Why is Cats?

Don't get cocky.
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References:
Hershberg, Marc. “How A Dog Film Killed an Animated Version of 'Cats'.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 27 Jan. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2019/12/20/how-a-dog-film-killed-an-animated-version-of-cats/
Hulk, Film Crit. “Film Crit Hulk Smash: HULK VS. TOM HOOPER AND ART OF CINEMATIC AFFECTATION.” Birth.Movies.Death., 9 Jan. 2013, birthmoviesdeath.com/2013/01/09/film-crit-hulk-smash-hulk-vs.-tom-hooper-and-art-of-cinematic-affectation
JACOBS, ALEXANDRA. STILL HERE: the Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch. PICADOR, 2020.
Kale, Sirin. “'I've Seen It 703 Times!': Cats Superfans on the Show's Magical Appeal - and the New Movie.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 25 July 2019, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jul/25/ive-seen-it-703-times-cats-superfans-on-the-shows-magical-appeal-and-the-new-movie
Pincus-Roth, Zachary. “Why Exactly Did so Many People like 'Cats' in the First Place?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 22 Dec. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/why-exactly-did-so-many-people-like-cats-in-the-first-place/2019/12/19/3503e3b8-2006-11ea-86f3-3b5019d451db_story.html
Sims, David. “A Serious Conversation With the Man Who Made 'Cats'.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 26 Dec. 2019, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/12/tom-hooper-cats/604147/
Snetiker, Marc. “The Conflicted Theater Fan's Guide to 'Cats'.” EW.com, 2019, ew.com/movies/2019/12/20/conflicted-theater-fan-guide-to-cats/
Webber, Andrew Lloyd. Unmasked. Harper Collins UK, 2019.
Wells, Pete. “As Not Seen on TV.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Nov. 2012, www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-guys-american-kitchen-bar-in-times-square.html.
Rich, Frank. “THEATER: LLOYD WEBBER'S 'CATS'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Oct. 1982, www.nytimes.com/1982/10/08/theater/theater-lloyd-webber-s-cats.html.
Hutcheon, Linda. Source: Daedalus, Vol. 133, No. 2, On Happiness (Spring, 2004), pp. 108-111
Published by: The MIT Press on behalf of American Academy of Arts & Sciences

[@carrey3077]

“I’m losin’ to a bird!” walked so “Hal, it’s about cats” could run

[@t3ras74]

"See how I glitter" also walked so "I'm losin to a bird" could run.

[@infiniteoctopaw]

carrey “I ate the WHOLE plate, the WHOLE PLATE!”

[@DumbIdeaPresentedStupidly]

DONT YOU DARE FORGET 'SEE HOW I GLITTER' AND 'FAIRY LIVES DONT MATTER TODAY' And of course the honorable mention of 'Because it was real'

[@abird35]

Let us not forget: "I got a fur wedgie"

[@Taxrenn93]

If you go way back, you also can't forget about "Ursula's crazy sister!"

[@dragonladdie7531]

Just one furry... One furry on the design team could have prevented this monstrosity

[@airshow406]

My god you’re right.

[@MaximillianRobesphere]

We need to add more of them to films so this does NOT happen again!

[@searchingfororion]

🤔😳🤣

[@HaydenofEverything]

Honestly a revival of Cats using fursuits is really interesting and I'm not even a furry.

[@VideoGamesRus100]

@@HaydenofEverything How do I dislike your comment multiple times?

[@mirthfulArtist]

Trading the actors' comfort for the animators' work load and then seeing the actors badmouth the result is just adding insult to injury. I wonder how this would have looked with practical effects.

[@tiagodarkpeasant]

i dont know who fucking invented that cgi is more realistic than practical effects, the makeup and fur in the musical look way more real, at least in a human, than any cgi could do, cgi is nice to cover props like cables and doing safe fire, if 90% of the movie is cgi just make it an animated movie

[@mylamename14]

Especially seeing that vitriol come from Corden and Wilson, the two who were absolutely atrocious in the entire film - CGI or no. Part of that might be the script, but Christ, is Rebel Wilson’s improv unbearable.

[@Turt3752]

Tiagorpg mendes there are plenty of AMAZING CGI effects that look realistic. It depends on the use and prep work and talent. Look at the Transformers from Michael Bay’s films. Trash films mostly but the visuals are pretty uniformly awesome. If you make CGI do ALL the work, there’ll be issues, and laziness/time constraints mean big-budget movies would rather throw extra money to do the purely computerized work instead of mixing the practical with the digital to make believable results.

[@TaliVarda100706]

Honestly the Lord of the Rings movies used practical effects(apart from mocap for gollem) and those movies still look freaking awesome. Much better than the Hobbit trilogy even though theres like 15 years between them.

[@misterbadguy7325]

@@TaliVarda100706 A lot of The Hobbit was dragged down by rushed production and the weird experiment with high framerate. You can definitely tell the places where they had time to finish the CGI, and the places they had to pull it out half-baked.

[@BlueKeyAnimations]

I'm sorry, what personally makes me angry is them blaming the vfx studio at the Oscar's. VFX studios are so often underpaid and overworked, forced to pay their animators out of pocket when a movie goes over budget. They are also beholden to whatever the director wants. The entire VFX industry is carrying the film industry on their backs and they're constantly disrespected at each turn. They deserve so much more than that.

[@jbvader721]

VFX teams need to go on strike.

[@alice88wa]

VFX needs to unionize so goddamn badly. I've come to the realization that the very reason movies are a CGI hellscape these days is all down to the lack of unions. Examples: Disney's live action Pinocchio should have been a real puppet. AH, but Disney is in beef with the puppeteering union right now. That same movie should have had an actual cat for Geppettos kitten. AH, but animal handlers are unionized. It goes on and on. They basically funneled every role onto the shoulders of the exploitable CGI teams. Props, makeup, animals, stunts, etc.

[@overgrownkudzu]

yeah this. the vfx look terrible but this is a big hollywood production with a budget, they wouldn't have hired people who were bad at their jobs. so if it looks terrible, it's probably not their fault.

