Yellow Submarine [Blu-ray] [2012]

After several years of being out of print, Yellow Submarine is finally given a new release, this time in glorious HD on Blu-ray, presenting the film with a transfer that many would have only dreamed of. The new release is about as deluxe as it get, receiving a better treatment than many mainstream Blu-ray releases.

I won't review the film itself, because you've probably already seen it and if you haven't then there are plenty of film reviews elsewhere.

For this new release the film was given a brand new full 4K restoration, something I would have never expected even when it did eventually come out on Blu-ray. So here we have the most pristine looking print of Yellow Submarine we've ever, with colours seeming to pop out at you and a vibrancy that was missing from the original DVD release. The white backgrounds, which previously looked a bit murky, are now fresh and as clean as a piece of paper. The only thing I would say is don't go in expecting it to be as visually striking as Disney's animated classics, because much as the film has looked the best it's ever looked, it still lacks a polished look that Disney animated films have on Blu-ray, simply due to the uniqueness of the film and the way it was animated.

Unfortunately I can't really comment on the audio quality, because I don't have a surround sound system at the moment, but from what I've read it's fantastic. For this release though there are three lossless audio options: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix, the original mono soundtrack and a stereo mix.

The packaging for this set is rather snazzy and more lavish than the majority of mainstream films on Blu-ray. Within this set we get a range of collectables, all housed in a colourful a digipak resembling parts of the submarine, on both the outside and the inside. All this comes inside a handy slipbox.
The first collectable is an extensive booklet, detailing the production of the film and featuring rare photos and drawings. The booklet has an introduction by Pixar co-founder and Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney Animation John Lasseter, where he talks about the risks the producers of the film took and his own experiences with the film as an 11 year old in 1968 when the film originally came out. As someone who greatly admires his work, it's fascinating to read about his thoughts on this pretty niche film and how it influenced him as a film-maker.
Next up we have four reproduction film cells of the band, which have a very high quality feel to them and look fantastic when held up to a light. And finally we have a sticker sheet featuring a variety of characters and the yellow submarine.

The special features are the only disappointing feature about this otherwise outstanding set, because most of it is previously released material. On the plus side though it has all been upgraded for HD presentation where possible, such as the original theatrical trailer and Mod Odyssey documentary.

* Audio Commentary Track by John Coates (Production Supervisor) with additional contribution by Heinz Edelmann.

* Making of documentary: "Mod Odyssey" (7:40). This 1968 featurette provides some fun background on the picture and ties Yellow Submarine into such age old tales as The Odyssey.

* Original Theatrical Trailer (3:45)

* Storyboard Sequences include Sea of Monsters (4:31), Battle of the Monsters (10:51) and Pepperland (5:41).

* Original Pencil Drawings (8:33) include development drawings for the "All You Need is Love" sequence among other elements.

* Behind the Scenes Photos (2:45)

* Interviews include sit downs with:
Paul Angelis (voice of Ringo and Chief Blue Meanie) (1:41)
John Clive (voice of John) (2:07)
David Livesey (key animator) (1:13)
Millicent McMillan (assistant to Heinz Edelmann) (1:14)
Jack Stokes (animation director) (3:44)
Erich Segal (co-writer) (1:38)

It is a bit frustrating that given how much effort they put into this release and restoration they couldn't have produced a making-of documentary or even a restoration featurette. What we have though is a good array of extras, just not quite as extensive as they could be.

With Robert Zemeckis' 3D remake now abandoned, new viewers and older viewers can enjoy the classic original all over again with this grand new release. It's sure to please both Beatles fans and casual viewers alike with a beautifully put together set. Highly recommended!

As far as the film goes, I don't think it needs an introduction from me; there are plenty of reviews for that elsewhere. All I will say is that if you are not familiar with it, this is a psychedelic comedy/fantasy heavily larded with classic Beatles songs and some truly iconic animation work that dates very well indeed. I never had the privilege of seeing the remastered dvd edition of this film, but as regards the blu ray I can honestly say it is outstanding. The colours are incredible, far brighter than I remember on my first viewing of the film (and I watched this at the cinema as a child). The painstaking restoration has paid off and this is a work of art.

The sound quality was not quite as much improved, I think, but I don't have a 5.1 system and can only say what it sounded like on a standard stereo set-up. On that basis, it was better than my old videotape by far, but on some tracks could have been improved - there was a noticeable variation in quality. The dialogue, on the other hand, was crisper and clearer than before.

The edition comes in a card slipcase which is nicely decorated with images of the Fab Four from the movie and the interior of the Yellow Submarine, but for something I want to treasure as much as this, I would have preferred a hard case. It includes a nice booklet with lots of illustrations, four film cells and some cute stickers. The extras are an audio commentary by John Coates and Heinz Edelmann; the Mod Odyssey featurette on the making of the film; the original theatrical trailer; three storyboarded sequences, including two never used; original pencil drawings, behind the scenes photos, and interviews with the crew and vocal performers. It claims to be All Region. Sound comes in PCM Stereo, Original Mono, 5.1 in English, German and Italian. Subtitles in English, German, Dutch, Finnish, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish and Polish.

Great to see this film re-released, with apparently every cell cleaned by hand and restored frame by frame. The sound and picture quality are excellent and the whole disc nicely packaged. It comes in a slip case and contains a booklet, with an introduction by John Lasseter, four cells - one of each Beatle - and some Yellow Sub stickers (now adorning my kids book bags). Other reviews have already amply covered the special features - an audio commentary track by John Coates/Heinz Edelmann, Mod Odyssey, an original trailer, storyboard sequences, original pencil drawings and behind the scenes photos - so I won't do more than list them here. It seems a shame to me that more was not made of the special features - the audio commentary was interesting, but I can't imagine anyone other than an ardent fan sitting through the whole interview. It would have been better had they included a new documentary on the making of the film, even though the Beatles involvement was minimal. However, it is great to have this new, remastered version, to enjoy again. At the end of day, although Yellow Submarine has obvious appeal to different age groups, at heart this is a children's film. I took great delight in sharing this with my five and seven year old, who loved it. My five year old asked, "Mummy, did the Beatles make all submarines yellow?" after noticing many picture books had submarines of that colour in them. Indeed they did. Amongst other things, of course. Enjoy the film - oh, and the music is pretty good too.