22 MusicWeek 01.06.12 FEATURE YELLOW SUBMARINE THE BEATLES RESURFACE
The classic 1968 movie Yellow Submarine has been remastered to set up a special anniversary year for The Fab Four
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PRODUCT BY PAUL WILLIAMS
H
alf a century on from the release of Love Me Do, 2012 always looked like shaping up to be a busy year for Beatles activity. However, in what might be its Fab Four
swansong before Universal takes it over, EMI is not about to focus on the historic anniversary of that first single but on a revival of one of the group’s last big projects before they split up. Restored by hand, frame by frame, Yellow
Submarine sets sail again on June 4 on DVD and CD and, for the first time, on Blu-ray and digitally in what will also mark The Beatles’ greatest foray yet into social networking - on Facebook alone they have around 30 million fans globally. As EMI’s Apple and Blue Note UK vice
president Guy Hayden notes: “We’ll do some TV advertising because it’s The Beatles, but we’re really focusing on creating some digital games, some Facebook apps and making it more social and sociable for people. “I wanted to move away from, because it’s self-
evident, the ‘best band in the world’ thing and just remember the fun and enjoyment they brought
That fun element will be reflected in the packaging
and content of the DVD and Blu-ray release, which will be housed in a cardboard sleeve with a slipcase and include four reproduction cells of the cartoon characters of The Beatles from the film, stickers and an expanded 25-page book with an introductory essay by Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios chief creative officer John Lasseter. “It turns out he is a massive fan of Yellow
Submarine and as a piece of filmmaking and animation making it was quite groundbreaking and influential. John was only too keen to write about it because it was important to him as an animator as well as a fan of The Beatles,” says Hayden. The release will also include extras that were
ABOVE/OPPOSITE In the land of submarines: The Beatles’ reissued Yellow Submarine has been restored by hand, frame by frame
people of all ages. So we’ve built a new website, which is more a journey through the film rather than just photos and information, so you can scroll sideways, left and right, it has lots of sound effects and characters doing stuff. “On the iTunes release we’re going to make
some alert tones of Apple Bonkers and the Meanie laugh and that kind of stuff. We’re remembering the fun The Beatles brought people as well as the great songs.”
part of the 1999 version, including a making of a documentary called Mod Odyssey, the film’s original theatrical trailer, audio commentary by producer John Coates and art director Heinz Edelmann, interviews with those involved in the movie and images of original pencil drawings and photos taken during the making. But the chief selling point is probably the film
itself, which has been the subject of many months of work to make it look and sound better than it ever has done before.
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