[@KD-ou2np]

I don't work in Animation, but I do a creative job that takes a lot of work, not as much slaving as animation tbh. In my industry, architecture, we charge the client and restructure the agreed budget every time they come back with new things they want to add that fall outside the agreed scope of the project. And we generally agree on MOST of the details before construction starts. As far as I can tell, in animation they just expect them to throw out dozens of hours of work on a whim if the director (or execs) wants to rewrite a scene. And they are so cheap they can't work out the story and concepts ahead of time with the whole creative team and then animate, it's Go Go Go all the time so they are forced to create scenes on the fly as its being acted, edited, etc. Sounds like creative hell.

[@Queen_Cnidarian]

The general rule of thumb is if you see actors, directors, etc. blaming the VFX team for how bad the movie was received, then it is safe to assume that every single aspect of the film is garbage, and they’re just looking for a scapegoat.

[@lilyrosa143]

Cats was the last movie I saw in theaters before the pandemic, and honestly, I can't think of a better way to say goodbye to society as we knew it.

[@jbvader721]

And to think that travesty came out on the same weekend as another cinematic trashfire, The Rise of Skywalker. Nearly four years later, and I'm still mad at myself for not walking out at the line "Somehow Palpatine returned."

[@arambles1]

@@jbvader721lol, same. Honestly, the one good cinema thing that happened in 2019 was Knives Out.

[@jbvader721]

@@arambles1 Knives Out was awesome! I saw that the same night I went to see TROS and boy oh boy did the latter ruin my day it was so bad.

[@Leafeon56]

me too

[@FuryanJedi13]

The last movie I saw before the pandemic was Sonic the Hedgehog. That just renewed my love for the blue guy and actually made the pandemic seem slightly less crappy. And ironically, 2 years later, one of the Cats cast was in Sonic 2! (Well, his voice was.)

[@bgs7529]

The Oscar bit was disgusting. Two rich actors making fun of an underfunded team trying to fix their horrible acting and another rich dude's terrible directing.

[@skylarjohnson7779]

I wouldn't want to be the one trying to make James Cordon look good. I don't know why he's in everything, he can't sing or act and I don't think anyone actually likes him.

[@alexbennet4195]

@@skylarjohnson7779 I don't know why Americans hate James Cordon so much lol, I (and I think most people in the UK) always saw him as a talented writer and comedic actor? Both Gavin and Stacey and One Man Two Guvnors received such rave reviews - have Americans never heard of them??

[@skylarjohnson7779]

@@alexbennet4195 I'm british. I don't like him, I don't know anyone who likes him. Even among gavin and Stacy fans I don't think I've ever seen any praise specifically for him. Probably because the other stuff he's written was terrible and it leads me to guess it was Ruth Jones who made g&s so good.

[@rusted_ursa]

Don't forget that everyone who applauded that shitty joke is in a union.

[@seajay632]

@@alexbennet4195 I'm British, James Cordon is exceptionally obnoxious, as funny as a migraine and besides Fat Friends and Gavin & Stacey, everything else he's been in has been shite. Don't say that you think most people in the UK like him cos that's not true. Just say you like him. Don't assume others feel a certain way about someone just cos you do, especially not most of them! I haven't said most people in the UK hate him cos I don't need other people's opinions to make mine valid. (Even though I've literally not seen anyone online say they like him and people I know irl hate him too. Congrats, you're the first person I've seen to say that he's talented in any way whatsoever!)

[@alicethompson6442]

"Hal...it's about cats. And we never discussed it again" Pure poetry

[@kronemerj]

I mean would you?

[@perspii2808]

Literally died laughing at that intro ngl

[@roycema]

I loved that line because Andrew just seems so confused as to why Hal is looking for a deeper meaning

[@Robert399]

I wish Cats had died forever right there.

[@WickedKatze]

I still say Tom Hooper's biggest sin for Cats was erasing the aggressively gay energy from "Magical Mr. Mistoffelees"

[@Shalheretical]

No seriously. Ram Tag Tugger wrote that song for his husband it's cruel

[@lbsc1201]

straight woman detected

[@WickedKatze]

@@lbsc1201 you're so wrong it's scary

[@cdeford2]

They are cats, not gay people. Tugger and Quaxo are just friends. Tugger clearly does it for the girls.

[@WickedKatze]

they're gay cats

[@gracecarroll6718]

Fun fact: a friend of my partner actually worked on the stunts for cats, and he had to convince the production team that the actors couldn't 'land like cats' (on the palms of their hands) they would obliterate their wrists. Cats, but make it realism.

[@idek7438]

Cats are probably one of the worst animals to try to replicate realistically. Like have they ever seen how a cat acts and what they can do? How is a human supposed to replicate that without a) looking like a pervert, which is what we got here, and b) potentially harming themselves.

[@austinluther5825]

Just...wow. Everytime I learn something new about this production it just gets worse.

[@TheSlipperyNUwUdle]

My sister always used to say you can ruin your wrists by catching yourself on them when falling.

[@sandyree1957]

Also, if you were to consider that cats are digigrade (pretty much, they walk and put their weight on the equivalent of our fingers/toes).........*ouch*

[@OmniphonProductions]

Coming from a background in both Musical Theater _and_ Martial Arts, I've lost track of how many times I've heard instructors say, "If you're going to the ground, don't try to catch yourself. Just do your best to protect your head and spine." I learned that lesson the hard way, twenty years ago, when I dislocated _and_ broke a finger on a relatively light take-down. Our brain, thumbs, and larynx are why our species is successful, not our ability to absorb impact.

[@ethantaylor670]

The video of Webber explaining deadly seriously that all cats are Jellicle and all dogs are Pollicle plays like a British mockumentary and I can't

[@alanpennie8013]

He's wrong about the dogs, unsurprisingly. Pekes for instance aren't pollicles.

[@anotherlemontree]

I'm obsessed with that clip!

[@Hsel-lc1wt]

@@alanpennie8013 I was so annoyed about that! Those poems were my childhood lmao

[@YourMajesty143]

It's from an unpublished poem by Eliot entitled "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats". The name "Jellicle cat" is derived from an attempt by T.S. Eliot's infant niece to say "dear little cat", where "Pollicle dogs" is a corruption of "poor little dogs".

[@dorcaMusseb]

Spinal Tap came to mind.

[@LittleAlternativeGirl]

Theater People don't want big Hollywood adaptations, Theater People want hi-def filmed from the stage videos.

[@spshouppe]

All us CATS fans really want is for the 1998 film to be remastered into proper 4k.

