Original Production Animation Cels of Paul McCartney and John Lennon from "Yellow Submarine," 1968

 

Original hand painted production animation cels of Paul McCartney and John Lennon from "Yellow Submarine," 1968; Apple Films/United Artists/King Features Syndicate/TVC London; Production numbers in ink lower edges; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Paul McCartney & John Lennon: 8 x 11 3/4", Image 9 3/4 x 14 3/4"; Unframed.

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“We all live in a yellow submarine.” - The Beatles

Yellow Submarine is a 1968 animated psychedelic jukebox musical fantasy adventure comedy-drama film inspired by the music of The Beatles and directed by George Dunning. Early press reports suggested that the Beatles would voice their own animated counterparts. However, aside from composing and performing the songs, the band’s only direct involvement came in the film’s closing live-action scene; the voices of their animated characters were provided by professional voice actors: John Clive as John, Geoffrey Hughes as Paul, Peter Batten as George (uncredited), Paul Angelis as Opening Narrator / Ringo / Chief Blue Meanie / George Harrison (additional dialogue), Dick Emery as Max / Lord Mayor / Jeremy Hillary Boob, Ph.D., and Lance Percival as “Young” and “Old” Fred.

The film was met with widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences. Former Pixar and Disney chief creative officer John Lasseter has credited it with helping to establish animation as a serious art form at a time when the medium was largely dismissed as being for children. Time magazine noted that the film delighted “adolescents and aesthetes alike.” More than half a century after its release, Yellow Submarine continues to be regarded as a landmark achievement in animation. The plot of the film is summarized below:

Pepperland is a bright, music-loving paradise beneath the sea, home to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The famous Yellow Submarine rests atop an Aztec-like pyramid that crowns a hill, while a range of towering blue mountains marks the edge of the land.

 
Peace is shattered when Pepperland is ambushed by the music-hating Blue Meanies, who dwell beyond the mountains. Their assault begins with a music-proof glass globe that traps the band. Projectiles and giant apples—an allusion to the Beatles’ then-new company, Apple Corps—rain down, freezing Pepperland’s residents into lifeless statues and draining the countryside of all colour.

 
In the final moments before capture, Pepperland’s elderly Lord High Mayor dispatches Young Fred to seek help. As Fred departs in the Yellow Submarine (“Yellow Submarine”), the Mayor is “bonked” by the Apple Bonkers’ enormous apples. Fred sails to Liverpool (“Eleanor Rigby”), where he finds a dejected Ringo wandering near “The Pier,” a hilltop building. Persuaded to return, Ringo gathers John, George, and Paul. The four agree to join Fred and set out for Pepperland in the submarine (“All Together Now”).

 
Their voyage takes them through the Sea of Time (“When I’m Sixty-Four”), the Sea of Science (“Only a Northern Song”), and the Sea of Monsters. There, Ringo recklessly presses the forbidden panic button and is swept overboard, but John, Paul, and George rescue him with a special button just before a vacuum beast devours the entire sea—and itself. Crash-landing in the Sea of Nothing, they encounter Jeremy Hillary Boob, Ph.D., a studious, eccentric creature (“Nowhere Man”), who repairs the submarine’s tiny motor. Ringo invites him along.

 
The journey continues through the Foothills of the Headlands (“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”), where they are accidentally separated from both Fred and the submarine. Wandering into the Sea of Holes, Ringo pockets one of the holes. A Blue Meanie abducts Jeremy, and when Ringo steps into a green hole, it transforms into the Sea of Green—delivering them at last to Pepperland.

 
Reunited with Fred and reviving the apple-bonked Lord Mayor, the Beatles behold Pepperland’s dreary, colourless ruin. Disguising themselves as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, they seize instruments and inspire rebellion (“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” / “With a Little Help from My Friends”). The Chief Blue Meanie retaliates with the Dreadful Flying Glove, which John defeats (“All You Need Is Love”). Colour floods back into Pepperland as its people and flowers revive. Ringo uses his pocketed hole to free the imprisoned Lonely Hearts Club Band, and together with the Beatles they battle the Meanies’ monstrous, many-headed dog (“Hey Bulldog”).

 
Ringo rescues Jeremy, who works “transformation magic” on the Chief Blue Meanie, causing him to sprout roses and reluctantly admit defeat. John extends a hand of friendship, and the Chief—confessing kinship with the Bluebird of Happiness—accepts. The Beatles, the Blue Meanies, and Pepperland’s citizens celebrate their newfound peace and love (“It’s All Too Much”).

 
The film concludes with the real Beatles in live action. They display mementos from their adventure: George holds the submarine’s motor, Paul offers “a little love,” and Ringo reveals “half a hole” in his pocket, hinting that he gave the other half to Jeremy (though Paul suggests patching it to keep his “mind from wandering”). Peering through a telescope, John warns that “newer and bluer Meanies have been sighted within the vicinity of this theatre,” and urges the audience to sing along for protection. The Beatles lead “All Together Now,” ending with the song’s title flashing in multiple languages across the screen.

Yellow Submarine received widespread critical acclaim. Released at the height of the 1960s psychedelic era, the film captivated audiences with its lush, wildly imaginative visuals and a soundtrack filled with Beatles classics. To celebrate its July 1968 premiere, the Beatles hosted a submarine-themed disco at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in Bayswater, London, where guests dressed entirely in yellow. In a 1980 interview, John Lennon reflected on the film, saying, “I think it’s a great movie, it’s my favorite Beatle movie. Sean loves it now, all the little children love it.” 

 

This is an extremely nice pair of original production animation cels Paul McCartney and John Lennon dressed as members of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band from "Yellow Submarine," 1968. Both Paul and John are in action oriented poses, John is holding his trombone, and Paul is playing his flute. A fantastic psychedelic pop art piece of animation history that would certainly be a highlight for any animation art collection! 

 

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