Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
The wicked Blue Meanies take over Pepperland, eliminating all color and music. As the only survivor, the Lord Admiral escapes in the yellow submarine and journeys to Liverpool to enlist the help of the Beatles.
Yellow Submarine is a psychedelic landmark of animation, with its kaleidoscopic hand-drawn visuals earning a well-deserved top mark for Cinematography — the art direction and visual invention are genuinely extraordinary even by today's standards. Novelty is equally high: the film is utterly one-of-a-kind, blending pop art, surrealism, and the Beatles' music into something that has never been replicated. The plot is thin and largely a vehicle for the visual and musical set pieces, earning a below-average score. The voice acting (not the real Beatles for most of it) is serviceable but unremarkable. The ending is cheerful and satisfying in tone but narratively slight.