Paul McCartney teaming with Netflix to create animated film based on his 2005 children's book 'High in the Clouds'

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Mary McCartney/MPL Communications

Mary McCartney/MPL Communications

A new animated film High in the Clouds, based on a 2005 children’s book of the same name co-written by Paul McCartney, is being produced by Netflix in partnership with the French movie company Gaumont.

McCartney will contribute original songs and soundtrack music to the film, which he’s also co-producing.

High in the Clouds is an adventure story about a teenage squirrel named Wirral who gets caught up with a gang of rebellious teen animals that live in the clouds after he unintentionally angers a local tyrant named Gretsch, an owl who fancies herself a wonderful singer and who steals the voice of anyone who upstages her.

The movie will be directed by Timothy Reckart, whose previous credits include Head Over Heels and The Star. The screenplay is being penned by Jon Croker, who also has worked on such movies as Paddington, Paddington 2 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

“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,” McCartney says in a statement. “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.”

Adds Netflix executive Gregg Taylor, “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.”

McCartney first announced in 2013 that he was planning to develop an animated version of High in the Clouds. A different production team and screenwriter were attached to the project at the time.

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