Disney and Robert Zemeckis Live on a 'Yellow Submarine'
Filed under: Animation, Classics, Comedy, Music & Musicals, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Disney, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
Robert Zemeckis just can't get enough of his 3D motion capture, and clearly no film or concept will elude his grasp. According to Variety, Zemeckis and Disney are in the middle of a complicated deal that will allow them to remake the Beatles' psychedelic cartoon Yellow Submarine. It's been a long time since I saw Yellow Submarine and if I need a refresher on the plot, you might as well. The trippy adventure takes place in Pepperland, a magical undersea place protected by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The music-hating Blue Meanies attack, seal the band in a bubble, and turn the citizens into statues. The Mayor seeks out the help of the Fab Four, who travel in a yellow submarine through several musical interludes. The power of the Beatles restores Pepperland to its colorful, musical self before returning to London. Naturally, it's enjoyed best if you're on drugs.
The remake negotiations have been taking place for months, as Zemeckis wants to use all the original Submarine tunes and spin it off into an original Broadway musical, but meanwhile the Beatles catalog is a complicated thing. The goal is to have it filmed, and in theaters by the 2012 Summer Olympics, which are taking place in London. Zemeckis is hoping that a 3D motion-capture approach will introduce the Beatles to a new generation, who are already enjoying a surge of youth interest thanks to the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band.
Call me old, cranky, and weary of Zemeckis' technology frenzy, but I just don't see the point in this. The Beatles need no reintroduction, every subsequent generation who digs music finds them on their own. (Even more will find them via Rock Band.) Besides, Yellow Submarine is such a thing of the swinging '60s that a remake would just fall flat. Can you really mimic a zeitgeist with the help of 3D? That's my take, now it's your turn -- all together now!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-20-2009 @ 9:14AM
MDR said...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... etc.
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8-22-2009 @ 10:21PM
Nooi said...
I like Monster House because it's cartoon. But I really hate Polar express and Beowolf. Every time I look in the eye of those charactors ,They're just things not living things.
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8-20-2009 @ 10:27AM
meltzer.justin said...
This just seems like a way to take something familiar and re-market it with "new tech" to sell more tickets.
On the plus side - at least it isn't your typical remake, i.e. Horror, tv shows, video games, toys, etc.
On the negative side - it's still a remake, it's just one involving the Beatles.
They say yes. I say no! I say stop, they say go. As Paul would say; Let it be; don't make this film. Zemeckis could create a Revolution. Instead he's making everyone gently weep.
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8-20-2009 @ 10:39AM
Harless? said...
I agree, remaking a Beatles movie isn't going to open them up to a new generation. Why not just show them the original Yellow Submarine? Zemeckis's last two motion capture films were awful and just excuses to use new technology (Beowulf and Polar Express). Part of the movies charm is the campy 60's animation, it doesn't need new graphics and special effects. I won't say the old movie was perfect, but there is nothing wrong that new technology will fix.
Not too mention this would not be a good way to introduce the Beatles to younger generations. Their music will get to music fans because it is that good and that influential; it doesn't need Robert Zemeckis as a conduit.
This news makes me unhappy.
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8-20-2009 @ 11:00AM
Astin said...
Why?? WHYYYYY???? NOOOOOO!!!!
As has been stated, who the hell needs to be introduced to The Beatles? That has to be the lamest excuse I've ever heard from a director.
etc, etc, about Zemeckis' obsession with a horrible technology and how it will suck the life out of a quirky acid trip of a movie. They'd also have to find voice actors who could mimick the spirit of The Beatles. The original didn't have the band voicing their characters, but the actors who did the voices did a pretty good job of capturing their individual personalities.
I've got a hole in me pocket.
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8-20-2009 @ 11:14AM
conflictologa said...
A 3D remake would be pathetic and perverse (and not in a good way). Grosssssss. Introduce the Beatles to a new generation?? He wants to introduce $$$$$ into his pockets.... disgusting.
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8-20-2009 @ 12:48PM
m said...
With enough acid it's in 3-D anyway... :)
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8-20-2009 @ 7:36PM
Me not Me said...
How about just doing a frame-by-frame clean-up/restoration and then do a major re-release in theaters in the summer followed by several editions on video (DVD, double disc with extras, and a Blu-ray) the following Christmas season?
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8-20-2009 @ 8:44PM
AgatheAthena said...
Funny, just the other day I was commenting that I thought Zemekis will spend the rest of his career doing motion capture. I'm sad to see that I was right.
And I'm sad that this is the latest property that Zemekis has decided to visually desecrate. I grew up watching "Yellow Submarine" (pscyhadelia and blue meanies make for a logical plot when you're six). I figured of all properties of my childhood that this one was safe 'cause who would try to remake "Yellow Submarine"? Curse you Zemekis and the day you discovered motion capture!
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8-23-2009 @ 10:00PM
stephen said...
If you want to show new technology and "Yellow Submarine" how about only taking the original cartoon and making that into 3-d? The way that is now, can do to any flick and only costs about a million to convert into 3-d. Cool stuff!
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