YELLOW SUBMARINE - BLU-RAY

This summer, Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music will bring Yellow Submarine to Blu-ray. The animated film looks to the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" song as inspiration for this fanciful adventure that finds the Fab Four battling the evil Blue Meanies in order to save Pepperland from their music-hating oppression. From the official synopsis: "Once upon a time ... or maybe twice, there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland, a place where happiness and music reigned supreme. But all that was threatened when the terrible Blue Meanies declared war and sent in their army led by a menacing Flying Glove to destroy all that was good. Enter John, Paul, George, and Ringo to save the day! Armed with little more than their humor, songs, and of course, their yellow submarine, The Beatles tackle the rough seas ahead in an effort to bring down the evil forces of bluedom." EMI's Blu-ray presents Yellow Submarine in its 1.66:1 original aspect ratio and includes a restored monaural soundtrack. The digital technicians at Triage Motion Picture Services and Eque Inc. have given the picture a 4K restoration, going through the picture frame by frame without automated software assistance as a means of preserving the original artwork. The disc also contains the following supplements: Commentary by art director Heinz Edelmann and producer John Coates Mod Odyssey documentary Storyboard sequences: - "Sea of Monsters" split-screen footage - 118 "Battle of the Monsters" images - Sixty-four "Pepperland" images Interviews: - Paul Angelis (voice of Ringo and Chief Blue Meanie) - John Clive (voice of John) - David Livesey (key animator) - Millicent McMillan (Heinz Edelmann's assistant) - Jack Stokes (animation director) - Erich Segal (co-writer) Original theatrical trailer Twenty-nine original pencil drawings Thirty behind-the-scenes photographs Physical memorabilia: - Animation cel reproductions - Collectible stickers - Sixteen-page booklet with a new essay by Pixar Animation Studios' Chief Creative Officer, John Lasseter Yellow Submarine is expected to street on May 29th, as is the reissue of the soundtrack album.