Parents' Guide to

Yellow Submarine

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Beatles classic with great animation, music.

Movie G 1968 90 minutes
Yellow Submarine Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 9 parent reviews

Michaela2016
Michaela2016 Parent of 4-year-old
December 31, 2020
age 7+

Machine Guns & The Beatles

We watched this with my four year old because he loves the songs and had seen some of the animated music videos for the titular song. While we knew the blue meanies had machine guns, we didn’t know how often this imagery occurred. The animation is beautiful and the core ideas of music and love overcoming evil were a good fit for our kiddo. The machine guns that the blue meanies use to freeze the humans feel a bit inappropriate for little kids. Also the cowboys chase the ‘Indians’ with guns drawn. All of this felt problematic. Other than this - it’s a beautiful film with great music and lots of tongue in cheek moments for adults to enjoy as the kids sing along to the iconic music of the Beatles!

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
filmviewer
filmviewer Parent
August 31, 2018
age 5+

Fabulous film for children and adults - excellent music, brilliant colorful animation, fun story!

"Yellow Submarine" is great for the whole family, though some of the animated violence might bother the very young, perhaps preschool and younger. My elementary aged daughter sang along, laughed quite a bit, and kept talking about the film on the way home when we saw the digitally restored film outdoors tonight. Both adults and children will enjoy the humor, though some of the quick lines might register more fully with adults. Sure there's a bit of violence but it's rather tame; more concerning to those in preschool and younger might be scenes of snarling dogs, yellow/sharp toothed monsters, and the like. Even by today's standards, the bright, pop art like animation is thrilling to see - and it just keeps on coming. The music is of course at the core of the film. It has always amazed me that perhaps the only bands that everybody seems to love is the Beatles. It's much more than a music video but even if you see this as one extended music video, it surely was innovative for the late 1960s but hasn't lost its charm and draw in the 21st century. I wish films that films that treated so many interesting issues without offensive language or inappropriate violence were more the norm today. We have a lot to cherish in "Yellow Submarine" but also to learn from. Highly recommended! (I edited this from a more full review a few minutes ago at www.imdb.com/review/rw4315154/?ref_=tt_urv)

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

All is peace, love, and music in gentle Pepperland until the wicked Blue Meanies take over. The Beatles come to the rescue via the title vessel, meeting all kinds of strange and interesting characters along the way.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9):
Kids say (21):

YELLOW SUBMARINE is a pleasure for the eyes, ears, and heart. It features spectacular animation, gorgeous music (including "When I'm 64," "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "All Together Now," and the lovely "Sea of Time," written by longtime Beatle collaborator George Martin), witty wordplay (lots of puns and some sly political satire), and a sweet story with a nonviolent happy ending. Younger kids will appreciate it on a different level from their older siblings and parents, and that's just fine.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the different ways to interpret this movie. Do you think there are hidden messages? Why do you think the Beatles wanted to make this movie?

  • What are the ways in which the animation is distinct and unique, often imitated but never duplicated?

  • It has been over 50 years since the Beatles first attained international success and recognition. Why do you think they and the messages contained in their music continue to remain popular? Do you think people will still be listening to their music in the next 50 years?

Movie Details

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