The Beatles Anthology Is Beautifully Remastered for Its 30th Anniversary on Disney+

The Beatles L-R: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and John Lennon. Photo Courtesy of Apple Corps, Ltd.

The Beatles Anthology remains an epic documentary series as it has been beautifully restored, remastered, and expanded for its 30th anniversary. To paraphrase a line from the greatest band in rock history, it was 30 years ago today…

Prior to last year’s 29th anniversary, I decided to borrow The Beatles Anthology from the library and watch the expanded documentary series on DVD. Little did I know at the time that it would be remastered in its entirety for the 30th anniversary, let alone be adding a 9th episode focusing on the recordings of “Free as a Bird,” “Real Love,” and what would become the final Beatles song, “Now and Then.” As such, what follows here is a somewhat modified version of my review from last year. And to think, I came into the series because of all the ABC stars promoting it at the time so you can blame the misleading marketing for my becoming a Beatles fan.

I became a fan of The Beatles through watching The Beatles Anthology during its three-night ABC broadcast in 1995. It would lead to both Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road becoming the first CDs in my collection. I would also pick up a guitar for the first time, later dropping the trumpet. In college, I took a piano course for the same reason but never quite mastered it. Of course, there’s the time that I saw Paul McCartney in concert back in 2011. That’s my Beatles story in a nutshell but none of it happens without ABC becoming A Beatles C.

When The Beatles Anthology first aired on ABC in 1995, it ran about six hours. The eight-volume DVD spanned 1940 through their breakup after recording Abbey Road, in addition to another 81 minutes of bonus features. I was curious what would be featured as part of the 9th episode, but a good chunk of the bonus features have been edited with other new-to-me footage into the main attraction as part of a 51-minute 9th episode. The episode description says all-new behind-the-scenes footage and that will definitely be the case for those who didn’t watch the DVD. When the DVD was released, all the music had been remastered for 5.1. It’s since been beautifully remastered for its Disney+ premiere.

The Beatles at Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadow, New York 15th August 1965. They performed to a massive audience of 55,600 a record for any concert at the time. Courtesy of Disney.

The same attention to care and detail that went into recent restorations has also gone into The Beatles Anthology. It both looks and sounds better than it ever has. The Apple Corps team worked with Giles Martin and Wingnut Films and Park Road Post teams worked together in creating new audio mixes for the majority of music features in the award-winning documentary series. It is a real Thanksgiving weekend gift to say the least.

The 1995 Shea Stadium concert looks and sounds as gorgeous as it has ever been. The crowd was so massive at the time that it is still a wonder that the audio is even usable. This just speaks to how loud it was at the concert. To give you an idea of how amazing the restoration is, just take a look at the photo still from The Beatles Anthology! I am at a loss for words with what the Apple, Wingnut Films, and Park Road Post teams have done in tandem with Giles Martin. This is one of those historic concerts that one wishes they could watch in full.

I took in The Beatles Anthology for the first time since its broadcast last summer when I borrowed the DVDs from the library. I’d been wanting to add the box set to my collection, but my preference had been to wait for a Blu-ray upgrade. Whether we still get a Blu-ray upgrade, I don’t know. But hey, I’ll take being able to stream it exclusively on Disney+ for now!

The Beatles Anthology cover artwork. Cover concept by Klaus Voormann. Courtesy of Apple Corps Ltd.

The seeds for The Beatles Anthology were planted in the early 1970s when Apple Corps manager Neil Aspinall edited footage of concert, interview, and television appearances into what was then a 90-minute documentary, The Long and Winding Road. It was shelved and none of The Beatles had any involvement at the time. Things would change in 1980 as John Lennon made an announcement of a Beatles reunion. His murder changed those plans.

One of the saddest moments in history is also one of the greatest what-if moments. Can you imagine the 1980s with The Beatles reuniting and recording new music? I know, right?!? But anyway, documentary plans were back on in the early 1990s. But instead of a 90-minute film, it became a 6-hour documentary with three surviving Beatles involved. John Lennon appeared by way of archival audio or video interviews. Aspinall, producer George Martin, and publicist Derek Taylor are also on camera.

The Beatles Anthology is really a celebration of The Beatles and it’s for the best that they tell their story in their own words. I mean, the series was already 6 hours on TV with an even longer run time on home video. With the 2025 update, the run time comes to an even 500 minutes. Think about it for a moment—this documentary spans their births; childhood; Paul meeting John after a performance of The Quarrymen in July 1957; George joining in 1958; and the entirety of The Beatles, starting in 1960 with Ringo replacing Pete Best in 1962. Beatlemania itself would take its hold in 1963 and their lives would never again be the same.

A still from The Beatles Anthology: George Martin, Paul, Ringo and George listen back to some of the multi-track tapes of the Beatles recordings at Abbey Road Studios in 1995. Courtesy of Disney.

I’m not going to rehash their career but just think about it for a moment: The Beatles: Get Back covers a month of their lives and runs nearly 8 hours. The Beatles Anthology is rather comprehensive even if the point of view is from The Beatles and a small inside circle. Neil Aspinall deserves a lot of credit for beginning to gather all the footage together. Of course, the documentary could be even longer with the amount of material that’s out there but again, it just speaks to The Beatles being one of the most influential bands of all time.

The first U.S. visit in February 1964 didn’t come until after they hit #1 in America and a few months after the Kennedy assassination. There is an entire documentary focusing on the visit and a good bit of footage is in The Beatles Anthology. Until last year, this was the only way to watch original footage from Let It Be, including the part where Paul and George are going at it.

In another universe, music journalists and cultural critics might have appeared in the doc to offer context about the music and world events going on. After all, The Beatles were singing songs about love, peace, and understanding. Hell, they could have interviewed Bob Dylan to discuss The Beatles and their relationship with them, but it would not be the same as this is The Beatles in their own words. Obviously, if you are reading the book rather than watching the film, it is edited in a different way. But anyway, if people want the additional insight, they can always go elsewhere.

For instance, Philip Norman has penned biographies on John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. It would not surprise me if he’s writing one on Ringo Starr, too. After all, he already wrote the definitive single-volume biography in Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation. Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn published the first volume, Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years Vol. 1, in his trilogy almost a decade ago. Volumes 2 and 3 have yet to be published but if fans need more, there’s an extended special edition of the first volume. If all this is not enough, The Beatles Anthology coffee table book is back in print for its 25th anniversary.

Ultimately, The Beatles Anthology endures because it allows The Beatles to tell their story in their own words. Thirty years later, the music, the memories, and the legacy remain as powerful as ever, reminding us why their impact continues to resonate with generation after generation.

DIRECTOR: Geoff Wonfor
SERIES DIRECTOR/WRITER: Bob Smeaton (1995)
EPISODE 9 DIRECTOR/WRITER: Oliver Murray (2025)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Neil Aspinall
PRODUCER (1995): Chips Chipperfield
PRODUCERS (2025): Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison, Sean Ono Lennon, Jonathan Clyde, Martin R. Smith
FEATURING: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, George Martin, Neil Aspinall, Derek Taylor