Paul McCartney and Gaumont have assembled an all-star creative team for “High in the Clouds”, the long-awaited feature film adaptation of McCartney’s children’s adventure novel.
Featuring six original songs by McCartney, the €28 million family adventure film will be directed by Toby Genkel (“The Amazing Maurice”), scored by Michael Giacchino (“Coco,” “Inside Out”) and written by Jon Croker (“Paddington 2”), with Patrick Hanenberger (“The Croods,” “The Lego Movie 2”) on board as production designer. McCartney will voice one of the main characters. Two other major music stars are in advanced talks to come on board.
Production will begin in the first quarter of 2024, with delivery expected in the first quarter of 2026. Gaumont is producing with McCartney through his MPL Communications banner.
The English-language feature follows the journey of a headstrong teenage squirrel, Wirral, who lives in Gretschville, a town where music has been banned by a diva owl, Gretsch, who wants to be the only singer in town. Determined to overthrow Gretsch and bring music back to his town, Wirral joins forces with an underground band of legendary musicians hiding high in the clouds in a secret place called Harmonia.
“High in the Clouds is a passion project for McCartney, who wrote the children’s book in 2005. The feature is believed to be one of the biggest and most prestigious animated features to be produced independently in Europe, without the involvement of a US studio.
Gaumont, whose team is led by Alexis Cassanet, will introduce “High in the Clouds” to buyers at AFM with a sizzle reel. In addition to co-producing and handling international sales for the film, the venerable French studio will also distribute “High in the Clouds” in France.
While it produces a large amount of animated content for streamers, Gaumont rarely ventures into theatrical animation. The company previously co-produced and handled Ballerina, which was a major box office hit in France and abroad in 2017.