[@EmpressCosplay]

This. Like... Come on, we got an Elisabeth and Rudolf Affaire Mayerling recording before damned WICKED.

[@3333218]

Virtual Reality versions would be best.

[@susanzahn4922]

Thank you! The recording of the original Bernadette Peters stage version of "Into the Woods" is far superior to the Hollywood version. I ADORE that musical and yet I can barely stand getting through the Disney one. Now bring me a proper recording of "Once on this Island"!

[@FPalace]

Amen.

[@Narokkurai]

Andrew Lloyd Webber trying to explain "Jellicle Cats" and "Pollicle Dogs" is like me trying to explain the intricacies of the lore of my favorite videogames.

[@niallreid7664]

"So then the Emperor and Horus fought- babe, can you listen please? This parts important. So anyway they were fighting..."

[@cipollo3095]

@@niallreid7664 you made me spit water XD omg

[@yoselametiaMiguel_Ohara]

That was me trying to explain the plot of chainsaw man to my dad 😿

[@lavendar6434]

That was me trying to explain the lore of FNaF ;-;

[@arturoaguilar6002]

"So he wasn't a soldier, but a member of a special fighting force called SOLDIER..."

[@FMAkers-jq2kh]

Tim Rice, in 2002: "I'm often asked why Andrew and I broke up. Well, would you want to work with someone who wanted 75 percent of the credit? And 75 percent of the money? And who chased after the leading lady in every show? Neither did Andrew."

[@JustKrin]

That's so fucking funny to me for some reason

[@1rockcrawford]

So is Tim Rice saying that’s himself then?

[@rike1775]

​@@1rockcrawfordI'd say yes. The "neither did Andrew" in that context is meant as a response to an implied response to the questions.

[@trickster80]

atleast he’s a good sport about it

[@iggykidd]

@@JustKrinI believe it’s because it is a joke

[@TheBurkissWay]

A lesson expressed two different ways: "It's a movie, not a stage show." "A CAT IS NOT A DOG."

[@nuriaentrulion9938]

YEEEEEEESSSS

[@zenithquasar9623]

Lmao!

[@DuelaDent52]

PuppetYeti Seeing how the Cats, mice and cockroaches turned out, do you think that offscreen dog had the face and limbs of a human, too?

[@angharad5932]

@@DuelaDent52 I hadn't thought of that--thank goodness they didn't show us *shudder*

[@RainbowNomja13]

The words "manually rotoscoped fur" makes me feel so unbelievably sorry for those VFX artists who had to spend hours and hours doing that. It sounds like a ludicrous amount of work.

[@EclipsisTenebris]

I know, right? It should be a criminal offense to make somebody do that work.

[@alyssinclair8598]

Best part is. They then make fun of the team when it looks bad

[@frostbjorn]

and to be so completely thrown under the bus when you could argue that the VFX were the best part (stylistic choices from everyone else notwithstanding), it makes me mad for them

[@TankTaur]

Time for a VFX artists' strike I think

[@vixxcelacea2778]

Thing is, if you look at the fur alone and ignore the actor, it is pretty freaking good looking. Like the VFX team did a smashing job, but the what they were asked to do was doomed from the get go. Just slap human faces and body structure on cat fur, ears and tails. Throwing the VFX team under the bus was fucking low and I have no respect for anyone who green lit that little dig or the actors who participated in it.

[@CombustibleCake]

“hooper tried to ground this film in reality” and “rebel wilson eats children” are a horrifying combination

[@Queen_Cnidarian]

If you are trying to adapt a musical about cats singing about why they deserve to die, and are going for realisim, you are doing something wrong.

[@-snowballbunny-5316]

@@Queen_Cnidarianexactly I don’t know what kinda drugs that guy was on to look at this fever dream of a show and try to make it realistic And he absolutely failed I love this musical btw it’s one of my favorites and I cried when I watched how he absolutely destroyed it😢

[@doritodorito492]

That's because Rebel Wilson eating children is society

[@Jeremy_theGent]

I remember when Jennifer Hudson was singing Memory at the end, I just wanted to grip her shoulders and say, "Jen. It's not worth it. God bless you, but this just isn't worth the effort."

[@Nadia1989]

She was doing what she was paid for.

[@crimsondynamo615]

“Honey you’re putting in way too much heart and soul into a production that doesn’t care at all. Gonna need you to bring it down to about a 4, maybe a 5.”

[@ceresta1732]

Cats uses... manual animation... and not mo-cap... in 2019, with a crunched budget and deadline. The VFX team deserve a friggin medal for what they turned out.

[@jbvader721]

Also a huge apology and some compensation money for Tom Hooper and company throwing them under the bus when their movie flopped.

[@songofshadow5043]

Yeah, that shocked me! I originally thought, "Man, we have so much technology today, and that's the best they could do?" (I mean, I don't know much about CGI, but there is a certain amount of quality expected from a big-budget film.) But then, finding out they did it manually? Oof.

[@ceresta1732]

@@songofshadow5043 The best way I can describe it is this: imagine ordering a construction crew to build a skyscraper in half the time... without cranes

[@GuiSmith]

@@ceresta1732 That is incredibly apt. Better might be to include the fact that they can build elevators (custom tools), but those are hard without everything else basically already being there.

[@nos4me]

Well that explains a lot

[@purplezombies]

I once saw a comment that said “the whole point of Cats the musical is that it has entertaining songs with very good dancing, so when you take a bunch of mediocre dancers at best, you’re not gonna end up with Cats” and i think about that a lot.

[@AnnoyingAsianWitch]

Rebel Wilson eating cockroaches instead of tap dancing hurt me.

[@Theyungcity23]

purplezombies5327 They has an incredible team of dancers. Steven McCrae, Francesca Hayward

[@purplezombies]

@theyungcity23 lmao i havent seen the movie cause i don’t want to subject myself to that torture, so i don’t actually know; that’s why i said someone else said it because i am unaware

[@anastasia-wc8qb]

purplezombies5327 The dancers are amazing tho

[@innsdigby3125]

The dancers are great, the problem is Tom Hooper didn't film (I don't even know if he could, its so far from his style and what he was going for) a dance movie. He made some good dancers performing well look weird with shot composition, gritty realism and DigitalFurTechnology™

[@lavandereisly4194]

I am of the opinion that the original Cats worked so well because they looked at the story asked "Why not?" while the new movie looked at the story and went "Why?"

