All aboard the 'Yellow Submarine': Sing along to the Beatles' 1968 film on YouTube this weekend

The Beatles' 1968 animation film 'Yellow Submarine' will stream on YouTube in a one-time special singalong event. Getty Images

“We all live in a yellow submarine” might just become the newest anthem amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Beatles' Yellow Submarine will be streaming on the band's official YouTube channel this weekend as a one-time event, with viewers encouraged to sing along to the Fab Four's classics.

The 1968 animation film – which features tracks like Hey Bulldog, Eleanor Rigby and, of course, the titular song – will have lyrics at the bottom of the screen so viewers can sing along.

Yellow Submarine will be streaming on YouTube at 8pm UAE time on Saturday, April 25. The film's singalong version first appeared across theatres in 2018 to celebrate its 50th anniversary and hasn't been available anywhere else since.

"For those of you missing singing together, I've got good news," band member Ringo Starr said in a video on Twitter. "Tune in ... for a special Yellow Submarine movie singalong for kids and kids at heart. Peace and love."

The film is set in the otherworldly Pepperland, located 80,000 leagues under the sea, with serene music-loving inhabitants. However, Pepperland’s peace is shattered when it is invaded by a group of music-hating creatures called the Blue Meanies. The mayor of Pepperland then sends sailor Old Fred to the surface to recruit the help of the Beatles. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Starr soon ride a yellow submarine to the occupied Pepperland to thwart the Blue Meanies’ assault with their groovy tunes.

Yellow Submarine is the fourth Beatles film after A Hard Day's Night, Help! and Magical Mystery Tour. Though the Beatles had little involvement in the film beyond providing the songs, Lennon said in a 1980 interview that it was his favourite Beatles film.

"I think it's a great movie. [My son] Sean loves it now, all the little children love it."