The Beatles announced that Yellow Submarine will return to North America theaters on July 8, in celebration of that era’s 50th anniversary. As the above debut trailer explains, this re-release features a 5.1 stereo surround sound remix – all the better to hear featured songs like “When I’m Sixty-Four” and “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.”
The 1968 animated original, directed by George Dunning, is a gloriously trippy animated film where John, Paul, Ringo and George face off against music-hating Blue Meanies to protect an underwater utopia named Pepperland. The Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd. struck a deal with Universal Music Group and distributor Abramorama to host these screenings in North America, as well as ones in the U.K. and Ireland, which had already been announced.
This isn’t the first time that people wanted to bring Yellow Submarine back to theaters, in some form. Back in 2009, Disney had Back To The Future director Robert Zemeckis in charge of a 3D remake. A year later, Zemeckis had even cast the four British actors who would play the Beatles themselves. But the project ultimately got scrapped due to budget issues.
Legendary producer Quincy Jones recently gave the Beatles flak for being “the worst musicians in the world.” Still, the Beatles are responsible for chart feats that artists are still trying to beat today. Drake recently tied the band’s 40-year-old record for having at least 20 top 10 singles in a decade.