[@LieutenantAlaki]

Ooh, that's elegant, I like that.

[@eiya3]

Webber's face as he tries to explain "all cats are jellicle cats, fundamentally"... hilarious and adorable.

[@h.c.49]

It's almost childlike, I don't know how to explain it.

[@raspberrycrowns9494]

He looks like he's willing to and absolutely would throw hands with anyone that says otherwise

[@roymallard]

I don't know why everyone is saying Cats was bad. They played it on my flight home and there were only two walkouts.

[@efnfen]

buh dum chh

[@LazyAnnihilator]

You made me laugh. Thank you.

[@Anna-ks3ct]

I nearly choked on my drink when I read this thank you for the laugh

[@sneezebiscuits7239]

Nice.

[@cashomnitrix]

Well, that was....dark.

[@greenyawgmoth]

"Cats is almost 40 years old, much like me." But... but you're the same age as m- OH NO OHHH NOOOOOOOOOO

[@lindiemoon]

greenyawgmoth tell me about it. Cue literal mid-life crisis.... Wahhhhhhh *existential screaming*

[@melissam597]

Haha this cracked me up 😂 she looks and sounds 25

[@breandan3280]

Hahahaha. I turned 40 yesterday, I feel this post sooo such.

[@Corbomite_Meatballs]

*cue Cats 2019 singing about "Memories"...*

[@zxp3ct3r41]

Old twats

[@dndlee6872]

"thank you cats for ending this nonsense of bad musical adaptations with aggressive 'for your consideration' campaigns and oscar dreams" 2 years later: *Dear Evan Hansen movie*

[@skiddadleskidoodle4094]

👀 didn’t quite work out tho

[@dndlee6872]

@@skiddadleskidoodle4094 and thank the theatre gods for that

[@elliott9246]

oh god i'd forgotton about that nightmare (also: nastya

[@kestreldomann2787]

So fun story: my dad (ride or die for Cats) and I (introduced to Cats at age 7 by my dad who is NOT a theatre person but saw it twice before I was even conceived and am also a ride or die for Cats) went to go see this movie in theaters. I had seen the trailers and knew what was up, Dad hadn't. After the movie I turned to my Dad and went 'so... What'd you think?" He looked me dead in the eyes and went 'I don't know what the HELL that was but it wasn't Cats' and honestly? That's my 'Hal, it's about Cats'

[@NeoNovastar]

I showed my mom the Sideways video, and she basically did the same thing. Dead eyes and saying "they keep ruining things i love". (She is also a classic Voltron fan who felt betrayed by the mess of the Legendary Defender show.) Oh mom, you don't deserve this.

[@TransSappho]

“Popular musicals being adapted to films because Oscar bait is a disease” damn Lindsay really went off at the end, and deservedly so

[@kdnxnhdhdbfn2769]

Withinashes to be fair adaptations are for most musical theatre enthusiasts the only way to legally see their favourite shows.

[@Scorpia161]

@@kdnxnhdhdbfn2769 I know musical fans have pushed for it for literally years/decades, but it really just goes to show why musicals just need to release live recordings of the Broadway/stage shows. Broadway's logic of 'if we release it on film no one will see the show' is ass backwards--if you're the kind of person who loves live Broadway shows, a recorded version won't stop you if the means/opportunity to see a show comes up, but SO MANY PEOPLE never get the opportunity while really wanting to see the show and are willing to pay at least *some* money for it. I'd go so far as to say a production company/conglomerate of theatres could release their own streaming service of live broadway recordings and make money hand over fist in subscriptions.

[@TransSappho]

Kdnxn Hdhdbfn yeah but honestly a bootleg will always be a much better alternative to the mutant Frankenstein’s monster that is the Tom Hooper style of musical. Once you utterly change the staging to adapt it to film, it’s already going to be fairly different, and while it can be done well, the point is that when the adaptation sets out with awards in mind foremost it’s going to completely lose sight of the spirit of the original, because the go to Oscar bait style doesn’t work with the elevated reality inherent to most stage musicals

[@SavageGreywolf]

@@Scorpia161 I don't really know why CATS didn't convince Broadway how ass-backwards that was in 1998 when they released a VHS of the Broadway stage production and it went 18x platinum in the UK _alone._

[@popland1977]

It's a pretty shit musical though. The most overrated show ever.

[@Altar360]

He wanted to make a movie based on a musical about talking, singing, magical cats to be grounded and not very fantastical..... I have several questions...

[@SapphicFurry]

it's the same bizzaro reasoning as making the lion king that "photorealistic", bland, no-fun-allowed, sfx mess. Like just because it's "realistic" doesn't mean you can't make it actually appealing to watch.

[@possumhead2812]

@@SapphicFurry also, there was not one single second of cats 2019 that could possibly be described as "realistic" it's a fucking fever dream

[@raccoonjs6437]

Did this guy had a proper childhood?

[@chrissonofpear1384]

Also, is about a cult...

[@peateargryfin844]

Coming soon to a theater near you, Tom Hooper's Lord of the Rings. He may have taken some creative liberties like taking out the magic, the ring, elves, hobbits, orcs, dwarves, and charm, but he does so to make a more grounded, realistic take on the tale.

[@Jodabomb24]

I watch this so often but mostly the part where Lindsay sings "heterosexual cats" because it's such a fantastic joke

[@SevenEllen]

I personally REALLY wish we got Don Bluth's / Stephen Spielberg's animated version of Cats. That concept art was so cool!

[@itsplasticbabyofficial]

it could never have happened (somewhat unfortunately) because ts eliot’s wife didn’t want the poems represented like that

[@AnimatedTerror]

@@itsplasticbabyofficialwell that’s what we’re saying. We wish she hadn’t shot it down.

[@BlisaBLisa]

don bluths style would have worked SO WELL for it too, ik they didnt want it to be like a disney movie but don bluth is pretty good at making these dark stylized animated movies about animals (like secret of nimh) he could have made such a cool animated Cats film

[@sugar-rice]

I started my period while watching Cats in theaters, and when the cramps started, it felt more like my body was physically rejecting what my eyes were taking in. I just became double uncomfortable.

