Yellow Submarine

Yellow Submarine is a 1968 British animated musical fantasy film inspired by the music of The Beatles.[3]
The film was directed by animation producer George Dunning, and produced by United Artists and King Features Syndicate. Initial press reports stated that the Beatles themselves would provide their own character voices,[4] however, aside from composing and performing the songs, the real Beatles participated only in the closing scene of the film, while their cartoon counterparts were voiced by other actors.
The film received a widely positive reception from critics and audiences alike. It is also credited with bringing more interest in animation as a serious art form.  Time magazine commented that it "turned into a smash hit, delighting adolescents and esthetes alike."
== Plot ==
At the beginning of the story, Pepperland is introduced by a narrator as a peaceful music-loving "unearthly paradise" 80,000 leagues under the sea, protected by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. 
But little do they know that Pepperland is about to go "blue-y". The Blue Meanies, an armada of music-hating shock troops, are about to attack and then invade and occupy Pepperland. The leader, the Chief Blue Meanie, declares to his assistant Max that "Pepperland is a tickle of joy on the blue belly of the universe" that "must be scratched". With all in readiness, their attack on Pepperland commences with the firing of an anti-music missile (a seemingly impenetrable blue glass ball) which lands on Sgt. Pepper's Band sealing them inside. Seeing this, the Pepperlanders immediately panic and aimlessly run for their lives, but they are "Bonked" by the Apple Bonkers who drop large green apples (a reference to the Beatles' Apple Records label) on their heads, and rendered motionless and drained of color as they're hit by jagged arrows fired by the Meanies' artillery. 
Old Fred, a Pepperlander and one-time naval commander, runs to warn the elderly Lord Mayor (who for obvious reasons calls him "Young Fred") that the Blue Meanies are attacking; they make their way to a large monument, atop which sits a large yellow submarine. As they make their way up the sets of long stairs, the Mayor mentions that, "four scores and thirty-two bars ago", our "four-fathers" ("a quartet" according to Old Fred) and "four-mothers" ("another quartet") settled Pepperland in the very same yellow submarine. The Mayor appoints Old Fred Lord Admiral of the Submarine and dispatches him to go and get help. Not having any idea where to look, Old Fred boards the Submarine and narrowly escapes as the Mayor is "bonked" (Yellow Submarine, opening credits). 
Old Fred travels to Liverpool, England (Eleanor Rigby), where he follows the bored and depressed Ringo to a place called The Pier and persuades him to come with him to Pepperland with him; Ringo agrees and has Old Fred help him to "get me friends":
* John appears with literary fanfare, as Frankenstein's monster who drinks a potion and turns into himself
* George appears in a surreal motif (with the sitar intro to Love You To as his theme) that plays on his championing of transcendental meditation
* Finally, after an orchestral climax (that we only hear), Paul emerges from another room followed closely by a bouquet of flowers that floats into his hand.
Now with all four Beatles together, Old Fred is ready to head back to Pepperland. After a dizzying psychedelic montage of urban and rural photographs of England, the Submarine plunges into the Thames river near Big Ben, and to the tune of All Together Now, the Beatles and Old Fred work together to keep the Submarine going. En route to Pepperland, the Submarine and its occupants make their way through a multitude of oceanic dwellings, including:
* The Sea of Time – where time flows both forwards and backwards, reverting the submarine's occupants to their youth, and then, to the tune of When I'm Sixty-Four, to their elderly years. At one point, the submarine passes itself as it loops through time.
* The Sea of Science – an uber-psychedelic stream of consciousness where they sing Only a Northern Song. Just before the song finishes, they pick up a baby monster and quickly eject it as they enter...
* The Sea of Monsters – which contains fantastic beasts of all shapes and sizes. While at the helm, Ringo presses the panic button on the submarine's control panel, ejecting himself into the sea and landing on a horse-like monster who gallops aimlessly tossing Ringo around; with the threat of Injun-like creatures, John presses another button on the console, sending a US Cavalry unit to successfully rescue Ringo. Dwelling in this same sea is a monstrous "vacuum cleaner beast" that sucks up any and all loose objects and beings, then the entire landscape, and finally itself, popping the submarine into a strange empty void with its engine conked out.
