JMLEWIS1

I've never seen any of the Beatle movies, but my nephew loves the Beatles and he is turning 5 next week. I know that this is a cartoon, but would it be something that a 5 year old Beatles fan would enjoy? What kind of content does it have? Does it have any songs? Thanks!

edited to add: I did not want to bump this back up, but I did want to thank everyone for the thoughtful responses. I did get this for my nephew and he really loved it. Thanks again!

[Edited by JMLEWIS1 on 05-06-01 at 09:25 PM]

Supermallet

If you're going to get something for a 5-year old, best go with Help! It has exotic locales and slapstick humor, and while your nephew may not get all the jokes, there'll be enough there to keep him entertained, and it has some of The Beatles best songs (Help! Ticket To Ride, Another Girl, for example). My opinion would be to stay away from Yellow Submarine. First off, it's not The Beatles doing the voices, it's some really bad imitators. Half the time it just sounds like four guys who accidentally stumbled into the dubbing room. Second, the film isn't really a movie, but rather a series of music videos, and bad ones at that. Perhaps it's a better movie if you're on LSD, but in my opinion if you need drug enhancement to enjoy a movie or album, it's not really good. Such is the case with Yellow Submarine. Of course, you should ask if he even has all of The Beatles albums, those would be better than any Beatle movie. And, if not a Beatles album, you might want to get him McCartney's first solo album (McCartney), Imagine, or All Things Must Pass, George's Harrison's first solo album, which is great and just came out in a new remastered edition.

Chumley1

Ummm.... I strongly disagree....

Yellow Submarine is a marvelous film for children, or anyone. In fact, it was the first movie I ever saw, on the big screen when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I loved it then (and I wasn't even on LSD!) and I love it now. The selection of songs is the best out of any of the Beatles films. No, it's not the Beatles doing the voices, but who gives a darn? It's a beautiful and enchanting movie. It is most definitely NOT a "series of music videos", and I have to wonder if Suprmallet is thinking of another movie entirely. Even if he isn't, I would never take advice from anyone who recommends "Help!", by far the worst thing the Beatles ever did.

Cartload

I've heard the Magical Mystery Tour TV movie was the worst thing the Beatles ever did.

Birdcell

Gotta agree with Chumley on Yellow Submarine, but not on Help!, since Magical Mystery Tour is much worse. I'd think that "Help!" would be best for 8-10 year-olds who could follow the plot and the silly wordplay, while "Submarine" is a colorful and whimsical, mostly sensory experience best suited for younger kids. It's kind of like the Teletubbies that way.

I saw it in the theatres at three years old, and it must've made a huge impression on me; I didn't see it again until I was 12 or 13, and I had remembered a great deal of it even though I'd seen it at such a young age. I especially remember feeling heartbroken for the little Nowhere Man spinning on his own, about to be left behind.

Sure, the voices were sub-par imitations of the Beatles. But would that bug a 5-year-old?

Johnny Zhivago

Uh... Agree with Chumley and Birdcell...

Of course, I've done my fair share of LSD...

travlr

My kids love listening to Yellow Submarine so I decided to take a chance and get them the movie. They were at little scared of the blue meanys but other then that they liked it alot. They are 4 and 5. You never no what kids are going to like. My kids still haven't forgiven me for making them watch the Wizard of Oz.

Supermallet

OK, out of the five Beatles media excursions (A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine, and Let It Be), I'd have to go with Magical Mystery Tour as their worst, with Yellow Submarine a close second. You'll have to excuse me for not being enchanted, but I found it downright boring. Even Magical Mystery Tour had some inspired sequences (I Am The Walrus), but Yellow Submarine did not. Just because you set up some animation to Beatles music does not make it good. And what's wrong with Help? Sure, it's not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it's got a wonderful slapstick humor about it, and the running around to different locales is funny, too. Plus, what other movie has an intermission like that one? A Hard Day's Night will always be the best Beatles movie, but Help! comes in at second. It's certainly not their worst.

Birdcell

Supermallet; your points are well-taken. To each their own on such a subjective subject, I suppose.