[@JohnDoe-uf3lj]

Hannah That is some war story, lady. I'm not sure what to say but... Thanks for sharing. I think?

[@Pooky1991]

Damn. Respect. Thats some PTSD right there

[@AirKIng74]

I love the idea of a film being so bad it triggers someone's period.

[@yuukichan12]

Lmaooo The movie that destroys from the inside out

[@gypsywoman9140]

Ginger Snaps called periods "the curse" so by that logic, you could say Cats triggered the curse.

[@Lucienchol]

The fact that they somehow managed to make Idris Elba ugly and unsettling to look at is one of THE biggest crime of this movie

[@Laribhaven]

They literally ruined Hotness

[@jeangentry6656]

That, and they took Macavity, who is the cat version of Prof. Moriarty, and turned him into a 70s blaxpoltation film pimp.

[@ieatgremlins]

I didn’t think it could be done, but they somehow turned his gorgeous and charming self into a dancing, creepy turd.

[@kelvinw.1384]

Oh wow I thought the cover photo was a photoshopped troll thing but nope.... that's actually from the movie. Gosh it's like from a horror film. Also he really does look naked

[@amyliaclenny1866]

The really messed up part is that's not the VFX Team's fault. The director did that.

[@dianesaccomano2671]

Never experienced torture until the part about Judy Dench’s ending monologue. It just wouldn’t stop.

[@brynnp1165]

when i saw this movie in theatres i had to pee so badly for the last like 30 minutes that i was in physical pain, but my friend who i was watching with kept saying "no no, don't go yet, it's almost over, you'll miss the end" and judy dench's monologue made me want to cut my own head off

[@eliyugend4660]

@@brynnp1165 the first time she looks directly into the camera and starts talking to the audience i completely on instinct shouted "STOP" in the theater and no one seemed to disagree

[@andysmith5806]

To be fair it is an agonisingly long song anyway.

[@InchonDM]

@@andysmith5806 At least most performances are going to keep your attention by handing it to someone with a voice that can shake the balconies off the walls.

[@ipurpleyou5227]

I also just learned that they did get memory totally wrong, too. Grisabella gets never touched as symbolism how she isn't a gelical cat anymore. She just wants to belong again and she's so lonely. At the end she almost gives up but then really goes off in memory and begs someone to touch her so she can belong to the gelical cats again. And then Viktoria touches her finally and noone steps in and she belongs again and it's so emotional.... but in the FILM she gets touched by viktoria and then AFTER that sings "touch me, it's so easy to leave me"...like...she already touched you so what is the point???

[@buddytheoc]

it's poof that they really didn't understand the source material. Or didn't care (which is worse)

[@violet7773]

And in a previous scene, she shied away from Victoria's touch too. In the musical, Grisabella is desperate to be touched, to belong, but in the movie Victoria reaches for her and she shies away. They just Didn't Get It

[@ashikjaman1940]

Ah I see you watched the Sideways video

[@Souzu21]

@@ashikjaman1940 I've watched that video ten times in the past week. It's telling that Lindsay, at 47:55, says that Jennifer's part is great and even specifically calls out the "arrangement and mixing" being "so good", but after Sideways points out what's wrong in that scene I can't un-hear how it actually is messed up.

[@jennasmith9309]

Andrew Lloyd Webber: Wanted make a musical based on poems he loved as a child, personally talked with the author's widow to find the medium that best suited the poems, mortgaged his house, and risked everything for his dream. Tom Hooper: Wanted to make it for an Oscar, didn't know anything about VFX, verbally abused and overworked the VFX team, didn't even know what catnip was. Hmmm.

[@SmoothCriminal12]

If Tom Hooper's career ends right there, it'll be 100% justified.

[@CaseyShontz]

It wasn’t entirely the director’s fault. Mostly Universal and the producers and whoever came up with the idea to make a movie out of this in the first place.

[@alanpennie8013]

@@SmoothCriminal12 He's a bad director. Send him back to making TV biopics. No one expects them to be any good.

[@TrueBuddhaCat]

Indeed, one of these things is not like the other (also apparently during the premiere of the movie apparently Lloyd Webber left half way through the movie looking defeated)

[@angharad5932]

I don't understand why Hollywood keeps picking genres and movies to resurrect (Like Star Trek, Star Wars, and now musicals), and then picks a director who pretty much hates everything about that particular genre or universe. Like, what's the point??

[@sydnamon5986]

The VFX team didn't deserve to suffer for this. The fur actually looks realistic, and it wasn't their fault the director kept changing his mind every few days. This discordant disaster was already set in stone the moment they decided to make the movie "realistic". What a waste of effort.

[@Afishionado1]

Rendering realistic fur or hair is *hard*. Maui spent most of his time with his hair tied back in Moana because they didn't have the budget to animate free-flowing hair for the full movie. Rendering fur is computationally intensive, which is a fancy way of saying that you set everything up the way you think is right, hit "render", come back a few hours or days later, and see what you got. If the result isn't right, you start the process again. I get anxious just thinking about trying to do that on a tight schedule.

[@VernulaUtUmbra]

I agree; I thought they were wearing stupid expensive suits until someone told me it was animated. It's not the VFX teams fault that the designs rolled down the uncanny valley and hit every rock on the way down.

[@shindean]

The fur being realistic is a different movie, there was never anything wrong with the costumes in the first place for over two decades. If you're going to change 80% of the visuals, because it's not "modern enough", you better think of something more original than incomplete mocap.

[@igormajdandzic7587]

Didn't you mean: What a waste of ef-fur-t? I'm sorry

[@sydnamon5986]

@@igormajdandzic7587 Bravo

[@jennatavares4695]

I just absolutely love how Idris shows up and goes "mccavity!" It's...just so funny? And I feel like it wasn't entirely meant to be. But I laugh every time

[@marynoble9464]

It's the only fun part of the movie

[@GippyHappy]

Genuinely, I'm surprised more people haven't mentioned them changing Macavity's colors. I wouldn't accuse it of being outright racist but its so bizarre to make the black guy's cat brown when it's not even close in color to the cat he is portraying. He's straight up described in his song as ginger. In the musical he has a cool crazy flame-like coloration that's my favorite design by far. Just weird. It looks like he's naked!! Even more so than everyone else!

