates and art director Heinz Edelmann, several brief interview clips with others involved with the film, storyboard sequences, 29 original pencil drawings and 30 behind-the-scenes photos. Both Digipak packages will include reproductions of animation cels from the film, collectible stickers, and a 16-page booklet with a new essay by Yellow Submarine aficionado John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios).
Lasseter writes in his essay, “As a fan of animation and as a filmmaker, I tip my hat to the artists of Yellow Submarine, whose revolutionary work helped pave the way for the fantastically diverse world of animation that we all enjoy today.”
Enter for a chance to win Yellow Submarine.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES.
2. FILL OUT YOUR REAL NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW.
3. What is Paul McCartney’s first name?
WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.
Directed by George Dunning, and written by Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn and Erich Segal, Yellow Submarine began its voyage to the screen when Brodax, who had previously produced nearly 40 episodes of ABC’s animated Beatles TV series, approached The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein with a unique vision for a full-length animated feature.
Yellow Submarine, based upon a song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, is a fantastic tale brimming with peace, love, and hope, propelled by Beatles songs, including “Eleanor Rigby,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “It’s All Too Much.” When the film debuted in 1968, it was instantly recognised as a landmark achievement, revolutionising a genre by integrating the freestyle approach of the era with innovative animation techniques.
Inspired by the generation’s new trends in art, the film resides with the dazzling Pop Art styles of Andy Warhol, Martin Sharp, Alan Aldridge and Peter Blake. With art direction and production design by Heinz Edelmann,Yellow Submarine is a classic of animated cinema, featuring the creative work of animation directors Robert Balser and Jack Stokes with a team of animators and technical artists.
“I thought from the very beginning that the film should be a series of interconnected shorts” remembered Edelmann. “The style should vary every five minutes or so to keep the interest going until the end.” These styles included melding live-action photography with animation, 3-dimensional sequences and kaleidoscopic “rotoscoping” where film is traced frame by frame into drawings. The entire process took nearly two years, 14 different scripts, 40 animators and 140 technical artists, ultimately producing a groundbreaking triumph of animation.
On April 24, Candlewick Press released a new, compact hardcover edition of the Yellow Submarine picture book, a read-aloud journey for the whole family. Featuring the lighthearted wit of the film’s script alongside original artwork from the movie that has charmed children and adults through several generations, the beautiful, 40-page book will be sold by retailers everywhere and on the Beatles Store (www.thebeatles.com). An interactive digital version of the book is also available as a free download on Apple’s iBookstore for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch at www.iTunes.com/TheBeatles.
Once upon a time… or maybe twice, there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland, a place where happiness and music reigned supreme. But all that was threatened when the terrible Blue Meanies declared war and sent in their army led by a menacing Flying Glove to destroy all that was good. Enter John, Paul, George and Ringo to save the day! Armed with little more than their humour, songs, and of course, their yellow submarine, The Beatles tackle the rough seas ahead in an effort to bring down the evil forces of bluedom.
Production credits
Running Time: 89 minutes
Director – George Dunning
Producer – Al Brodax
Screen story – Lee Minoff
Screenplay – Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn, and Erich Segal
Art Director – Heinz Edelmann
Animation directors – Robert Balser and Jack Stokes
Production Executive – John Coates
Music Producer and Supervisor – George Martin
Featuring music by The Beatles
Yellow Submarine [DVD, Blu-ray]
Feature film [TRT: 89:00]
Fully restored in 4K and presented in the original aspect ratio of 1:66-1
Audio options:
English 5.1 DTS
German 5.1 DTS
Italian 5.1 DTS
English Dolby Stereo
Original Mono
Audio Commentary – Heinz Edelmann (Art Director) and John Coates (Producer)
Subtitle languages (feature only):
English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Japanese
Extra features:
Mod Odyssey documentary [TRT: 7:30]
Original theatrical trailer [TRT: 3:30]
Storyboard sequences:
– Sea of Monsters (split screen footage) [TRT: 4:20]
– Battle of the Monsters [118 images]
– Pepperland [64 images]
Interviews:
– Paul Angelis (voice of Ringo and Chief Blue Meanie) [TRT: 1:39]
– John Clive (voice of John) [TRT: 2:03]
– David Livesey (key animator) [TRT: 1:11]
– Millicent McMillan (Heinz Edelmann’s assistant) [TRT: 1:12]
– Jack Stokes (animation director) [TRT: 3:42]
– Erich Segal (co-writer) [TRT: 1:38]
Original pencil drawings [29 images]
Behind-the-scenes photos [30 images]
Yellow Submarine Songtrack [CD]
1. Yellow Submarine
2. Hey Bulldog
3. Eleanor Rigby
4. Love You To
5. All Together Now
6. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
7. Think For Yourself
8. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
9. With A Little Help From My Friends
10. Baby, You’re A Rich Man
11. Only A Northern Song
12. All You Need Is Love
13. When I’m Sixty Four
14. Nowhere Man
15. It’s All Too Much
The Beatles’ classic 1968 animated feature film, Yellow Submarine, has been digitally restored and will be presented on the big screen in select theaters across the United States in May. EMI and Apple Corps Ltd. have teamed with D&E Entertainment (www.DandEentertainment.com) to give Beatles fans of all ages the opportunity to come together and share in this visually stunning movie and soundtrack. On May 5 at the famed Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City, Yellow Submarine will start its theatrical campaign with an 8pm screening.
