We All Blog in a Yellow Submarine

On top of the TV in my room are three of my favorite movies of all time. It is an illustrious award to be granted a spot atop of my television, so it came as no surprise that one of the movies is also on Roger Ebert’s list of great movies. In all of its obsolete VHS glory, this movie is The Beatles “Yellow Submarine”.

“Yellow Submarine” came out in 1968 and it is basically a 90-minute long music video featuring twelve Beatles songs. The story revolves around Paul, John, George and Ringo and their quest to save Pepperland from the Blue Meanies, who hate music and happiness. The story is actually really accessible to little kids, which is important considering that this is around the time that Walt Disney started releasing animated movies. The plot is certainly engaging, and the art design is magnificent, but this movie would basically be pointless without the Beatles soundtrack. As Roger Ebert put it in his review,

With 11 songs by the Beatles [Yellow Submarine] certainly has the best music track of any animated film

There are a total of 12 Beatles songs played throughout the entire movie. Most of them are immediately recognizable such as “Eleanor Rigby”, “Yellow Submarine”, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, and others. Most of the popular songs from their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band made their way onto the movie soundtrack. What’s more interesting is that some of the Beatles most popular songs were actually commissioned to be put in “Yellow Submarine”. “All Together Now” and “All You Need Is Love” made their debuts in the movie and today are now well known staples.

The Beatles agreed to make “Yellow Submarine” in order to get out of three-movie deal without actually appearing in a third movie. The voices are done by professional voice actors, so the only real Beatles you get are the songs (this is not really a bad thing). The movie could be described as a Beatles musical since the songs are used to accompany what’s happening on screen (or maybe the other way around). As the submarine passes through the Sea of Time, we see the Fab Four age rapidly and become old men to the tune of “When I’m Sixty-Four”. When the Beatles meet a new friend, Jeremy, a miserable loner creature, they sing “Nowhere Man”. The storyboard was most likely crafted to best utilize the songs and still make sense with the plot, despite whether or not they’re really necessary.

A lot could be said of the animation and the art direction in “Yellow Submarine”, even today it stands as one of the most uniquely crafted movies around, but without The Beatles music behind it the movie would flop. The soundtrack makes the movie immediately accessible and enjoyable to anybody at any age. The music is that powerful and that influential. The Beatles music gives the movie its psychedelic, peace-loving flavor that makes it unremarkably a product of the 60’s. And if you don’t like that, you still have the songs to fall back on. With arguably the best rock album ever recorded as your predominant soundtrack, you can’t really go wrong.