* The Sea of Nothing – This blank region is where they meet Jeremy Hillary Boob Ph.D., a short pudgy creature with a painted clown face and cotton tail, but a highly studious and helpful ally who effortlessly repairs the submarine motor for the Beatles, who sing "Nowhere Man" in reference to him. As they leave, however, the lonely Jeremy starts to cry and Ringo, taking pity, invites him to join them.
* The Foothills of the Headlands – where, after Jeremy fixes a propeller problem, the Submarine uncontrollably takes off again leaving Jeremy and the Beatles stranded. After John sings Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, they make their way through the Foothills (on foot) until they find dust on the ground, which Jeremy deduces is pepper. John blows a handful out of Paul's hand causing George and Ringo- and then the beings in the Headlands, to all sneeze, blowing the Beatles & Jeremy into...
* The Sea of Holes – a seemingly endless expanse of holes, and where a Blue Meanial patrolling the outskirts of Pepperland seizes and kidnaps Jeremy. Here, Ringo thoroughly investigates a hole (the same one Jeremy was stuck in before being captured) and then, in a key moment that will later help to save Pepperland, puts it into his pocket saying, "I've got a hole in me pocket". After Paul notices that Jeremy has disappeared, Ringo begins calling out for him when he unknowingly steps onto a green hole which expands into the Sea of Green, and the Fab Four are quickly transported to the base of the Yellow Submarine monument in Pepperland.
Just moments after their own arrival, Old Fred returns in the Submarine, landing back on top of the monument. After the Beatles revive the Lord Mayor (singing a line from Think For Yourself a capella), they discuss the situation, with Lord Mayor suggesting that the Beatles could impersonate Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and "ready the land to rebellion". When it comes up that the Beatles lost their instruments in the Sea of Monsters, Old Fred is sure they'll find more, but Lord Mayor isn't so certain; he knows the Blue Meanies have "captured everything that maketh music", and points out that "they shrink at the very sound". John declares (in a James Cagney-style voice) "Okay, you guys... It's shrinking time, in Pepperland", and they all go in to a huddle to work up a plan. 
=== The Battle of Pepperland ===
The once-breathtaking landscape has become "all dingy, drab and quiet"; the beautiful flowers have become ugly thorn-choked thickets, and the Pepperlanders have been made immobile and miserable by the assorted operatives of the Blue Meanies, including the Apple Bonkers, Butterfly Stompers, Snapping Turtle Turks, and Hidden Persuaders. The Beatles, hiding behind cardboard cutouts of Bonked Pepperlanders, find their way to an enclosed gazebo (guarded by a large group of sleeping Meanies) at the top of a large hill. Making their way in, they find all manner of musical instruments, including a set of bagpipes that Ringo unintentionally activates before tossing out the door knocking out a frightened Meanial. They also find a set of band uniforms and put them on. At daybreak, the Beatles attempt to make their escape tiptoeing past the sleeping Meanies until Ringo accidentally steps on the same bagpipes, which wakes up one of the Countdown Clowns who immediately sets off a loud alarm startling the others out of their collective slumber. With the Meanies giving chase, the Beatles make a run for it and manage to escape.
With no Meanies in sight ("Not even a teeny-weenie Meanie"), the four set their sights on breakfast from a tree of large apples, but more apples are being picked from the same tree by the Apple Bonkers. Stacked one on top of another to impersonate a Bonker, the Beatles briefly march with the others, bonking one at a time with their own apple, and even bonking the Sergeant Meanial before again making a run for it into the muted crowd. Once there, the four launch into Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which almost immediately rejuvenates the Pepperlanders and Pepperland itself, and just as quickly sends most of the Meanies into convulsions. The Chief Blue Meanie hears the nearby music and is ready to retaliate, sending out his enforcer, the Dreadful Flying Glove, to "o-blue-terate them", but John effortlessly defeats it while singing All You Need is Love. 