Currently out of print, the film has been restored in 4K digital resolution for the first time by Paul Rutan Jr.and his team of specialists at Triage Motion Picture Services and Eque Inc. Due to the delicate nature of the hand-drawn original artwork, no automated software was used in the digital clean-up of the film’s restored photochemical elements. This was all done by hand, frame by frame. The restored film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 5 (June 4 internationally), and the film’s songtrack album will be reissued on CD on the same date.
Yellow Submarine aficionado John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios) wrote in his essay for the DVD and Blu-ray packages, “As a fan of animation and as a filmmaker, I tip my hat to the artists of Yellow Submarine, whose revolutionary work helped pave the way for the fantastically diverse world of animation that we all enjoy today.”
“We are ecstatic and honored to have been selected and entrusted to give Yellow Submarine a theatrical campaign,” stated Evan Saxon and Doug Kluthe from D&E Entertainment. “We’re setting up matinee screenings so parents can share with their children as well as evening screenings for all to enjoy. The digital cinema presentation will be the absolute best viewing experience and representation of the hard work put into the film.”
Yellow Submarine‘s confirmed theatrical screening dates, cities and theaters have been posted at:
Directed by George Dunning, and written by Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn and Erich Segal, Yellow Submarine began its voyage to the screen when Brodax, who had previously produced nearly 40 episodes of ABC’s animated Beatles TV series, approached The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein with a unique vision for a full-length animated feature.
Yellow Submarine, based upon a song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, is a fantastic tale brimming with peace, love, and hope, propelled by Beatles songs, including “Eleanor Rigby,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “It’s All Too Much.” When the film debuted in 1968, it was instantly recognized as a landmark achievement, revolutionizing a genre by integrating the freestyle approach of the era with innovative animation techniques.
Inspired by the generation’s new trends in art, the film resides with the dazzling Pop Art styles of Andy Warhol, Martin Sharp, Alan Aldridge and Peter Blake. With art direction and production design by Heinz Edelmann, Yellow Submarine is a classic of animated cinema, featuring the creative work of animation directors Robert Balser and Jack Stokes with a team of animators and technical artists.
“I thought from the very beginning that the film should be a series of interconnected shorts,” remembered Edelmann. “The style should vary every five minutes or so to keep the interest going until the end.” These styles included melding live-action photography with animation, 3-dimensional sequences and kaleidoscopic “rotoscoping” where film is traced frame by frame into drawings. The entire process took nearly two years, 14 different scripts, 40 animators and 140 technical artists, ultimately producing a groundbreaking triumph of animation.
Yellow Submarine synopsis:
Once upon a time… or maybe twice, there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland, a place where happiness and music reigned supreme. But all that was threatened when the terrible Blue Meanies declared war and sent in their army led by a menacing Flying Glove to destroy all that was good. Enter John, Paul, George and Ringo to save the day! Armed with little more than their humor, songs, and of course, their yellow submarine, The Beatles tackle the rough seas ahead in an effort to bring down the evil forces of bluedom.
Production credits Running Time: 89 minutes
Director – George Dunning
Producer – Al Brodax
Screen story – Lee Minoff
Screenplay – Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn, and Erich Segal
Art Director – Heinz Edelmann
Animation directors – Robert Balser and Jack Stokes
Production Executive – John Coates
Music Producer and Supervisor – George Martin
Story based on a song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Featuring music by The Beatles
The Beatles’ classic 1968 animated feature film, Yellow Submarine, has been digitally restored for DVD and Blu-ray release on May 28 (May 29 in North America). The film’s songtrack album will be reissued on CD on the same date.
