My thoughts on the Yellow Submarine

The “Yellow Submarine” is a very colorful and graphic animation movie. It is highly reflective of the organic shapes, clashing colors and almost hypnotizing contrasts in the 70s. The following are some of the way color was used in a powerful way to compliment the music and the narrative of the story:

• In the opening scene, Pepperland was a harmonious and happy place. The scene had an organic and hand-drawn illustration quality, and was composed of whimsical objects, floral and foliage in backgrounds, and vibrant warm colors of greens, yellows and reds. All these elements suggested of harmony and nature. A cheerful classic music was playing in the background.
• In the scene where the villains “the Blue Meanies” appeared, the backdrop has been changes to a bleak monochromatic white and grey scheme, with the villains colored in contrasting deep blue. The cool and harsh color scheme is strikingly different from the previous scene. The music also changed from harmonious to dramatic and sharp. As the Blue Meanies attacked the people of Pepperland, and all victims that were frozen and turn into black and white statues, further emphasizing the contrast between the two worlds.
• In the scene of “All the Loney People”, we see a backdrop of the grey cityscape of London, and this time, the graphic is more photo-like and realistic, giving us a sense of seriousness and reality compared to the organic hand-drawn illustrations before. This of course corresponded with the seriousness of the music and lyrics of the song. With this backdrop, the bright yellow of the submarine really stood out, creating a strong focal point.
• At the large whimsical mansion where the members of the Beatles were living, it is interesting to see the different theme, music and colors in the different rooms. For example, the India room has a warm, deep violet color scheme, and had Indian music as the background music. The interior hallways of the mansion also had neutral colors and simple design, creating a contrast to the rooms, which were overfilling with whimsical and colorful characters and objects.
• In the Yellow Submarine” underwater “scene, the graphic was very vibrant and energetic, very much like the beat and the pulse of the song. The fishes had contrasting colorful patterns, which flashed in tune with the beat of the song. The contrasting stripe patterns on the sea rocks also added to the busy and mesmerizing scene.