The Beatles' 'Yellow Submarine' Resurfaces On DVD in May

The 1968 animated odyssey arrives on DVD and Blu-ray after a frame-by-frame restoration by Apple Records.

Almost 45 years after it debuted in theaters, the animated Beatles movie Yellow Submarine is set for re-release on DVD. Following a clean-up of each frame of the film by hand – required because of the delicacy of the hand-drawn artwork – Yellow Submarine will be released May 28 alongside a reissue of the film’s soundtrack.

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Home media distribution of Yellow Submarine has been mired in legal problems for decades, resulting in very few iterations available on VHS and DVD. MGM re-released the film on DVD in 1999, complete with an extensive digital stereo remix of the soundtrack, but that version is now out of print. Although the picture quality of that edition was digitally remastered, the upcoming release marks the first frame-by-frame restoration ever mounted for the film. No information is currently available about the accompanying soundtrack, but the '99 DVD featured the stereo remix version as well as a music-only track.

Pixar studios chief John Lasseter explains in an announcement that the film was hugely influential on his work. "As a fan of animation and as a film-maker, I tip my hat to the artists of Yellow Submarine," Lasseter said. "[Their] revolutionary work helped pave the way for the fantastically diverse world of animation that we all enjoy today."