Celine Dion McCartney Songs Coming in Animated Film

The Celine Dion McCartney collaboration is real, and it is coming from a very unexpected place: a 3D animated movie about a squirrel. Dion will perform original songs written by Paul McCartney for "High in the Clouds," an upcoming film based on his 2005 children's novel, and the soundtrack will be released worldwide by Universal Music Group.

What was announced

According to EntertainmentNow, which cited a Deadline report, Dion will sing McCartney's new songs and also voice a character in the film. This marks the first time the two icons have worked together on music, which is why the Celine Dion McCartney pairing is lighting up fan timelines.

Dion plays Sugartail, the mother of the lead character. The film's voice cast is led by Himesh Patel and Hannah Waddingham, with McCartney himself, Ringo Starr, Idris Elba, Lionel Richie and Jimmy Fallon also lending their voices. Waddingham, Patel and McCartney will join Dion for musical performances in the movie too.

The story behind the songs

"High in the Clouds" follows Wirral, a teenage squirrel voiced by Patel, who accidentally starts a revolution against Gretsch, a bossy diva-owl voiced by Waddingham. Gretsch has banned music from the town, and Wirral sets off on what the film describes as an extraordinary journey to set music free.

That plot makes the casting feel on-brand. A story about rescuing music is being scored by a Beatle and sung by one of the most powerful voices in pop history. According to QNC News, the film is directed by Toby Genkel from a script by Jon Croker, and Michael Giacchino is composing the score.

A comeback soundtrack

The news lands just days after Dion wrapped her first comeback residency in Paris. Those shows were her first public performances after a six-year hiatus, apart from a brief appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She has faced serious health problems in recent years, so the return has carried real emotional weight for fans.

EntertainmentNow reports the sixteen-show run, titled Celine Dion Paris, drew a combined audience estimated at five hundred and fifty thousand people. Billboard reported that it grossed one hundred and twenty-five million dollars. She is set to return to Paris next year for ten more shows from May eighth to twenty-ninth.

What McCartney has said

Back in September, McCartney posted about watching Dion's comeback. "It's been so great to see the amazing reaction to Celine's comeback in Paris. There's so much love out there for her," he wrote on Instagram. He added that he had been listening to some of her parts in the film and was "blown away by it."

"Wow, what a talent. We are very lucky to have her as part of the team. Can't wait to share it with the world," he wrote, according to EntertainmentNow. Coming from a songwriter with that catalogue, that is about as strong a compliment as music offers.

More on the cast and crew

The project comes from Gaumont Animation, according to Beatles Magazine, which also carried McCartney's remarks about Dion. The film is adapted from a book McCartney wrote with author Philip Ardagh and illustrator Geoff Dunbar, so the story has been in his orbit for more than twenty years.

That history matters because McCartney has long moved between rock, children's books and film music. Putting a lifelong songwriter behind every number, rather than hiring a team of pop writers, gives the soundtrack a single creative voice. It also means the Celine Dion McCartney songs are likely to feel like a proper songbook rather than a collection of tie-in singles.

Fans of both artists are already speculating about whether the pair will record a duet, whether a lead single will land before the movie arrives, and how Dion's powerhouse vocals will fit a family adventure about a squirrel. None of that has been confirmed, and the reports so far stick to the songs, the cast and the Universal soundtrack deal.

Why it matters

For Gen Z, the appeal is easy to see. Dion's catalogue has been resurfacing on social feeds for years, and a McCartney songwriting credit gives the project instant crossover appeal. Family animation is also becoming a bigger home for major-label pop moments, and a Universal Music Group soundtrack suggests this one will be pushed hard.

No release date for the film or the first single has been confirmed in the reports we reviewed. Until then, fans are left imagining what a McCartney melody sounds like in Dion's voice. Catch more of our entertainment coverage on our music page.