''High in the Clouds'' is a children's

adventure novel Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction. History In the Introduction to the ''Encyclopedi ...

written by musician/songwriter

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

and

Philip Ardagh Philip Ardagh is an English children's author, primarily known for the Eddie Dickens series of books. He has written more than 100 books including adult fiction and children's non-fiction. During 2004 and 2005 Ardagh collaborated with Sir Pa ...

, illustrated by

Geoff Dunbar Geoff Dunbar is an English animator and director known for his animated music video ''Rupert Bear and the Frog Song'' for Sir Paul McCartney and ''The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends'' from the stories by Beatrix Potter. He championed a hand-s ...

, and published by

Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel B ...

in October 2005. As writer/producer and animator/director, McCartney and Dunbar had collaborated on the 1984 animated film ''

Rupert and the Frog Song ''Rupert and the Frog Song'' is a 1984 animated short film based on the comic strip character Rupert Bear, written and produced by Paul McCartney and directed by Geoff Dunbar. The making of ''Rupert and the Frog Song'' began in 1981 and ended in ...

'', and ''High in the Clouds'' was scripted and sketched for several years by the two of them as another film.

Synopsis

When the characters' home, Woodland, is attacked by human development, a young squirrel (Wirral) is left without a home and without his mother. Guided by his mother's final words and aided by his fellow animal friends he meets on his journey, Wirral goes on a quest for the secret island sanctuary of Animalia. Wirral finds himself in an epic journey filled with evil realities and wild dreams. He and his friends experience tragedy, war, joy and victory, all in the name of freedom and peace.

Reception

The book has an overall theme of preserving nature and letting animals live free and in their natural habitat. In ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'' it was described as "a tale about the perils of unchecked global capitalism".

Film adaptation

In 2013, it was reported that an animated feature film adaptation of the book was in development by producers

Michael Lynne Michael Lynne (April 23, 1941 – March 24, 2019) was an American film executive. Biography Michael Lynne graduated from Brooklyn College (1961) and held a Juris Doctor from Columbia University. After a chance encounter with law-school acquainta ...

and

Bob Shaye Robert Kenneth Shaye (born March 4, 1939) is an American businessman, film producer, actor, director, and writer. He is the founder of New Line Cinema, a film production studio that distributed films such as ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'', ''Tee ...

through their Unique Features banner and RGH Entertainment.

Tony Bancroft Tony Bancroft (born July 31, 1967) is an American animator and film director who frequently collaborates with Disney. He is the founder and owner of the faith-driven animation company Toonacious Family Entertainment. Tony currently serves as th ...

was set to direct the film, written by

Josh Klausner Josh Klausner is an American screenwriter. He wrote ''Date Night'' (2010) and ''Shrek Forever After'' (2010). Biography Early life Josh Klausner graduated from Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Career He started his career in the ...

, and was originally going to have a theatrical release in 2015. The film was optioned by Gaumont. In 2019, it was announced

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

had partnered up with Gaumont to co-produce. Jon Croker has written the script and

Timothy Reckart Timothy Reckart is an American animator and director based in Los Angeles, specializing in puppet stop motion. He is best known for his 2012 film ''Head over Heels'', nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2013. Reckar ...

will replace Bancroft as director while former

Beatle The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development ...

singer and author

serves as executive producer and songwriter, of which he composed original songs and score for the film. The film is set for a 2023 release.

References

External links

"Paul McCartney: A collaborative crusade"
''The Independent'', 11 November 2005 2005 British novels British children's novels Paul McCartney Faber and Faber books Fictional squirrels Children's books adapted into films Children's novels about animals 2005 children's books Books adapted into films {{2000s-child-novel-stub