Pepperland is restored to its vivid glory, and the Pepperlanders, empowered by the Beatles' music, rebel and take up flowers against the Meanies, who are in full retreat. The Beatles lead the march to retake Pepperland until George notices what he thinks is a goldfish bowl nearby. Going to investigate, they find it to be an impenetrable blue glass ball, with Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band inside still playing. While John goes off on a tangent about what he would do if he could go inside the ball, Paul, George and Ringo try to find different ways to break the glass (including a battering ram). Paul then suggests that Ringo use his drumsticks to perform a drum break that might shatter it, but he doesn't have them; George suggests he look in his pockets; it is only then that Ringo remembers, "I've got a hole in me pocket", and when he places it against the glass ball it unseals and disintegrates. The other three Beatles marvel at Ringo's genius, the original Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band are released, and Ringo rescues Jeremy. 
The Beatles and the LHCB then tangle with the four-headed Meanie dog, singing Hey Bulldog, with the Beatles victorious once again (This scene was in the film version released in the UK but not in the US). While the other Blue Meanies are forced to retreat, the Chief attempts to save face by doing away with Jeremy, but Jeremy performs some magic on him causing him to break out in roses all over his person, at which point the Chief Blue Meanie beats his own retreat with the ever-loyal Max right behind. Seeing Jeremy laughing joyfully, Ringo tells the other Beatles he knew that Jeremy, that "nowhere man", was somebody after all, and John extends an offer of friendship to the "Blue people". Conceding defeat, the Chief Blue Meanie, whom Max now calls "Your Newness", confides that "It's no longer a blue world, Max", and after some contemplation, has a change of heart and accepts John's offer. An enormous celebration ensues to the strains of George's It's All Too Much, with everyone in Pepperland living happily ever after.
=== Epilogue ===
At the end, we see the actual Beatles in live-action, having returned home, playfully showing off their souvenirs: George has the submarine's motor, Paul has "a little 'LOVE'" and Ringo still has half a hole in his pocket, having given the other half to Jeremy, which Paul suggests he could fix "to keep his mind from wandering", (a reference to Fixing a Hole). Looking through a nautical telescope, John announces that "newer and bluer Meanies have been sighted within the vicinity of this theatre", and claims there is only one way to go out: "Singing!" The quartet obliges with a short reprise of All Together Now, which ends with translations of the song's title in various languages appearing in sequence on the screen.
== The Blue Meanies ==
* The Chief (aka "Your Blueness"): The undisputed leader and commander of the Blue Meanies. Short-tempered, moody and psychotic, he has long black drooping rabbit-like ears, a pencil-thin mustache, he wears a domino mask, and has six fingers on each hand.
* Max: The Chief's diminutive assistant and oft-abused dupe. He is similar in looks to the Chief, except his drooping ears are blue, and he has a large red 'M' on his stomach.
* Countdown Clowns: A knot of armless clowns who are capable of sounding a loud alarm to alert the Meanials, and when their red noses are pressed, can launch or trigger explosive ordinance.
* Meanials: The Chief Meanie's shock troops who perform assorted jobs including guard duty. They are also similar in looks to the Chief, only they are shorter and stocky and have rounded Mickey Mouse-style ears.
* Four-Headed Bulldog: A blue four-headed, eight-legged mongrel; all four heads also wear masks.
* Dreadful Flying Glove: The Chief Meanie's top enforcer, a giant, powerful flying blue glove.
* Butterfly Stompers: A group of short, pudgy cat-like bullies that stomp out all small things that give joy. Like the Chief Meanie, Max and the shock troops, the stompers also wear domino masks, and each one has a number on its stomach. In the film the highest number shown was ten, but on the soundtrack's album cover, one Stomper was numbered 23.
