Yellow Submarine remake scrapped by Disney

The 3D remake of The Beatles' 1968 film Yellow Submarine is said to have been cancelled by Disney Studios. The main reason to drop the film is its budget issues. And a cancelled meeting with surviving Beatles' members was another reason for its demise. But sources claim that the poor opening for the director Robert Zemeckis' latest animated film Mars Needs Moms made Disney shelve the project.

Yellow Submarine remake was officially announced by Disney and Apple Corps Ltd at the inaugural D23 Expo on 11 September 2009. It was being developed by incorporating the 16 Beatles songs and recordings from the original animated film. Comedian Peter Serafinowicz was cast to voice Paul McCartney, Dean Lennox Kelly as John Lennon, Cary Elwes as George Harrison and Adam Campbell as Ringo Starr.

Disney and Zemekis planned to use motion-capture technology similar to that used in his animated films like The Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol. But due to financial issues, it was a bomb in the making. It is also reported that Disney ditched the project after Zemeckis's Mars Loves Moms, which was 150 million dollars, earned 6.9 million dollars in the first week and turned out to be a box office catastrophe this weekend.