[@randomtraveler4149]

And they also describe Macavity in the song as "ginger and slim" . Actor isn't ginger and is built, fantastic.

[@JustKrin]

Tall, slim, and ginger you say? Yeah, Idris Elba was the first actor that came to mind for me, didn't for you? Knuckles is the closest Idris Elba will get to a theater accurate Macavity

[@karinmaria6455]

@@randomtraveler4149 I know I'm a month late, but... Idris Elba isn't short, he's 6'2 1/2 (or 189cm) lol

[@randomtraveler4149]

@@karinmaria6455 The more you know. I've got to edit that Still, isn't too fitting.

[@karinmaria6455]

@@randomtraveler4149 oh yeah you're spot on about the rest haha, you just made question reality for a second by calling him short

[@thatcutenerdgirl6090]

I do feel “grounded” watching CATS. I feel as though I’ve done something wrong and am being punished for it.

[@emilybarclay8831]

Grounded in the same way a corpse in a shallow grave in the woods might feel grounded

[@Falicity345]

I could see Tom Hooper using his fear of “Irish-face” as an excuse to why Idris looks like a naked, excessively hairy man

[@soldatdaniels8738]

Cute pfp.

[@fluxoff]

I was grounded for six months just for discussing seeing this film.

[@fossilfighters101]

+

[@gregjayonnaise8314]

Blaming the VFX artists is such a cop out. The artists only will make what the director approves of. The director looked at the designs and said “that’s what I want to show people.” As a character designer, the reason the designs look so awful is because the bizarre designs of the characters don’t have any stylization or flare. The desire to make them realistic makes them look gross and unsettling in their anatomy. The dramatic costumes in the original musical allowed for free movement but still had the idea of hinting that they were cats. I feel so bad for the artists that were underpaid and not given the ability to give any meaningful designs due to the lack of budget and foresight. The idea of making Cats of all plays more realistic is laughable, especially because using so much CGI and adding on every effect in post took more effort and looks more terrible than if they had just designed the costumes.

[@davidwuhrer6704]

Maybe they should have made a CGI version of Felidae instead, and just called it Cats.

[@mastermarkus5307]

@@davidwuhrer6704 I don't see how that necessarily follows. It would still be unsettling in the wrong way if everyone had human faces!

[@davidwuhrer6704]

@@mastermarkus5307 There are no human faces in Felidae.

[@vp3841]

"the bizarre designs of the characters don’t have any stylization or flare" - yep, they just created another uncanny valley disaster

[@mastermarkus5307]

@@davidwuhrer6704 I feel like you're missing the point f the conversation if you're just saying "make a different movie", sirrah.

[@Whawpenshaw]

I love how they're like, "oh yeah we were running in to the set with the song JUST finished" like that's somehow a good story and NOT a sign of being seriously underprepared.

[@juliamavroidi8601]

It's a good story, but for a high school production, not a Hollywood movie

[@mistertea603]

I agree with you too an extent...you gotta understand the artistic process for songwriting in particular is not streamlined, while movoe making is down to a science at this point...trying to slow down a film to get music just right is like slowing a fraight train.

[@edgarallenhoe3518]

I feel like you get ONE story like that per production, max-- either they finish the song last minute, or they finish the effects last minute, but not both. And ofc it's only something you admit if the end product is good!!!

[@illusiveaxeman9164]

There's something so entertaining about how Ildris says "McCavity!!!" when he goes poof

[@chupacadabra5161]

McCavityyy!

[@leonineKelter]

Macaviteee

[@TheLadyLiddell]

"I want the movie to be grounded and not that fantastical" ... it's Cats. CATS. You want a movie musical about anthropomorphic cats that sing and dance to be NOT fatastical?????

[@micahcook2408]

I always wondered if the animated version was picked up how it would’ve turned out.

[@hanonphantomhive]

I agree, doesn´t make much sense to me either :s Btw ur profile pic, Riku best boi

[@smurfette_blues7922]

Thats literally the only way for it to work imo. I just want a director of the film adaptation to go all the way. Just lean into the weird

[@MsAbixxx]

Rikusgirl001 This is my biggest lament as well. What is Tom Hooper’s obsession with making everything “grounded”? He was completely the wrong choice to direct this. But of course, he won Les Mis a few Oscars so Universal thought he could just do it again with Cats.

[@MsAbixxx]

kshamwhizzle At least Baz Luhrman would understand the fantastical nature of a musical. I’m not saying Moulin Rogue is a masterpiece, but it’s so stylised and so out there it doesn’t really make you question the fact that everyone is singing. This is just the way this world works. Something like that for Cats would have been great (personally, I think an animated adaptation is the way to go) but Universal really wanted those Oscars though.

[@dickhandsome6579]

It's a credit to Ellis that I thoroughly enjoyed an hour-long dissection of a subject I care absolutely nothing about. She's one of KZbin's great treasures and she does terrific work.

[@jbvader721]

She has grown up fantastically outside of the Channel Awesome bubble and produces great videos that are both entertaining and insightful.

[@redMrCrayon]

BIG FACTS

[@s.l.thecoffeeaddict1657]

Amen 👏👊💪

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

Exactly, I haven't seen any of them, have no opinion. Pure curiosity with its success, which is what this video essay(?) is about.

[@cboehm24]

+

[@multi.instrumentalist]

I cannot believe they made Macavity unscary. I was genuinely terrified of him as a kid, and now he says his own name like a Pokémon whilst vanishing using magic? Also it’s literally in the lyrics that he’s ginger what the hell

[@ARS1508]

Every day, I send out a thanks to the universe that they released a pro shot of Hamilton instead of milking its popularity by adapting it into a movie 😭😭😭

[@markkittel44]

There’s a million things they haven’t done…. But just you wait…

[@lord_ozymandias]

@@markkittel44oh god

[@hallo4411]

I don't know lin manuel miranda still has the rights to it, right? So should be good. Also they made a translated German version, which is just amazing! 🎉 (no irony by the way i love the german lyrics)

[@ZapDash]

Wilson and Cordon dissing VFX artists when they themselves are the most cringeworthy part of the movie is rich.

[@WTFisTingispingis]

They deserve to be pilloried.

[@WhiteVioletButterfly]

Wilson destroyed Jenny Anydots. She went from a happy gentle grandma to a miserable, clumsy, horrific bully.