* Hidden Persuaders: A group of blue and bald well-dressed, cigar-smoking, heavily drinking thugs with blue steel automatic handguns hidden inside their shoes.
* Snapping Turtle Turks: A band of Persian, fez-wearing ruffians whose abdomens resemble the heads of large snapping turtles.
* Jack-The-Nippers: A group of muscular Meanies with mustaches, balding heads, green tail-coats and sunglasses, and reptilian heads for hands. Much like the Snapping Turtle Turks' stomachs, these hands are used for fierce biting.
* Apple Bonkers: An element of very tall and lanky soldiers whose only job is to bonk people on the head with large green apples. (The green apples reference the Beatles' then-new Apple Corps multimedia corporation, which first opened in January 1968. The film was released in the UK in July of that same year, and in the US in November.)
== Voice cast ==
* John Clive – John
* Geoff Hughes – Paul
* Peter Batten – George (uncredited)
* Paul Angelis – Ringo / Chief Blue Meanie / George / Narrator
* Dick Emery – Jeremy Hillary Boob / Lord Mayor / Max
* Lance Percival – "Young/Old" Fred
[8][9]
According to the special features section of the Yellow Submarine DVD, Peter Batten provided the voice of George for the first half of the film. Batten was discovered to be a deserter from the British Army in Germany (the British Army of the Rhine) and was arrested during recording. His lines were finished by Paul Angelis (the voice of Ringo Starr in the film).[10]
Percival also provided the voices of Paul and Ringo for the animated ABC TV cartoon series The Beatles.
== Musical numbers ==
All tracks written by Lennon–McCartney except where noted.
# 0:21-2:15: Introduction Story music by George Martin
# 7:55-10:40: Yellow Submarine
# 10:40-13:30: Eleanor Rigby
# 19:00-19:55: Love You To (George Harrison) (excerpt, played during George's entrance)
# 22:30-23:05: A Day in the Life (excerpt, second orchestral swell, starting as the Submarine takes off)
# 23:25-25:55: All Together Now
# 28:20-31:15: When I'm Sixty-Four
# 31:30-34:30: Only a Northern Song (Harrison)
# 43:15-46:15: Nowhere Man
# 48:00-51:30: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
# 54:30-54:50: Sea of Green (a short vocal excerpt from "Yellow Submarine" when Ringo finds the green hole that leads to Pepperland)
# 56:15-56:25: Think for Yourself (Harrison) (short excerpt, a line from the third verse is sung a cappella to revive the Lord Mayor)
# 1:06:35-1:08:50: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
# 1:08:50-1:09:05: With a Little Help from My Friends (first verse, directly following Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band without interruption, just as on the 1967 album of the same name)
# 1:11:45-1:15:05: All You Need Is Love
# 1:16:30-1:16:40: Baby, You're a Rich Man (excerpt, played as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band are, thanks to Ringo's "hole in me pocket," set free from the anti-music missile, the recording of the song is expanded for the American-released version, and the scene with the expansion of the recording of the song leads to a scene that generic music that replaces the Hey Bulldog sequence due to the latter sequence being "anti-climactic").[citation needed]
# 1:17:25-1:21:00: Hey Bulldog Originally shown only in Europe before the film's 1999 restoration.
# 1:24:15-1:27:15: It's All Too Much (Harrison)
# 1:27:15-1:29:00: All Together Now (reprise; first two verses accompanied by images of the real Beatles, cuts to final chorus with song's title translated in various languages)
:(Track start and end time is indicated in hrs.mins.secs. These are approximated because the songs are embedded in the film plot and cannot be strictly separated.)
=== First soundtrack album ===
Main article: Yellow Submarine (album)
The original soundtrack album comprised the four original Beatles songs, two other Beatles songs, and orchestral pieces by George Martin. The orchestral pieces were also used in the short NASA Apollo 9 mission film, which NASA made for every mission.[citation needed]
; Second soundtrack album
Main article: Yellow Submarine Songtrack
Another soundtrack was released in 1999, which contained all of The Beatles' songs from the film except "A Day in the Life."
