Draft:High in the Clouds (film)

High in the Clouds is an upcoming American 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, produced by Gaumont Animation and distributed by the Gaumont Film Company.

Synopsis
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.

Production
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 with Lady Gaga contributing to its soundtrack with an original song. The film was optioned by Gaumont in 2017 after its original production company RGH Entertainment closed its Woodland Hills offices. Jon Croker was set to write the script in 2018.

In December 2019, it was announced that streaming company Netflix partnered up with Gaumont's subsidiary animation studio to co-produce. Timothy Reckart signed on as director with former Beatle singer and author Paul McCartney serving as producer and songwriter on composing original songs and score for the film. 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.

In October 2023, Netflix dropped their involvement, reverting the film back to an independent production with Toby Genkel replacing Reckart as director, and Michael Giacchino re-composing the score. The film's production will initiate around early 2024 and is expected to release around early 2026.