Currently out of print, the film has been restored in 4K digital resolution for the first time by Paul Rutan Jr.and his team of specialists at Triage Motion Picture Services and Eque Inc. Due to the delicate nature of the hand-drawn original artwork, no automated software was used in the digital clean-up of the film’s restored photochemical elements. This was all done by hand, frame by frame.
Bonus features for the Yellow SubmarineDVD and Blu-ray include a short making-of documentary titled “Mod Odyssey” (TRT: 7:30), the film’s original theatrical trailer, audio commentary by producer John Coates and art director Heinz Edelmann, several brief interview clips with others involved with the film, storyboard sequences, 29 original pencil drawings and 30 behind-the-scenes photos. Both Digipak packages will include reproductions of animation cels from the film, collectible stickers, and a 16-page booklet with a new essay by Yellow Submarine aficionado John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios).
Lasseter writes in his essay, “As a fan of animation and as a filmmaker, I tip my hat to the artists of Yellow Submarine, whose revolutionary work helped pave the way for the fantastically diverse world of animation that we all enjoy today.”
Directed by George Dunning, and written by Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn and Erich Segal,Yellow Submarine began its voyage to the screen when Brodax, who had previously produced nearly 40 episodes of ABC’s animated Beatles TV series, approached The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein with a unique vision for a full-length animated feature.
Yellow Submarine, based upon a song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, is a fantastic tale brimming with peace, love, and hope, propelled by Beatles songs, including “Eleanor Rigby,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “It’s All Too Much.” When the film debuted in 1968, it was instantly recognized as a landmark achievement, revolutionizing a genre by integrating the freestyle approach of the era with innovative animation techniques.
Inspired by the generation’s new trends in art, the film resides with the dazzling Pop Art styles of Andy Warhol, Martin Sharp, Alan Aldridge and Peter Blake. With art direction and production design by Heinz Edelmann, Yellow Submarine is a classic of animated cinema, featuring the creative work of animation directors Robert Balser and Jack Stokes with a team of animators and technical artists.
“I thought from the very beginning that the film should be a series of interconnected shorts,” remembers Edelmann. “The style should vary every five minutes or so to keep the interest going until the end.” These styles included melding live-action photography with animation, 3-dimensional sequences and kaleidoscopic “rotoscoping” where film is traced frame by frame into drawings. The entire process took nearly two years, 14 different scripts, 40 animators and 140 technical artists, ultimately producing a groundbreaking triumph of animation.
On April 24, Candlewick Press will release a new, compact hardcover edition of the Yellow Submarine picture book, a read-aloud journey for the whole family. Featuring the lighthearted wit of the film’s script alongside original artwork from the movie that has charmed children and adults through several generations, the beautiful, 40-page book will be sold by retailers everywhere and on the Beatles Store (www.thebeatles.com). An interactive digital version of the book is also available as a free download on Apple’s iBookstore for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch at www.iTunes.com/TheBeatles.
Yellow Submarinesynopsis: Once upon a time … or maybe twice, there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland, a place where happiness and music reigned supreme. But all that was threatened when the terrible Blue Meanies declared war and sent in their army led by a menacing Flying Glove to destroy all that was good. Enter John, Paul, George and Ringo to save the day! Armed with little more than their humor, songs, and of course, their yellow submarine, The Beatles tackle the rough seas ahead in an effort to bring down the evil forces of bluedom.