== Reception ==
The film was distributed worldwide by United Artists in two versions. Released in the midst of the psychedelic pop culture of the late 1960s, Yellow Submarine was a box-office hit, drawing in crowds both for its lush, wildly creative images, and its soundtrack of Beatles songs. The version shown in Europe included an extra musical number, Hey Bulldog, heard in the final third of the film. For the US version, the number was replaced with alternative animation due to time constraints. It was felt that at the time, American audiences would grow tired from the length of the film. Of all the Beatles films released by UA, this had been the only one UA retained the rights to, leading up to its purchase by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1981. In 2005, Sony Pictures Entertainment led a consortium that purchased MGM and UA. SPE had handled theatrical distribution for MGM until 2012. Conversely, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment was responsible for home video distribution when the most recent home video release went out of print.
In The Beatles Anthology, the surviving Beatles, including George Harrison, all admitted that they truly liked the film. Regarding their initial non-participation, George, who considered it a "classic," later admitted that it was for the better that the Beatles did not provide their own voices, feeling that the professional voice actors captured a certain "cartoonish" element far more effectively than they themselves could have done. Ringo also revealed that for years he was approached by children who demanded to know, "Why did you press the button??", referring to when his character curiously pressed the panic button ejecting him from the submarine into the Sea of Monsters. Lennon also implied that his son, Sean, first realized his father had been a Beatle because of the film. After seeing Yellow Submarine at a friend's house at the end of the 1970s, Sean came home asking why his father was a cartoon.
As of 2013, the Internet Movie Database gave it a "MovieMeter" score of 7.2 out of 10, meaning "favourable."[15] Yellow Submarine currently holds a 96% percent rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 46 reviews.
== Soundtrack ==
On 13 September 1999, United Artists and Apple Records digitally remixed the audio of the film for a highly successful theatrical and home video re-release. Though the visuals were not digitally restored, a new transfer was done after cleaning the original film negative and rejuvenating the color. A soundtrack album for this version was also released, which featured the first extensive digital stereo remixes of Beatles material.
The previous DVD also featured a "soundtrack only" version, in which the dialogue is removed, leaving only the music and the songs. As aforementioned, the MGM disc is out of print and the film's rights have reverted to Apple who reissued the film in June 2012 on DVD and Blu-ray.
== In popular culture ==
The film's poster contains John flashing one of the first known instances of "devil horns" in Rock 'n' Roll. It has popularized the sign that has since been used by many bands. However, it may have been the poster artist's misinterpretation of the sign for "I love you." If you watch the film closely, you might notice that the so-called devil horns appear very frequently, unintentionally used by nearly every character in the film, including even some of the Blue Meanies.
In The Simpsons episode "Last Exit to Springfield," Lisa Simpson, under anaesthetic, has a dream sequence highly reminiscent of the film.
The Powerpuff Girls episode "Mime for a Change" starts out with a rainbow similar to the one marking the gateway into Pepperland. Furthermore, Mr. Mime, when he robs Townsville of all its color, also renders the citizens immobile and silent, same as the Meanies' weapons including the Apple Bonkers large apples. And the girls, when they sing a lovely rock song about love, restore the color and life back into Townsville, same as the Beatles doing likewise singing Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and All You Need Is Love. Old Fred and the Beatles, as seen in the film, also made cameo appearances in the episode "Meet the Beat-Alls."
In the opening sequence of the third Futurama movie, "Bender's Game", the Planet Express ship flies into the giant television screen and, rather than crashing and breaking it as in the show's usual opening, it gets absorbed into the screen and travels through an opening sequence that parodies the Yellow Submarine's journey in the film.
In the film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Dewey Cox meets The Beatles in a tent with Jai Guru Deva Om and is offered to take an LSD trip with them. They start dreaming and end up in scenes of the film.
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