[@nunofyerbusiness198]

The most underappreciated horror film of the year.

[@blokey8]

@@WhiteVioletButterfly I was gonna say, even as someone who's never seen the show, she and... actually, the show in general looks far more amiable. Rum Tum Tugger and Mestophicles seem to have a fondly, ahem, catty thing going on, the grey cat and Jenny seem to like each other, but the film cats seem outright nasty to one another. Does the cats introducing one another change the tone? So it's not "I'm the best", they're nominating one another for the most part?

[@lazaronen1786]

They definitely lost most of my respect with that stunt.

[@royalknightsleipmon2345]

"Macavity's a ginger cat" is literally a line in his song.

[@hattie_burns]

You’ll love sideways’ new video

[@Monkeyninjaghost]

I second that. The fact that Hollywood thinks Cooper is a good choice for musicals, is one the great wonders of the world. On second thought, I suppose it has something to do with money.

[@StrayBats]

@@hattie_burns I watched it and felt not only bad for the original, but wishing that this movie wasn't people's first introduction to a production with actually pretty nice music (well, specifically Memory)

[@cayreet5992]

The text of his poem also makes it clear he's a rather thin cat with greying fur.

[@liriodendronlasianthus]

@@StrayBats I always recommend the other version.

[@Twinkdoesdrag]

The best actors are the ones who aren't afraid to look ridiculous, the worst directors are the ones who don't understand how to use that skill

[@berenicececilia]

I hate the internet for running Lindsay away from youtube, I miss her video essays like crazy. She didn't need the aggravation and we clearly didn't deserve her. Glad she's doing just fine.

[@4thofEleven]

I don't understand how a film so obsessed with visual 'realism' could completely fail at deciding how big the characters are supposed to be.

[@aazhie]

Same! There needed to be "Eat Me" "Drink Me" props for the amount of times cats were almost human sized, then back to cat proportions??

[@wjzav1971]

Having the cats in front of human objects just further emphasized how they do not even remotely look like cats.

[@darastarscream]

I noticed that too! And it's not the VFX. They're out of scale to the *set.* The built, constructed, totally artificial set.

[@obiwankenobi9141]

"when musicals are good they're good, when they're bad they're horrid" -Catherine Zeta-Jones

[@obiwankenobi9141]

thank you for all the likes.

[@CommissarMitch]

Amen brother.

[@danielgadomski5129]

Well, but it's true. Many movies can be below expectations and still work, bad musicals are usually unwatchable.

[@THEAdmiralXizor]

Did she really say this..? I hope she did - it's glorious, just like her.

[@THEAdmiralXizor]

@@obiwankenobi9141 I'll take your word for it - you seem knowledgeable... 🍻

[@sciencefantastic]

Literally all Hooper needed to do was have them wear costumes. ALL HE NEEDED TO DO, and it would’ve made the film better.

[@MsMeiv]

"You don't want your child to be just a memory" WTF ???!!! That traffic safety ad is its own brand of horror

[@tylerrshaw88]

“See how I glitter” “I ate the whole plate” And now “Hal it’s about cats”

[@42Biazinha]

i'm loosing to a bird!

[@tylerrshaw88]

*throws cards*

[@breedlove94]

"Macavityyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

[@branenchanter153]

“Darkness deep as HEeEEAaAuuGhLLLlLlLL”

[@breedlove94]

@@branenchanter153 the host of my favorite movie podcast is doing livestreams of him watching movies during self-quarantine. The first two were Cats and the Gerard Butler disaster movie vehicle Geostorm so this video was perfect synergy

[@redtexan7053]

The answer to “Why is Cats?” is actually extremely simple: It was the 1980’s and Andrew Lloyd Webber was doing a metric shit ton of cocaine.

[@michaelstrong5383]

Well, the cocaine suddenly explains everything now.

[@invock]

The real question should actually be "Why weren't YOU doing cocaine in the 80s?"

[@redtexan7053]

Bonzulac Oh look at the big man on campus everybody. Typing up entire paragraphs to correct people’s grammar on fucking KZbin. What ever would we do without him? Dick wad.

[@ThePorpoisepower]

Sadly without the second shit ton we missed out on the sequel "Trash Pandas!"

[@discipleofsakura]

@@invock I was only 0-10 years old, and thus couldn't afford it.

[@gorevoid691]

I never did see Cats, but I did see Starlight Express back in the day. Cats didn’t seem so weird after seeing a bunch of roller skating anthropomorphic train cars.

[@RedAngelSophia]

They _should_ have made the movie an _animated_ one rather than a live-action one. That way, they could have made the cats in the movie look a bit more like actual cats - and for that matter, make the other animals in the musical look more like _their_ real-live counterparts. CATS did not make an optimal _live-action_ movie -- but would have been _great_ as an _animated_ musical.

[@wilsonjonah]

Steven Spielberg actually planned on making an animated version back in the early 2000s, but it didn't happen. Sad, because it looked really interesting

[@bigjedimullet]

If Laika had done 2019 Cats, it would have been the strongest contender for Best Animated Film after Into The Spider-Verse, and no one can convince me otherwise. The Cartoon Saloon team who did Secret of Kells and Wolfwalkers would also have made an exceptional Cats movie. I am secretly praying that in a few years we get a Cats ReAnimated project where a bunch of amateur animators either animate or make animatics for the audio of the film.

[@RedAngelSophia]

@@bigjedimullet - I have in my head an idea of an animated version of JELICLE SONGS FOR JELICLE CATS - the opening song for the musical (have had that vision in my head for years) - but, sadly, I do not think that my animation skills are sufficient for pulling it off. However, I very much _would_ be open to taking a course on story-boarding so that I can _story-board_ my vision for how that song can be animated.

[@RedAngelSophia]

@@bigjedimullet ---- you gave me a GREAT idea for a certain project!!!!

[@TheOutlawed1000]

End of 2019: Cats Beginning of 2020: Pandemic Coincidence? Yes. But...

[@rockCity777]

...thole-cut 2020.

[@faeriegraver]

@@rockCity777 lmaoooo

[@samurguy9906]

God is punishing us for our sins, apparently

[@ComatHam]

End of 2019: Pathologic 2 Begin of 2020: Global Pandemic

[@johnk6123]

Yay I'm thumbs up #500, making things happen on KZbin :) also to reply to the comment: definitely suspect.

