The award-winning singer/songwriter’s new song is featured in Locksmith Animation’s animated film, coming December 6, directed by Simon Otto, based on the beloved children’s book series by BAFTA winning, Oscar nominated writer/director Richard Curtis.
Netflix announced award-winning singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran has written and recorded an original song for Locksmith Animation’s (Ron’s Gone Wrong) upcoming 3DCG animated feature That Christmas. The track, “Under the Tree,” is featured in the animated film premiering on the streamer December 6.
That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number of turkeys! The film is adapted from the beloved children’s book series (“The Empty Stocking,” “Snow Day,” and “That Christmas”) written by acclaimed BAFTA Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated writer and director, Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually, Yesterday). It marks Curtis’ first animation project as well as the directorial debut for animation veteran Simon Otto (How to Train Your Dragon trilogy).
The film is produced by Locksmith Animation, directed by Otto, and penned by Curtis and Peter Souter. It stars Brian Cox as Santa, Fiona Shaw (Ms. Trapper), Jodie Whittaker (Mrs. Williams), and Bill Nighy (Bill) as the residents of a charming seaside town where things turn upside down one Christmas.
“I’ve been mates with Richard Curtis for years, and we’ve done a load of fun work for charity, and then both were heavily involved in the movie Yesterday,” said Sheeran. “He came to me two years ago to play me the rough of That Christmas. It was just sketches and voices, but it blew me away. So emotional, yet so heartwarmingly funny, like all Richard Curtis movies. I find since having kids, there’s a real lack of great animated children’s Christmas movies, so I thought this was such an amazing thing to make and put into the world. The scene that we wrote this song for is so heartbreaking, but so real for many people at Christmas spending it without the ones they love, for so many reasons. I got to work with my older brother on this, which is such a rarity and a gift to work so closely with my only sibling, it felt so good to create something my children would watch, with their uncle, based in the country they live in. I find it mad that there isn’t more animated Christmas films for kids, but this is going to become a holiday staple, at least in our household. Hope everyone loves it, and enjoys the song, we had such a great time creating it.”
“I’m beside myself for finally being able to talk about this small Christmas miracle that had landed in our film’s stocking,” added Otto. “An original song by Ed Sheeran. Ed’s song inspired us to shape the key emotional moment in the film in a different way and it allowed us to interconnect the storylines in a way we couldn’t see before. The song has become the heart of the film ever since and it motivated us artists to bring our best and live up to the beauty and honesty it brings to the film. I’ll be forever grateful to Ed for gifting us with such an honest and beautiful piece.”
“I’m SO thrilled to have Ed’s beautiful song in our movie,” shared Curtis. “It’s a film set in Suffolk... Ed lives in and loves Suffolk and completely understood the pitch and tone of what we were trying to do. We’ve been friends for many years and - especially now that he's a husband and a father - it’s really lovely to have him play such a key part in this film about love, children, and family. And, of course, even if he wasn’t a friend and didn’t love Suffolk, how marvelous to have a wonderful new song by one of the greatest British songwriters EVER.”
In addition to Cox, Shaw, Whittaker, and Nighy, the film features the voices of Lolly Adefope; Alex Macqueen; Katherine Parkinson; Sindhu Vee; India Brown; Zazie Hayhurst; Sienna Sayer; Jack Wisniewski; Rosie Cavaliero; Paul Kaye; Guz Khan; Andy Nyman; Kuhu Agarwal; Bronte Smith; Freddie Spry; Ava Talbot; and Rhys Darby. The music is by John Powell; DNEG is producing the animation.
Nicole P. Hearon p.g.a. and Adam Tandy p.g.a serve as producers with Mary Coleman, Natalie Fischer, Julie Lockhart, Elisabeth Murdoch, Bonnie Arnold, Lara Breay, Sarah Smith, Rebecca Cobb, Curtis, Colin Hopkins as executive producers.
Source: Netflix
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
