Sheeran writes song for Netflix Christmas animation

Ed Sheeran has written and recorded an original song for Locksmith Animation's (Ron's Gone Wrong) upcoming CG animated film “That Christmas” for Netflix.

The track “Under The Tree” will be featured in the animated film, which will be released in theaters on Friday, December 6th.

The film was produced by Locksmith Animation, directed by animation veteran Simon Otto (How to Train Your Dragon trilogy) and written by Richard Curtis and Peter Souter. It stars Brian Cox as Santa Claus, Fiona Shaw (Ms. Trapper), Jodie Whittaker (Mrs. Williams) and Bill Nighy (Bill) as residents of a charming seaside town where everything is turned upside down one Christmas.

Director Simon Otto said: “An original song by Ed Sheeran. Ed's song inspired us to take the film's key emotional moment differently and allowed us to tie the storylines together in a way we couldn't see before. The song has since become the heart of the film and has motivated us artists to do our best and do justice to the beauty and honesty it brings to the film. I will be eternally grateful to Ed for giving us such an honest and beautiful piece.”

Co-writer and executive producer Richard Curtis said: “The film is set in Suffolk… Ed lives in Suffolk and loves it and he completely understood 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 that he plays such an important role in this film about love, children and family. And of course, even if he wasn't a friend and didn't love Suffolk, it was wonderful to have a wonderful new song from one of the greatest British songwriters of all time.”

Ed Sheeran said: “I've been friends with Richard Curtis for years and we did a lot of fun charity work and then we were both heavily involved in the film Yesterday. He came to me two years ago to play me the rough cut of That Christmas. It was just sketches and voices but it blew me away. So emotional and yet so heartwarmingly funny, like all of Richard Curtis' films.

“Since having kids, there really hasn't been a good animated Christmas movie for kids, so I thought it would be a great thing to make this movie and bring it out into the world. The scene we wrote this song for is so heartbreaking, but so real for many people who spend Christmas without their loved ones, for so many reasons. I got to work on it with my older brother, which is a rarity, and it's a gift to work so closely with my only sibling. It felt so good to create something that my kids would watch with their uncle who lives in the country they live in. I think it's a shame there aren't more animated Christmas movies for kids, but this movie will become a staple of the holidays, at least in our household. I hope everyone loves it and enjoys the song, we had so much fun creating it. x”

Based on the enchanting children's book trilogy by writer-director Richard Curtis, “That Christmas” is a series of interwoven stories about family and friends, love and loneliness, and one big mistake by Santa Claus. It is Curtis' first foray into animation, serving as writer and executive producer, and marks the directorial debut of renowned animation veteran Simon Otto. Nicole P. Hearon (“Moana,” “Frozen”) and Adam Tandy (“The Thick of It,” “Detectorists”) are producers.

Director: Simon Otto

Written by Richard Curtis and Peter Souter

Produced by Nicole P. Hearon pga, Adam Tandy pga

Executive producers: Mary Coleman, Natalie Fischer, Julie Lockhart, Elisabeth Murdoch, Bonnie Arnold, Lara Breay, Sarah Smith, Rebecca Cobb, Richard Curtis, Colin Hopkins

With Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, 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, with Bill Nighy and Rhys Darby.

Music by John Powell

Pippa Considine

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