Yellow Submarine is a 1968 animated feature film based on the music of The Beatles. It is also the title for the soundtrack album to the feature film, released as part of The Beatles’ music catalogue. The film was directed by Canadian-born animation producer George Dunning, and produced by United Artists and King Features Syndicate. The Beatles themselves appear only in the closing scene of the film, with the Beatles characters in the film voiced by other actors.
The Beatles’ participation
The Beatles themselves were not enthusiastic about participating in a motion picture at the time; their enthusiasm during the production of their second feature film Help! having waned after they had produced and starred in the disastrous TV special Magical Mystery Tour. They did, however, see an animated film as a favourable way to complete their commitment to United Artists for a third film. Voice actors were hired to imitate the musicians’ voices in the film. The Beatles were impressed after seeing a draft of the film, and agreed to make a live-action cameo appearance in the final scene. The cameo was originally intended to feature a post-production psychedelic background; but due to time and budget constraints, a blank, black background remained in the final film.