Yellow Submarine deserves greater recognition.
In 1968, The Beatles got in a yellow submarine and sailed away to the sea of green – on screen– in an animated film designed to fulfil their three-picture contract for United Artists.
Yellow Submarine has become an enduring cult classic. The yellow submarine can be found on all sorts of merchandise, from socks and tea infusers to Lego sets and Monopoly boards.
With era psychedelic visuals the movie has also become a children’s favourite. “That film works for every generation,” George Harrison himself decreed.
The story goes that Sean Lennon didn’t know his dad was a Beatle until he saw the film at a friend’s house; John had to explain why there was a version of himself running around in a cartoon. Even for their own kids, Yellow Submarine was the perfect introduction to The Beatles.
In 1980, John Lennon and Yoko Ono features an interview and John discussed Sean. “Beatles was never mentioned to him,” he said. “There was no reason to.
“We never played Beatles records — unlike the story that went around that I was sittin’ in the kitchen for five years playin’ Beatles records like some kind of Howard Hughes,” he continued. “Once he was over at a friend’s and Yellow Submarine was on television, and he came running over saying, ‘Daddy, were you a Beatle?’”. John didn’t voice himself in the film and only appeared in a brief live-action skit at the end of the picture.
Sean didn’t understand The Beatles’ lineup. “He didn’t differentiate between The Beatles and Daddy and Mummy,” he revealed. “He thinks Yoko is a Beatle, too. He knows that there’s a Ringo and a Paul and a George and these people that somehow used to be around. But children can’t conceive of what goes on before they’re born.”
John was asked if Sean had the same attitude toward The Beatles that he did toward other bands. “No, because he hasn’t been exposed to them,” he replied. “I think I let him have one Beatles record when he expressed an interest, once he got this idea that there was some singing going on. But I generally keep them away from him.”
The movie was rereleased for its 50th anniversary. It earned $992,305 domestically and $280,956 internationally. Altogether, Yellow Submarine made $1,273,261. It’s incredible that a movie that came out in the 1960s could be a hit in the 2010s.
“Yellow Submarine” features spectacular animation, gorgeous music (including “When I’m 64,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “All Together Now,” and the lovely “Sea of Time,” written by George Martin, witty wordplay (lots of puns and some sly political satire), and a sweet story with a nonviolent happy ending.