Performance Review: The Beatles Anthology

Recently, Disney gave me the opportunity to see all nine episodes of The Beatles Anthology. The first three episodes premiere on November 26th, followed by three more the next night and the final three on November 28th. Please keep reading for my complete review!

BACKGROUND:

Starting in 1991, over the course of four years, the three living members of the Beatles (Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr) reunited to work on what they hoped would be the definitive story of the rise, dominance, and eventual break-up of one of the most beloved and influential bands of all time. Thanks to their long-time road manager, Neil Aspinall, they had hours and hours of raw footage documenting their time together touring and making music. Aspinall, as early as 1971, had begun collecting any footage he could find of the group and assembling it in chronological order. He had hoped to turn it into a feature-length film, but that project never took off, and the tapes he collected sat on a shelf for the next 20 years, waiting for the right moment.

That moment came in 1995, exactly thirty years ago this week, when The Beatles Anthology first aired on ABC across three nights. Featuring incredible archival footage, including interviews with the late John Lennon (who was murdered in 1980), new interviews with the three living Beatles reunited, and the release of a new song, “Free As A Bird”, it was a massive success. Later, it was released on VHS and eventually DVD, split into eight expanded episodes, all of which were well over an hour long.

Now, thirty years later, The Beatles Anthology is back again, painstakingly restored frame-by-frame into the highest possible quality. All of the original film (some still stored in old-fashioned cans) that Aspinall had collected was sent to Park Road Post in New Zealand, a company owned by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy). There, all aspects of the post-production were completed, and the episodes were edited down to roughly 60-minute runtimes with a cohesive narrative throughline. A brand-new ninth episode was also added, an epilogue of sorts that takes viewers behind the scenes of the process of creating the original Anthology series in 1995.

OPENING THOUGHTS:

For a little background, I was thirteen years old in 1995 when this documentary first aired, but I never watched it. I grew up listening to the music my parents listened to, so of course, I knew of The Beatles, and I definitely enjoyed some of their songs, but I wasn’t obsessed with them like so many people from the prior generation. So I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started the first episode last week, or even if I was the right person to write this review. After all, Kyle and Robby are the resident musicians here at Friends From Work.

All that to say- I was blown away by this documentary, which primarily covers the 1960s, from the band’s inception through their final 1969 album “Abbey Road”.

In 2025, you mostly expect that every moment of your life is being filmed by someone, somewhere, at all times. What amazed me about this documentary was the incredible amount of footage that existed of The Beatles during their heyday. I’m not just talking about their televised appearances (like on The Ed Sullivan Show), but also footage of them recording, smaller venue performances, and candid footage of the foursome when they were not performing— in studios, on the road, backstage. There was always a camera around them.

I was captivated by the first two episodes, which cover the band’s early days, their origins, their influences, and their performances. Oh, the performances! Several times throughout the doc, the filmmakers air full performances of some of their most iconic and enduring songs, a choice I appreciated. The performances, often in front of raucous crowds of fans, make you feel like you are in the audience yourself, experiencing “Beatlemania” like thousands and thousands of fans throughout the sixties.

SUPERLATIVES:

The Beatles Anthology looks great. The amount of work that was done to clean up the sound and picture quality of the original 1960s footage is evident on Disney+. From their Cavern Club performances in Liverpool in 1962 to their 1965 performance in Shea Stadium in New York City, to their rooftop concert at their London headquarters in 1969, the quality never wavers.

Paul, George, Ringo (and John in archival footage) are candid about the ups and downs of being the most popular band in the world. The three who were alive at the time of the original documentary talk a lot about how time has allowed them to see other perspectives now, that they didn’t see when they were immersed in the moment. Hearing their reflections and seeing Paul, George, and Ringo reunite for the documentary are highlights. The love and affection they have for each other comes through the screen.

The brand-new ninth episode serves as a perfect coda to the series, focusing on the making of the documentary and the painstaking process of using old John Lennon demo tapes to create new songs featuring all four Beatles a decade after Lennon’s death.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT:

If there is one (perhaps obvious) knock to be made against The Beatles Anthology, it is the lack of diverse perspectives presented. For better or worse, this is their version of their story. The only people interviewed for the project outside of the band members are their longtime producer, George Martin, road manager Neil Espinall, and publicist Derek Taylor. Perspectives from other musicians, music critics, and reporters who covered them are virtually nonexistent. I understand their desire to tell their story how they remember it, but there are times when an outside perspective would have been welcomed.

Additionally, the middle episodes, after the band has reached its apex, but before those critical final years when the band was on the verge of breaking up, dragged for me in comparison to the first two and final three episodes. But overall, those are very minor complaints.

THE FINAL WORD:

The Beatles Anthology easily met and exceeded my expectations. There is something here for everyone, young or old, a fan or a hater, a diehard fanatic or a casual listener. Whether you watched the original anthology when it was released in 1995 or you’ve never heard of the Beatles, this documentary is worthy of your time, especially this immaculately remastered edition on Disney+ that celebrates the legacy of four young men from Liverpool, England, who captured the world’s attention, held it for an entire decade, and are still captivating new audiences today.

9.5/10

-Greg