"So we sailed into the sun, in our yellow submarine." So goes that legendary classic from the Beatles, "Yellow Submarine", a brilliant conglomeration of whistles, bangs, hisses, and other crazy sound effects that add up to one beautiful song that many know and love. And though it is perhaps less rare in other lands, in America there are only a small number of people who have undergone the mind-bending experience of watching the animated "Yellow Submarine" movie. This is a tragedy!
A Brief Overview
"Yellow Subamrine", the film, is an explosion of eye-bursting color, zany dialogue and zanier characters, all set to a foot-tapping backdrop of Beatles music. This whacked-out adventure features the Beatles themselves, albeit animated versions, cavorting through time and space in an attempt to rally the forces of good against those sinister and indigo tinted bad guys, the Blue Meanies. These baddest of dudes have overrun Pepper Land, the beautiful land of music, in the name of evil, and destroyed all music! They seem unstoppable, with their Snapping Turks, Anti-Music Missile, and of course, the Dreadful Flying Glove, who brings terror to the innocent land! Only the Fab Four themselves, John, Paul, George and Ringo, can stop them. Unfortunately, they are lost in the Sea of Time, the Sea of Monsters and the Sea of Green. However, with such wild characters and Young Fred (who is actually quite old), Old Fred (that great player of the violin) and JeremyHillaryBoobePh.D (the nowhere man), they are sure to arrive in Pepperland... eventually! Will the Beatles save the day? Of course they will! And in rousing, musical style, of course!
The "Plot"
"Yellow Submarine" is more a musical romp than a masterpiece of screenwriting, but the storyline is quite amusing, and deserves a more in depth explanation:
In the peaceful realm of Pepperland, people live happy, musical lives, blissfully unaware of the threat lurking a small distance away. The Blue Meanies, a race of furry blue fiends, are preparing a final attack against Pepperland and music itself. Hordes of monsters and terrible weaponry easily overwhelm the peaceful people, leaving1 the colorful land of love and friendship gray and silent. Only Young Fred escapes in a flying, yellow submarine that sits atop a pyramid in Pepperland. Desparately seeking help, he stumbles across four young men who look surprisingly like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, a sensation in Pepperland. Recruiting them, they proceed to wander through this world (and several others) on their way back to Pepperland. They explore the Sea of Science, the Sea of Time, the Sea of Monsters and, as in the song, the Sea of Green. They finally return, and rally the forces os song to do battle with the Blue Meanies and free the music of Pepperland...
Characters
Naturally the Beatles star, in animated form, but this crazy cinematic experience is packed with a number of hilarious denizens.
The Dreadful Flying Glove: as the name implies, a hovering piece of handwear. A servant of the Blue Meanies, and one of their most feared henchmen.
Young Fred: the rather elderly fellow who bravely brings the Beatles back to Pepperland. The pilot of the one and only Yellow Submarine.
Old Fred: an even more elderly fellow and mayor-of-sorts of Pepperland.
The Nowhere Man (aka Jeremy-Hilary-Boob-Ph.D.): the mysterious, monkey-like creature the Beatles stumble upon in the void that remains after the Vacuum Beast devours the universe in the Sea of Monsters. This lovable fellow journeys with the Beatles. It is Ringo who kindly invites the fellow to join them, after Jeremy is left crying, alone again, as the Beatles prepare to depart from his land.
John: For some reason, John first appears as Frankenstein's monster, but returns to his normal form after drinking a smoking potion.
Paul: Paul is found in a mysterious building filled with doors. He emerges from behind one with crowds cheering, flowers in hand.
George: Also found in the mysterious, door-packed hallway, George can be seen riding around in a car that is a different color in each scene... until he crashes it.
Ringo: Ringo appears when the submarine sneaks up on him as he is annoying a police officer who is playing with a cat.
Soundtrack
That which makes this insane film great. The soundtrack includes:
-Yellow Submarine
-Eleanor Rigby
-Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
-Nowhere Man
-It's All Too Much
-When I'm Sixty-Four
-Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
-Hey Bulldog (re-release only)
There are other songs as well, but these are some of the highlights!
Recent News
This movie was re-leased recently in a few small theatres in America, prompting a re-release of the album, and the home video - good news, because the older edition of the film was difficult to come by. The new release has made it readily available to all, however. "Yellow Submarine" is a spectacular, tripped-out, psychedelic ride for young and old, Beatles fans of all ages!
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