The Beatles‘ innovative 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine will return to theaters this summer in a new 4K restoration created to mark the movie’s 50th anniversary. The theatrical run begins July 8, with details on specific cities and theaters to be announced on the film’s official website.
The original was restored by hand, frame by frame rather than using automated software.
“We’re thrilled to have the privilege of bringing ‘Yellow Submarine’ back to the big screen so that three generations of happy Beatles fans can enjoy the ground-breaking animation and classic tunes and that have long been part of our collective cultural DNA,” said Richard Abramowitz, CEO of Abramorama, which teamed with the Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd. and Univesral Music Group on the restoration and theatrical rerelease.
The original project in the late ’60s was begrudgingly approved by the band, which had little involvement in its making, other than approving the use of several songs for the soundtrack and their participation in a filmed segment at the end.
Yet it still enhanced the group’s legacy for creativity with its forward-thinking combination of animation, live action and manipulated still photos, anticipating some of the style later to become a hallmark of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
The soundtrack, which includes such Beatles standards as “All You Need Is Love,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and the title track, has been remixed in 5.1 surround sound.
All but four of the songs used in “Yellow Submarine” had been previously released, the unreleased songs at the time being “All Together Now,” “It’s Only a Northern Song,” “It’s All Too Much” and “Hey Bulldog.”
The film’s score is also noteworthy for several segments of original orchestrated music composed by longtime Beatles producer George Martin.
