Paul McCartney to star as a Walrus in new animated film
Paul McCartney is set to voice the role of a walrus in the upcoming animated film High in the Sky, an adaptation of his children’s book originally released in 2005.
The news was revealed on June 13th at the Annecy International Film Festival, with the former Beatle appearing via video message to unveil his role in the movie, which is slated to come out in 2027.
McCartney announced he would be playing the role of Paul McKenzie, a member of a rock band, who is uncannily based on his own musical style, with a nod to The Beatles’ hit ‘I Am The Walrus’. He will be joined by an all-star cast including Celine Dion, Idris Elba, Lionel Richie, Himesh Patel, and Hannah Waddingham.
Having been attempting to adapt the book for the screen for the past 15 years, High in the Sky is being produced by Gaumont Animations and is currently in production.
The original novel follows the story of Wirral the Squirrel, whose mother loses her voice due to the villain Gretch, who bans all music from their town. Subsequently, Wirral must enlist the help of an underground scene and a band called The Sweets to restore the sound again.
McCartney explained in his video message that the main character Wirral (Patel) is based on John Lennon as: “If you asked him something, he could always have a quick, snappy answer.”
Another character in the film called Sugartail is based on his former wife Linda, as a way of keeping her memory alive to his children. However, Linda’s influence is also the reason McCartney is declining to have any fast food chains sponsor the film, due to her famous line of vegetarian cuisine and advocacy for the diet.
The ex-Beatle also noted that he had written 13 original songs for the film, six of which have made the final cut.
A release date for High in the Sky has not yet been revealed.
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