High in the Clouds (film)
| High in the Clouds | |
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| Directed by | Toby Genkel |
| Written by | Jon Croker |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | €28 million |
High in the Clouds is an upcoming animated musical film directed by Toby Genkel and written by Jon Croker. It is based on the novel of the same name by Paul McCartney, Geoff Dunbar and Philip Ardagh, produced by Gaumont Animation and distributed by Gaumont.
Premise
[edit]High in the Clouds centers on a whimsical teenage squirrel (Wirral) who finds himself pulled into an eccentric team of teenage rebels, after he accidentally offends a tyrannical owl leader (Gretsch) that steals the voice of anyone who upstages her.
Cast
[edit]- Himesh Patel as Wirral, a teenage squirrel[1]
- Hannah Waddingham as Gretsch, a bossy demon owl[1]
- Idris Elba as Barrel[1]
- Pom Klementieff as Mina[1]
- Paul McCartney as McKenzie[1]
- Ringo Starr as Roy[1]
- Lionel Richie as Gladstone[1]
- Alain Chabat as Bigsby[1]
- Jimmy Fallon as Froggo[1]
- Celine Dion as Sugartail[1]
- Clémence Poésy as Doris[1]
Production
[edit]First announced back in 2013, the film originally had Tony Bancroft on board as director with a script written by Josh Klausner. It had a planned release for 2015 in theaters[2] with Lady Gaga contributing to its soundtrack with an original song.[3] The film was optioned by Gaumont in 2017 after its original production company RGH Entertainment closed its Woodland Hills offices.[4] Jon Croker was set to write the script in 2018.[5]
In December 2019, it was announced that streaming company Netflix partnered up with Gaumont's subsidiary animation studio to co-produce.[6] Timothy Reckart signed on as director[7] with former Beatle singer and author Paul McCartney serving as producer and songwriter on composing original songs and score for the film.[7][8] Canadian animation studio Tangent Animation was tapped to animate the film, however, by August 4, 2021, the studio shut down, with work on the film halting as well; Netflix was reportedly displeased with Tangent's work.[9]
In July 2023, Netflix dropped their involvement, reverting the film back to an independent production.[10] In October of that year, Toby Genkel replaced Reckart as director, and Michael Giacchino was announced to compose the new score. The film's production commenced around early 2024.[11][12]
In May 2025, the cast was officially revealed.[13][1]
Release
[edit]High in the Clouds is scheduled to be released in 2027.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Milligan, Mercedes (May 5, 2025). "Gaumont Sets Voice Cast for Paul McCartney's Animated Movie 'High in the Clouds'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
- ^ McNary, Dave (September 30, 2013). "Paul McCartney's 'High In The Clouds' Heading for Big Screen". Variety. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
- ^ Mokoena, Tshepo (May 21, 2015). "Paul McCartney and Lady Gaga to collaborate on film soundtrack". The Guardian. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Robb, David (April 20, 2017). "Gaumont Boards Paul McCartney's Animated Film 'High In The Clouds'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^ White, Peter (January 9, 2018). "Paul McCartney's 'High in the Clouds' Signs up Jon Croker to Write". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "Paul McCartney's High in the Clouds To Be Adapted By Netflix and Gaumont". Netflix Media Center (Press release). December 10, 2019.
- ^ a b Ritman, Alex (December 10, 2019). "Paul McCartney Teams With Netflix on 'High in the Clouds' Animated Feature". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (June 17, 2009). "McCartney To Score Animated Film Based On Children's Book". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Amidi, Amid (August 4, 2021). "Tangent Animation Shuts Down Production. As Many As 400 People Laid Off". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ Moore, Kasey (July 31, 2023). "'High in the Clouds' Animated Movie No Longer Moving Forward at Netflix". What's on Netflix. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ Donnelly, Matt (October 26, 2023). "Paul McCartney's Gaumont-Backed Animated Film 'High in the Clouds' Sets Director, Writer and More (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ "Michael Giacchino to Score Toby Genkel's 'High in the Clouds'". Film Music Reporter. October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (May 5, 2025). "Paul McCartney's 'High in the Clouds' Sets Powerhouse Voice Cast With Céline Dion, Himesh Patel, Lionel Richie, Ringo Starr, Jimmy Fallon and Idris Elba (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
