Yellow Submarine (Blu-Ray) [Blu-ray] (ONLINE ORDER ONLY)

The merits of Yellow Submarine as an animated movie may be variable, even though its visual style is fascinating (to say the least) by dint of being such an explosion of approaches. The songs are the songs, of course, as good as ever, while George Martin's underscore is quite acceptable.
Of more interest here is the effort put into this DVD release of the film. While the restoration was made available also in a videocassette version, the DVD really shines -- the brash color scheme of the film all but shines, and the multiplane work never looked better. The restored soundtrack is crisp and clear, with dialogue, effects and music well separated. The extras really help to make this disc an impressive effort. The restored film comes equipped with two alternate soundtracks, one providing the director's commentary (which turns out to be interesting and insightful, covering everything from deal-making to vanishing voice actors) and the other providing an isolated music track, so anyone who misses the old Yellow Submarine soundtrack album with its quota of George Martin music can scratch that itch. A documentary, The Beatles Mod Odyssey, is included (time has not treated this well), along with the theatrical trailer, interviews with animators and voice cast, storyboarded sequences, nifty animated menus, and more. While not really something for a casual viewer, it does provide literally hours of entertainment. ~ Steven McDonald

• Format: Blu-ray
• Genre: Rock