Production credits Running Time: 89 minutes
Director – George Dunning
Producer – Al Brodax
Screen story – Lee Minoff
Screenplay – Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn, and Erich Segal
Art Director – Heinz Edelmann
Animation directors – Robert Balser and Jack Stokes
Production Executive – John Coates
Music Producer and Supervisor – George Martin
Featuring music by The Beatles
Yellow Submarine[DVD, Blu-ray] Feature film [TRT: 89:00]
Fully restored in 4K and presented in the original aspect ratio of 1:66-1
Audio options:
English 5.1 DTS
German 5.1 DTS
Italian 5.1 DTS
English Dolby Stereo
Original Mono
Audio Commentary – Heinz Edelmann (Art Director) and John Coates (Producer)
Subtitle languages (feature only):
English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Japanese
Extra features:
Mod Odyssey documentary [TRT: 7:30]
Original theatrical trailer [TRT: 3:30]
Storyboard sequences:
– Sea of Monsters (split screen footage) [TRT: 4:20]
– Battle of the Monsters [118 images]
– Pepperland [64 images]
Interviews:
– Paul Angelis (voice of Ringo and Chief Blue Meanie) [TRT: 1:39]
– John Clive (voice of John) [TRT: 2:03]
– David Livesey (key animator) [TRT: 1:11]
– Millicent McMillan (Heinz Edelmann’s assistant) [TRT: 1:12]
– Jack Stokes (animation director) [TRT: 3:42]
– Erich Segal (co-writer) [TRT: 1:38]
Original pencil drawings [29 images]
Behind-the-scenes photos [30 images]
Yellow SubmarineSongtrack [CD] 1. Yellow Submarine
2. Hey Bulldog
3. Eleanor Rigby
4. Love You To
5. All Together Now
6. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
7. Think For Yourself
8. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
9. With A Little Help From My Friends
10. Baby, You’re A Rich Man
11. Only A Northern Song
12. All You Need Is Love
13. When I’m Sixty-Four
14. Nowhere Man
15. It’s All Too Much
Or would the phrase “rises from the depths to swallow the world” be more appropriate in this case seeing as how unwelcome this whole YELLOW SUBMARINE reboot is. It was announced back in September that this project would be next on Robert Zemeckis’ motion capture plate, and, today, The Hollywood Reporter has our breakdown on the cast.
Essentially, Cary Elwes will be playing George, Dean Lennox Kelly will be playing John Lennon, Peter Serafinowicz will be playing Paul, and Adam Campbell will be playing Ringo. For the record, Ringo always gets listed last. Just FYI.
If you don’t recognize some of the names, you will, perhaps, recognize the faces. THR was kind enough to put together this side-by-side comparison of the actors and the respective Beatle they will be portraying.
The tribute band, The Fab Four, will be used in the scenes where the band performs together. Actual Beatles music will be used in the film.
What do you think? Is this a good cast to bring the Beatles back to life? Do you, like me, think this remake sounds like a bad idea from the start? Are you, also like me, tired of Zemeckis’ motion capture films and yearn for the days when he goes back to shooting real people in real situations? Let us know by shooting us a comment below.
No release date for YELLOW SUBMARINE has been set.
It’s days like today that I both love and dread where it’s nearly impossible to keep up with all the new bits of news spilling into my inbox. This just in from D23 Expo, Disney, Robert Zemeckis, and Apple Corps are coming together for a 3D, motion capture adaptation of the 1968 animated film ‘Yellow Submarine.’ Zemeckis will be writing and directing the new adaptation with performance capture being handled by ImageMovers Digital. Zemeckis will be including all 16 Beatles songs from the original film including “All You Need is Love,” “Eleanor Rigby,” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”
Said Disney chairman Dick Cook about the announcement:
This is truly an inspired collaboration, and a wonderful opportunity to revisit one of the most imaginative and memorable musical fantasies of all time. To be working with the amazing folks at Apple Corps, and to have Bob helming the sub is truly as good as it gets. With all those incredible Beatles songs and imagery, the spectacular vision of Bob and his pioneering team at ImageMovers Digital, and a classic adventure full of wit and action, we’re sure that moviegoers are going to have a great time on this latest trip to Pepperland.
Zemeckis has this to say at the Expo:
’Yellow Submarine’ is one of the greatest fantasy films of all time, and making this new 3D performance capture movie is a dream come true for me. With the latest advances in technology, we will be able to take moviegoers on a voyage unlike any other, and bring new excitement and dimension to Pepperland and the various sea worlds they encounter. I’m thrilled to be working with the good folks at Apple Corps and our partners at Disney on this epic retelling of one of my all time favorite films.
Jeff Jones, CEO of Apple Corps LTD added this:
With The Beatles and Walt Disney Studios, we have a partnership between two of the best loved creative entities in the world. We’re very excited about the magical fantasy that will result from this collaboration. The marriage of the music of The Beatles with the talent and technical wizardry of Robert Zemeckis and ImageMovers Digital should produce something very special. We look forward to working with Bob and his team on realising his new vision for ‘Yellow Submarine’.
Along with the press release for the new film was this synopsis of the original, 1968 feature directed by George Dunning:
The original motion picture (released in the U.S. on November 13, 1968) based on the music of The Beatles was directed by George Dunning and featured the inspired art direction and design of Heinz Edelmann. The movie is set in Pepperland, an undersea paradise inhabited by music lovers who live in peace and harmony and are protected by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. That is…until they are threatened by the music hating Blue Meanies. It’s up to John, Paul, George and Ringo to set off on a magical adventure in their yellow submarine and bring music and harmony back to Pepperland.
