Yellow Submarine

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Yellow Submarine

G

Released Nov 13, 1968

1h 25m

Musical

Comedy

Adventure

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

The music-loving inhabitants of Pepperland are under siege by the Blue Meanies, a nasty group of music-hating creatures. The Lord Mayor of Pepperland (Dick Emery) dispatches sailor Old Fred (Lance Percival) to Liverpool, England, where he is to recruit the help of the Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr). The sympathetic Beatles ride a yellow submarine to the occupied Pepperland, where the Blue Meanies have no chance against the Fab Four's groovy tunes.

Critics Consensus

A joyful, phantasmagoric blend of colorful animation and the music of the Beatles, Yellow Submarine is delightful (and occasionally melancholy) family fare.

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

The animators let their imaginations run wild, the script is full of inventive wordplay - and obviously, the songs don't hurt either.

Sep 14, 2018

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

The plot and the wry dialogue takes cues from Beatles lyrics and from Edelmann's designs.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 9, 2018

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Be warned: kids will be thoroughly bored; arthouse fans and nostalgia lovers should be thrilled.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 6, 2018

Full Review

Mark Jackson

Epoch Times

Yellow Submarine has serendipitously been brought back because people are seeking meaning more than ever.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 31, 2018

Full Review

Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

A recently restored 4K restoration of The Beatles'Yellow Submarine with full 5.1 Dolby sound has made its way into theaters and it's absolutely perfect.

Jul 15, 2018

Full Review

M. Faust

The Public (Buffalo)

It's hard not to overstate the role of Yellow Submarine in the growth of animated film, even if it took many of those whom it influenced a few decades to start producing their own work.

Jul 13, 2018

Full Review

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Kevin P

An incredibly colorful and creative animated tribute to the Beatles that goes hard on the psychedelic trippy visuals. It might not be everyone's cup of tea. The plot is incredibly loose, and feels like one big 60's drug trip. But the focus is on the music and the bizarre pop art landscape. Both of which are very entertaining. The soundtrack has a great mix of classic Beatles songs. Each song gets a cool visualized "Music Video" vignette, especially the titular song Yellow Submarine. Which gets to be the main hub for the main characters to hang out as they explored the world. We also get great music segments with Eleanor Rigby, All Together Now, When I'm 64, Nowhere Man, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and All You Need is Love. The Beatles themselves are decently entertaining. The Blue Meanies are very fun and memorable villains that inspired Mark Hamill's Joker voice. I also like the "Nowhere Man" Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD. Very eccentric and the only other character to match the chaotic energy of the blue meanies. Yellow Submarine is very influential and unique for animated movies at the time. It still holds up today. If you can tolerate the bizarreness and embrace the unique trippy narrative, then you're in for a fun ride.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/12/25

Full Review

Brentford V

I love this movie so much, the art style, the animation, and the work is just so fascinating for a 60s movie! especially on how its Beatles' Music based. I genuinely love the "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" scene with all that psychedelic colors and the "Eleanor Rigby" with that gray and gloomy mood.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/13/25

Full Review

Rami A

I don't think anyone realizes how influential, intelligent, funny, and successful The Beatles were. Besides making music, these guys created movies, went on many tours, released albums, and built a large fanbase that still listens to their music today. Speaking of cinema, this movie is beautifully made, funny, catchy, and influential. It's a film that people of all ages can enjoy. Its vibrant colors are enough to brighten the world, showcasing the creativity that went into this film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/09/25

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S R

Another lost Flixster rating! NYT 1000 essential movies to see.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/23/25

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nir s

I LOVE THIS MOVIE! love the art and animations, the creativety is amazing and fun to watch, love the worldbuilding, art, story and the colourfulness, but its a little bit messy at some points...

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/03/25

Full Review

Ian B

Great album great movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/27/24

Full Review

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George Dunning

Director

Paul Angelis

Chief Blue Meanie, Ringo

Peter Batten

George

John Clive

John

Dick Emery

Jeremy Hilary Boob, Ph.D (Nowhere Man); Lord Mayor; Max

George Harrison

George (Singing Voice)

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Synopsis

The music-loving inhabitants of Pepperland are under siege by the Blue Meanies, a nasty group of music-hating creatures. The Lord Mayor of Pepperland (Dick Emery) dispatches sailor Old Fred (Lance Percival) to Liverpool, England, where he is to recruit the help of the Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr). The sympathetic Beatles ride a yellow submarine to the occupied Pepperland, where the Blue Meanies have no chance against the Fab Four's groovy tunes.

Director: George Dunning
Producer: Al Brodax
Screenwriter: Al Brodax, Roger McGough, Jack Mendelsohn, Lee Minoff, Erich Segal
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Subafilms, King Features, Apple Corps
Rating: G
Genre: Musical, Comedy, Adventure, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 13, 1968, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jul 8, 2018
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $992.3K
Runtime: 1h 25m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

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