King Features Syndicate, a cartoon publisher (who were also famous for Popeye the Sailor), produced an animated series featuring the Beatles's and songs. (The band themselves were not involved in the making or writing of the series, and did not like the series very much.) The Beatles had a contract with United Artists, to make three movies for them, but had not liked the way their second movie, "Help!", had turned out. They did not want to appear in another movie. When George Dunning and Al Brodax, who directed and produced their cartoon series, asked the Beatles for permission to make a cartoon based on "Yellow Submarine", they agreed mostly because the cartoon would help them finish their movie contract.