Feeling really bummed about the shelving of Robert Zemeckis’ “Yellow Submarine” mo-cap remake last year? Well, the good news is that the Beatles classic is now returning — in its original form — after being out of print on DVD for years due to rights issues over the music.
Apple Records has announced that the 1968 psychedelic animation has been meticulously restored by hand, frame by frame, and that it will be re-released on DVD and Blu-Ray alongside a reissue of the film’s soundtrack. Whatever the motivations, this seems like great news for a film which has seen very few home-video releases over the past 40 years. In case you're too young to remember, the film is a trippy journey that uses the music of The Beatles as a springboard to create a truly unique and bizarre world. The band was at first hesitant about the project altogether, but upon seeing a draft of the script became a bit more enthused, and even decided to participate in a cameo (though they do lend their voices, professional actors do most of the heavy lifting). In many ways, the film is representative of '60s culture and the era altogther — there is simply no way something like that would be made now, and achieve the same kind of popularity (unless, of course, it was some kind of remake). But it's one of the major iconic pieces of The Beatles catalog, so it's about time that it made a return.
In the announcement for the release, John Lasseter of Disney/Pixar had some kind words to say about the film. "As a fan of animation and as a film-maker, I tip my hat to the artists of “Yellow Submarine”," Lasseter said. "[Their] revolutionary work helped pave the way for the fantastically diverse world of animation that we all enjoy today." John, Paul, George, Ringo and the Blue Meanies will be available to take home on May 28th.