The animated film will be based on the popular children’s adventure novel by McCartney, Geoff Dunbar, and Philip Ardagh was originally published in 2005. Like many, I grew up listening to the Beatles and Paul McCartney and Wings so I do remember the book but didn’t read it (I wasn’t a child). I’m very curious if the music will have hints of past soundtracks and albums. I’m very excited when this comes to life from the voices to animation to music. What song from his library do you think will have the sound? I’m thinking ‘Man on the Run’.
We are thrilled to be partnering with Netflix. They complement what is already an amazing team with Gaumont and we can think of no-one better to be working with to bring our film to a global audience. I’ve always loved animated films and this is a hugely important passion project for me. I can’t wait for the world to see it.
Sir Paul McCartney
High in the Clouds is the story of an imaginative teenage squirrel named Wirral that finds himself pulled into a ramshackle gang of teenage rebels who live high in the clouds after he accidentally antagonizes Gretsch the owl who is a fabulous singer and tyrannical leader that steals the voice of anyone who upstages her.
The development of HIGH IN THE CLOUDS has been a fantastic journey working together with Tim and Jon and of course my amazing Gaumont Animation and Family team, Terry Kalagian and Alex Soto. We feel fortunate as this has been an extremely collaborative creative process with the incomparable Paul McCartney and his team, including Lee Eastman who has offered invaluable guidance throughout the development stage. We at Gaumont are elated to be announcing this project and are excited to be working with Melissa Cobb, Gregg Taylor and the talented team at Netflix to be able to share this truly special musical animated feature film with audiences around the world.
Nicolas Atlan, President Gaumont Animation and Family
Behind the lens will be Oscar-nominee® Timothy Reckart and Jon Croker will write the screenplay. Sir Paul McCartney the Academy Award and 18-time Grammy Award winner will be composing and creating the original music for the film. The producing team includes Bob Shaye, the late Michael Lynne, Paul McCartney, Sidonie Dumas, Christophe Riandee, Nicolas Atlan, and Terry Kalagian.
Bringing the world a new animated film from the heart and mind of the brilliant Paul McCartney is undoubtedly one of the greatest thrills we’ve experienced at Netflix. We’re beyond grateful to be partnering with Nicolas and the Gaumont team on HIGH IN THE CLOUDS and with Tim at the helm, this whimsical story celebrating individuality and the unifying power of music is in great hands.
Gregg Taylor, Netflix Director of Original Animated Films
ABOUT PAUL McCARTNEY
Since writing his first song at the age of 14, Paul McCartney’s career has been impossibly prolific and singularly influential. In the 1960s, Paul changed the world forever with The Beatles. He didn’t stop there and has continued to push boundaries, as a solo artist, with Wings, and collaborating with numerous world-renowned artists. He has created a number of animated films in collaboration with Geoff Dunbar, including Rupert and the Frog Song, which won a BAFTA for the best animated short film and became the bestselling short video of the year. His animated releases also include Daumier’s Law, which won a BAFTA for the best short animated film, Tropic Island Hum, and Tuesday. He has received 18 Grammys, and in 1996 was knighted by H.M. The Queen for his services to music. Paul is a dedicated philanthropist, passionately advocating for many causes including animal rights and environmental issues.
ABOUT NETFLIX
Netflix is the world’s leading streaming entertainment service with over 158 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.
ABOUT GAUMONT
Formed in France in 1895, Gaumont is the oldest film company in the world, with offices in Paris, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, and Buenos Aires. Gaumont produces and distributes high-quality TV programming worldwide such as the award-winning series Narcos in its 5th season, and F is for Family in its 4th season for Netflix; the German show The Barbarians for Netflix; the 3rd season of the British show Tin Star for Sky and Amazon Prime Video; the French show Arsene Lupin with Omar Sy for Netflix; and the animated show Do Re & Mi with Kristen Bell, for Amazon Prime Video. Gaumont co-produces and distributes around ten films a year in theaters, and the film library encompasses over 1400 titles from prestigious directors such as Louis Malle, Jean-Luc Godard, and more recently, Toledano and Nakache for The Intouchables, the highest-grossing French-language movie ever with over $450 million in revenue to date.
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