In 1986, Yoko Ono commissioned the Oscar-winning animator John Canemaker to bring to life the drawings and doodles of John Lennon (1940-1980), culminating in the release of a short film called The John Lennon Sketchbook. Almost 30 years later, that film has now been officially released on YouTube.
A product of Liverpool’s art schools, John Lennon drew throughout his life, illustrating two of his books with playful drawings, and drawing Christmas Cards for Oxfam, just to cite two examples. You can see Lennon’s visual talents on full display in The John Lennon Sketchbook, a short animation that is pretty whimsical and fun — until the very end, when Lennon seemingly predicts his own violent death in the audio recording that serves as the film’s soundtrack.
The John Lennon Sketchbook will be added to the Animation section of our larger collection, 4,000+ Free Movies Online: Great Classics, Indies, Noir, Westerns, Documentaries & More.
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Related Content:
I Met the Walrus: An Animated Film Revisiting a Teenager’s 1969 Interview with John Lennon
The Beatles: Why Music Matters in Two Animated Minutes
John Lennon Illustrates Two of His Books with Playful Drawings (1964-1965)
Bed Peace Revisits John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s Famous Anti-Vietnam Protests
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