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 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 on December 8, 1980.

The circumstances around Lennon's death understandly was a shock to the world. The former Beatle was murdered outside of The Dakota, the luxury apartment building where he lived on New York City's Upper West Side. In a time before the internet and social media, many Americans found out about his tragic death from Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football.

"Remember: This is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses," began Cosell during the live broadcast. "An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City. John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the west side of New York City, the most famous perhaps of all of The Beatles, shot twice in the back. Rushed to Roosevelt Hospital. Dead on arrival."

A piece from ESPN on the 30th anniversary of Lennon's death detailed the behind-the-scenes goings-on of Cosell’s now-infamous announcement. At first, the legendary sportscaster almost didn’t deliver the earth-shattering news. The piece features off-the-air audio of Cosell and announcer Frank Gifford discussing whether or not to break the news during the game. While Cosell was on the fence about breaking the news, Gifford tells him, "You've got to. If we know it, we've got to do it...Don't hang on it. It's a tragic moment and this is going to shake up the whole world."

Gifford, sadly, was correct. Lennon's murder is still considered one of rock history's biggest and most senseless tragedies. Fans to this day mark the loss of Lennon in some way. One of the ways includes visiting one of the many memorials that have been erected in his honor.

From Liverpool to New York City to Cuba, here are nine different memorial tributes to Lennon from around the world.