John Lennon: ‘Happy XMas (War Is Over)’ Inspires Animated Film
John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s classic holiday song “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” has inspired a short film by Sean Ono Lennon and Peter Jackson. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Ono Lennon…
John Lennon and Yoko Ono's classic holiday song "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" has inspired a short film by Sean Ono Lennon and Peter Jackson.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Ono Lennon wanted to make a new video for the iconic song written by his parents. The whole process began in 2021 with the goal of reintroducing the song and its message to a younger generation. One of the first hurdles he came across was determining a story around the song that wasn't too "goofy."
At this point, Ono Lennon was able to connect with former Pixar animator Dave Mullins, who did work on Finding Nemo, Up and the 2017 Oscar-nominated Pixar short Lou. The pair came up with a premise of a chess game played between two warring parties with the help of a carrier pigeon. The concept was loosely inspired by the historic Christmas truce during World War I that saw British and German soldiers stop fighting and play soccer together.
Thanks to his involvement in helming The Beatles: Get Back, Jackson then got involved when Ono Lennon asked the Academy Award-winning director to look over his script.
Jackson said, "I remember telling him that an animated short film would take 12 to 14 months to make, and there was a very good chance the war in Ukraine will have resolved by the time it was finished. Here we are, and not only is the misery in Ukraine continuing with no end in sight, there’s now the war in Gaza."
Following an Oscar-qualifying run, the animated short is looking for distribution. However, it has yet to find it. Considering its premise and the people involved, it's hard to believe a studio wouldn't jump at the chance to distribute the film.
John Lennon has inspired a number of memorial tributes since his untimely death 40 years ago.
From Liverpool to New York City to Cuba, here are nine different memorial tributes to Lennon from around the world.
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John Lennon Statue outside the Cavern Club - Liverpool, England
Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesIt should be no surprise that there are a number of Lennon tributes scattered throughout Liverpool. Among them is a statue outside the original location of the famous Cavern Club.
Imagine Peace Tower - Reykjavík, Iceland
KatrinAsa/Shutterstock.comThe Imagine Peace Tower, an outdoor art installation in Reykjavík, Iceland, was created by Yoko Ono and unveiled on Lennon’s 67th birthday.
Strawberry Fields - Central Park in New York City
Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesJust like Liverpool, there are plenty of tributes to Lennon in New York City. Without a doubt, the most famous would have to be Strawberry Fields in Central Park.
Parque John Lennon - Havana, Cuba
lulu and isabelle/Shutterstock.comLocated in Cuba's capital, Parque John Lennon features a statue of the late musician sitting on a bench that was unveiled on December 8, 2000, the 20th anniversary of Lennon's death.
The Hard Days Night Hotel - Liverpool, England
Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesLocated near the Cavern Club, The Hard Days Night Hotel is a four-star hotel that opened in 2008 and features 110 rooms. Statues of all of the Beatles can be found on the hotel's façade .
The Lennon Wall - Prague, Czech Republic
kaprik/Shutterstock.comThe Lennon Wall has been a popular tourist attraction for a number of years now. The wall and its graffiti was a reaction to Lennon’s death in 1980, and since Western imagery was banned in a then Czechoslovakia due to Communism rule, the wall was part tribute-part peaceful protest. In November 2014, the wall was suddenly painted white, and the message “Wall Is Over” was left. Days later, people started painting more Lennon graffiti on the blank canvas and changed the message to “War Is Over.”
The Lennon Wall - Hong Kong
Anthony Kwan/Getty ImagesSimilar to Prague, The Lennon Wall in Hong Kong was a form of peaceful protest beginning in 2014. In the description of this photo via Getty Images, "The origins of Hong Kong's Lennon Wall dated back to the Umbrella Movement in 2014, when protesters covered a wall outside government headquarters with Post-it notes to express their frustrations and aspirations...'Lennon Wall' message boards became a phenomenon across Hong Kong in 2019 after protests against a controversial extradition bill began as hundreds and thousands of handwritten messages sprung up to show support for pro-democracy protesters."
Ellis Island Tapestry - New York City
Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesIn July 2015, Yoko One and U2's Bono and The Edge, in association with Amnesty International, helped unveil a special tapestry at Ellis Island that honored John Lennon.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport - Liverpool, England
Sion Touhig/Getty ImagesIn 2001, the Speke Airport in Liverpool was renamed the Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Yoko Ono was on hand for the renaming ceremony, which included the unveiling of a 7-foot-tall bronze statue of Lennon.
