I was a little upset with my friend's comment regarding this movie. He said that he had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing this movie and that if one wants to see a bizarre movie then one should watch the art house film that was really weird, but at least he had a point. Coming from a guy that watches wrestling because it is brainless entertainment, I don't put much credence on his opinions. If he were to be more consistent in his comments, and maybe even learn to appreciate some of the finer points in movies then it would be much better and I would probably take his opinions more seriously.

Anyway, this movie is about a guy, Old Fred, who flees Pepper Land when it is attacked by the Blue Meanies. He flees in a Yellow Submarine and enlists the Beatles to help him free Pepperland. They then go on a bizarre journey back to Pepperland where they pick up a Nowhere Man because he looks lonely and defeat the Meanies by playing music.

This is one weird animated feature, and for those who have seen Monty Python's flying circus, you will probably recognise the animation style. It is distinct and very rarely seen anywhere else. The movie is also serenaded by numerous songs of the Beatles, most likely off of their Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, which I might end up getting one of these days. It actually reminds me of this guy that the only record he would play was Sergeant Peppers, and in the end everybody got really sick of it.

The animation isn't all that consistent, as it takes a much different look during the song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, being a more artistic, yet not so definite, though the humans in this song seem to look more realistic and less animated.

The interesting thing in the end is that they do not kill anybody. There is a bit of violence, as conflict defines literature, but the Big Blue Meanie in the end is forgiven and allowed to join in with the people of Pepperland. In the end their message is clearly "make love, not war," and by showing a bit of love to everybody, then everything is solved. Great in theory, but in reality, in a world where everybody is out for themselves, impossible.

Favourite Line: Excuse me, would you believe me if I told you I was being followed by a Yellow Submarine? I thought not.

I consider myself fortunate to have seen "Yellow Submarine" in London right after its world premiere in July 1968. I was a young teenager at the time, and my father had brought my sister, brother, and me to Europe for our first visit. The picture was showing at a large cinema called the London Pavilion in the heart of Piccadilly Circus, and The Beatles themselves had attended the opening just a few days before. It was great to see this movie on a big screen with a good sound system. We loved the music and vivid colors. When we saw it again in Boston a few months later, we were angry that the "Hey Bulldog" number and a few other bits had been cut to reduce viewing time. I think the "Eleanor Rigby" number is best. The animated montage shown during the "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" number was partly taken from the 1933 Hollywood musical "Dancing Lady" and in 2006 I saw this old film on Turner Classic Movies, instantly bringing back memories of "Yellow Submarine." The girl on the merry-go-round horse was none other than the leading actress Joan Crawford .... who was beautiful indeed in 1933, despite becoming a horror much later. No wonder John Lennon's character in the cartoon liked her so much in his psychedelic dream!

After learning that my girlfriend had only see Yellow Submarine while stoned, and seemed convinced that was the reason she liked it, I insisted she watch it unstoned. She still liked it, and it was every bit as good as I recalled.

The story makes no sense, as the movie struggles to turn a bunch of random songs into some sort of narrative, but that hardly matters. The pun-filled script is blithely entertaining, the scenarios are wonderfully imaginative, the songs are terrific (of course), and the visuals are beyond amazing. The animation has a lose, experimental feel that was extraordinary at the time and is even more so in the days of digital animation.

Surprisingly, the weakest aspects of the movies are the Beatles' contributions, which consists of four of their lesser songs (although I do really like Only a Northern Song even though my girlfriend points out it's quite similar to Harrison's previous If I Needed Someone). None of the new songs really helped with creating the story and thus feel a little shoehorned in.

The first time I saw this movie I was 10 years old and I loved it. Now I'm 58 and I still love it. It is a gloriously colorful display of 60s pop art that should be seen by anyone who loves animation, the Beatles, or weird psychedelic art.