Yellow Submarine facts for kids

Yellow Submarine is a super cool animated movie from 1968. It's all about the music of The Beatles and was inspired by their famous song called "Yellow Submarine." There are also two soundtrack albums with music from the movie.

The Famous Yellow Submarine Song

The Beatles members John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the song "Yellow Submarine" in 1966. They even got some help from another singer named Donovan. The song was released on their Revolver album that same year. It also came out as a single with "Eleanor Rigby" on the other side. Both songs became very popular, but "Yellow Submarine" was a special favorite for children.

How the Movie Was Made

A cartoon company called King Features Syndicate, famous for Popeye, made an animated TV show about The Beatles. The band members themselves were not really involved in making this show. They didn't even like it very much!

The Beatles had a deal to make three movies with United Artists. They weren't happy with their second movie, Help!, and didn't want to act in another one. So, when George Dunning and Al Brodax, who worked on their cartoon show, asked to make an animated movie based on "Yellow Submarine," the Beatles said yes. This was mainly because it would help them finish their movie contract without having to act in it themselves.

Music for the Film

The movie used many Beatles songs and ideas from their song lyrics. The filmmakers hoped the Beatles would create new music just for the cartoon. However, the band didn't put much effort into this. Instead, they gave the producers some songs they had already recorded or ones that weren't quite finished. In the end, only four new songs were used for the movie. Two of these were written by George Harrison.

Story Ideas and Voices

The Beatles did help more with ideas for the movie's story. They added jokes and things they thought would make people laugh. Erich Segal, who later wrote famous novels like Love Story, helped write the movie's screenplay. The voices for the Beatles in the movie were not their own. They were done by other actors.

The animators worked hard to make the movie fun and interesting. George Martin, who was The Beatles's music producer, also composed orchestral music for the background. He made sure the music fit perfectly with the cartoon's pictures.

Movie Release and Success

The Beatles had made their own TV special called Magical Mystery Tour in 1967. It was quite strange and didn't have a clear story. Many people didn't like it, and a TV channel in the United States canceled plans to show it. This made some people think less of The Beatles, even though the music from the show sold well. Yellow Submarine was set to come out in cinemas in 1968, and everyone hoped it would be a big hit.

When The Beatles saw an unfinished version of the cartoon, they were very impressed! They decided to appear in a short live action part at the end of the movie. Yellow Submarine first came out on June 6, 1968. It was an instant hit with audiences, especially kids and families. Most people who saw the movie didn't realize how little The Beatles were involved in making it. Many of their later memories of the band were shaped by what they saw in Yellow Submarine.

One song, "Hey Bulldog," was recorded just for the movie. But the part where it played was cut out of the American version. Even so, the song's title still appeared in the movie's credits.

The Movie's Storyline

Most of the movie happens in a place called "Pepperland." This is a happy country under the sea, full of music, kindness, and peace. But then, the "Blue Meanies" invade Pepperland. They hate anything positive and try to destroy everything the Pepperlanders love.

Old Fred, a helper for Pepperland's Lord Mayor, escapes in a yellow submarine to find help. He finds The Beatles in Liverpool, England. He brings them back to Pepperland. On their journey, they travel through strange places like the Sea of Time, the Sea of Holes, the Sea of Monsters, and the Sea of Green.

Finally, they reach Pepperland. The Beatles pretend to be Sergeant Pepper's Band, the official band of Pepperland. They bring music back to the country and defeat the Blue Meanies. Instead of chasing the Meanies away, they invite them to a victory party. The Meanies change their ways and learn to enjoy the happiness of Pepperland.

The Soundtrack Album

The movie's soundtrack album came out a few months after the movie. Another Beatles album, The Beatles (also known as the White Album), was released first.

The first half of the Yellow Submarine soundtrack had the four new songs, the title song, and "All You Need Is Love," which was important in the movie's story. The second half featured George Martin's orchestral music. Some versions of the album on tape also included "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

Some critics and fans were disappointed that only a few Beatles songs were on the album. But most people didn't mind and bought it to hear the music. The album became another big hit for the band.

Yellow Submarine's Later Life

Yellow Submarine stayed popular for many years, even after The Beatles broke up in 1970. It was shown on TV many times in the 1970s and 1980s. It also played in smaller movie theaters.

In the 1970s, John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono had a son named Sean. Sean didn't know his parents were famous. One day, he saw the movie on TV at his babysitter's house. He came home full of questions about his dad's past with The Beatles. Lennon told Sean that he stopped being a famous musician to be a family man.

When home video came out, Yellow Submarine was released on videotape. Many copies were sold.

Thirtieth Anniversary Remaster

In 1998, Yellow Submarine was updated and re-released for its 30th anniversary. This process is called remastering. Movie and recording technology had gotten much better over the years. The producers and Apple Corps (The Beatles's company) wanted the movie to look and sound modern. They put a lot of work into the remastering.

The original movie had monophonic sound, which means all the sound came from one place. Most movie theaters now had Surround Sound, so the producers wanted to improve the sound.

For many years, The Beatles had not allowed their music to be remixed. But they made an exception for Yellow Submarine. Technicians went back to the original recordings. They used new machines and ideas to make the songs sound better than ever. John Lennon had passed away in 1980, but the other surviving Beatles all approved the new mixes. Ringo Starr was especially impressed. He was happy that he could hear parts of the music that had never been clear before.

Along with being shown in theaters again, the remastered Yellow Submarine was also released on videotape and DVD. A new soundtrack album, called a "songtrack," was also released. This album included the new mixes of all the songs used in the movie. (George Martin's orchestral music was not on this new album, but it was still available on the original soundtrack.)

See also

In Spanish: Yellow Submarine para niños