During Beatlemania the Fab Four were so successful that they could experiment with their sound and lyrics backed by a near-guarantee that each song would be a hit. This included “Yellow Submarine,” a children’s song that went to No. 1 on every major British chart for four weeks straight, as well as peaking at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Drawing inspiration from the song, United Artists and King Features Syndicate released the animated Yellow Submarine fantasy film in 1968. The psychedelic feature saw The Beatles protecting the music-loving paradise of Pepperland from the music-hating Blue Meanies. This smash hit received widespread acclaim and has since been credited with bringing more interest in animation as a serious art form.
The movie’s art director, Heinz Edelmann, created the psychedelic design of the animation with the help of Milton Glaser. His surreal interpretation was a great compliment to the style of music featured in the film and set it apart from its contemporaries at Walt Disney and other studios. It would go on to inspire pop artist Peter Max, early Sesame Street animation, Schoolhouse Rock, and Terry Gilliam’s Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
George Dunning, who worked on The Beatles’ cartoon series was the director of the project, overseeing a slate of 200 artists. Animators Robert Balser and Jack Stokes served as the animation directors, Alison de Vere and Millicent McMillan supervised the background art, and Ted Lewis and Chris Miles handled animation cleanup.
Among the key creative directors was Charlie Jenkins, who handled the full “Eleanor Rigby” sequence, the journey from Liverpool to London to splashdown, and “Only a Northern Song” in the Sea of Science. Bill Sewell produced 30 minutes of rotoscoped images for “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” which was then edited by Bob Balser and Arne Gustafson for the sequence in the film.
The memorable movie, enjoyed by kids and adults alike, is an important part of The Beatles legacy and has inspired legions of collectors to hunt for related memorabilia. In Hake’s Auction #232, they are selling several lots of Yellow Submarine collectibles.
Those include a rare soundtrack store display that was used to hold the album when it was released in January 1969 and a rare linen-backed Danish movie poster. Several animation cels are in the auction, including one of John Lennon and the Blue Meanie, as well as production drawings. Another interesting piece is the Yellow Submarine factor-sealed model kit.
Hake’s Auction #232 is now open for bids and will close on June 29-30, 2021, at hakes.com.