Ed Sheeran has written and recorded a new song, ‘Under The Tree’, for an upcoming Christmas movie directed by Simon Otto and written and produced by Richard Curtis.
The song will feature in That Christmas, an animated film that’s set to come to Netflix on December 6. Among the stars providing their voices are Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker and Bill Nighy – the former voices Santa Claus, while the others voice residents of a seaside town where things turn upside down one Christmas.
Sheeran said: “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. 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 [composer Matthew] 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.”
Sheeran played a version of himself in the 2019 movie Yesterday, written by Curtis, and revealed in 2021 that he was the third choice for the part after Chris Martin and Harry Styles. Sheeran’s character isn’t treated with the sort of respect a global megastar might expect, and Curtis joked to NME: “He must be teased because of the fact he’s had so much success and still hasn’t cut his hair.”
And now, Curtis said he’s “thrilled” to have a song by Sheeran in That Christmas, particularly as it’s set in the singer-songwriter’s home county of Suffolk. “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” he added.
Meanwhile, Otto said: “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.”
The movie is based on a trilogy of children’s books written by Curtis himself, and is the writer and producer’s first venture into animation.
In 2021, Sheeran teamed up with Elton John for a festive charity single called ‘Merry Christmas’.
Ed Sheeran, meanwhile, has been busy on tour in Europe. His next show is at Zagreb Hippodrome in the Croatian capital of the same name on August 10, and this leg of the tour will end at Land of Tomorrow in Larnaca, Cyprus, on September 8.
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