[@lauraelaineallen21]

The moment when Rebel Wilson unzips her fur is possibly the most horrifying thing I have ever seen

[@Technodreamer]

You know, the first bit of the movie wasn't bad? It had me. The CGI didn't weird me out and the music was good. Then, they started THAT song...

[@daniellepalazzolo8960]

Like who thought that was a good idea?

[@Technodreamer]

@@daniellepalazzolo8960 Rebel Wilson did

[@daniellepalazzolo8960]

Merletastic oh god

[@mastermarkus5307]

Absolutely. JUST HAVE HER WEAR A COAT! Christ, it's so creepy-looking!

[@fable23]

Listening to this in 2021 and boy did it feel prophetic. In the category of Terrible Movie Musical Adaptation, I present to you 2021's _Dear Evan Hansen!_ It has it all: 1. A movie musical that is clearly uncomfortable with any and all musical aspects. 2. A director with Oscar ambitions taking a fairly abstract dark comedy and turning it into a gritty realistic funeral dirge so the Academy will take him seriously. 3. An original song that no one asked for that grinds the story to a halt and adds nothing to the narrative. It's even got some of your favorite stuff from Lindsey's other videos! Such as... - An original Broadway cast member reprising his role despite _clearly_ being too old to believably play the character now, in a show where the main character's youth is _very important to stress._ (ala RENT) - Transparently cynical and half-hearted attempts to address criticisms of the original story that do not actually engage with those criticisms in any meaningful way, and actively detract from the story. (ala the Beauty and the Beast remake) I feel like there should be a bingo card we fill out every time these things get released. Because, unfortunately, it looks like they're going to keep coming.

[@arambles1]

True, true. Well, at least the Matilda musical adaptation was pretty good

[@overgrownkudzu]

@@arambles1 i feel like matilda had a good starting point though, it's a children's story, and also magical enough to not expect realism but set in mostly reality so you don't get whatever the fuck cats ist

[@throneisbed7833]

The uncanny Macavity Is Human Skin Colour thing could've been so easily fixed by, I don't know, maybe reading the lyrics of the song he shares the name of? That has a whole verse describing his appearance? I don't know, I'm just spitballing here.

[@obiwankenobi9141]

The Show: Macavity's a ginger cat Tom Hooper: Hmmm... What colour should we make him. Eh, let's just colour him like Idris Elba.

[@YelenaSkunky]

Maybe Taylor Swift is a colourblind cat? That might explain it, surely.

[@jayl2298]

Why did I never consider, if tom hooper really wanted it to be so realistic, why didn't all the cats have eight nipples?

[@myettechase]

#ReleaseTheNippleCut

[@ageamiu8923]

@@myettechase Please don’t

[@marinadeburgos8666]

Or maybe do like Lion King, make overrealistic cats and flop because we can't see actual face expressions

[@mrcakeday1439]

#freethecatnip

[@neksnek2032]

@@marinadeburgos8666 except the lion king remake didn't flop sadly :(

[@TheSugarRay]

"I wasn't sure what a cat looked like anymore." -I'm dying.

[@insertcringynamehere2937]

AxxL Please, shut the fuck up.

[@TheSugarRay]

@@insertcringynamehere2937 no

[@grifflikeplaybass1]

That was Folding Ideas. Definitely recommend checking out his channel if you haven't already.

[@insertcringynamehere2937]

Thought Ray He deleted his comment. :(

[@TheSugarRay]

@@insertcringynamehere2937 Oh, I'm sorry. I remove all defient annoyance.

[@Flavershum]

It was so weird realizing that not everybody loved the musical Cats like I did when I was a kid. I never questioned a thing about Cats. I just vibed

[@florofern6470]

Same, a lot of my family liked it, so I went to see it and honestly just vibed to the music

[@cmarcbs7698]

Wow this director really has no respect for anyone who isn't immediately on set. First I heard about what he did to that poor orchestra and that poor pianist in Les Mis (courtesy of Sideways' video), now to realize he basically did the equivalent for the VFX team in Cats...

[@jbvader721]

Between Tomathy Hooper's treatment of the VFX team of this trainwreck and the horror stories of VFX companies working for Disney/Marvel projects, it's well overdue that VFX departments start to unionize.

[@imaginekudryavka9485]

"Heterosexual cats" is by far my favorite musical number in the movie

[@fubnairs]

When Rebel Wilson ripped off her outer layer of skin, the full theatre I was in gasped in disgust.

[@annedavis3340]

@Laura Martin-Falla unzipping your skintight fur to reveal identical skintight fur is WAY creepier than revealing a fun flapper cat (dripping actual beads) concealed under a very VERY stylized accordion-esque body. Play Jennyanydots shows up onstage not looking like the other cats, and she looks like them when she reveals her nighttime persona. Movie Jennyanydots has a ZIPPER IN HER SKIN

[@sydnamon5986]

I actually shuddered in horror.

[@kennybrightwell1877]

Laura Martin-Falla But why were her clothes red, if not to encourage a feeling of shock and disgust when Rebel Wilson Rios her “coat” off.

[@Pseudowolf]

@Laura Martin-Falla Yeah the roach eating was the part that made me feel physically uncomfortable. Not so much that she does it. It's that she does it MULTIPLE times. One time, done quick with everything else going on, you can kinda blink and go "well I guess that happened" and not think about it. Doing it multiple times doesn't allow for that.

[@pinkwings8036]

Jennyanydots is a Cub Scout den mother to the roaches and mice, WHY IS SHE EATING HER STUDENTS?!?!!

[@UknownScienceTiger]

This video introduced me to Cats. Then I listened to the podcast episode. Then I watched the Sideways video. Then, on a whim, I watched the '98 film. Thanks to Lindsay, I am now indeed "ride or die" for Cats.

[@BinturongGirl]

Hooper; "But realism!" *shows a cat literally peeling off her skin*

[@tomato_soup_enjoyer]

"Cats" the movie walked so 2020 could run

[@morganyoung3557]

Cats was warning us about what was about to come, we just didn’t pay attention.

[@geekygecko1849]

Run us over...

[@glyph241]

It🔨❣️

[@RoyceChristyn]

This

[@aa-xy4hg]

beautifully said.

[@jessg3533]

"Macavity's a ginger cat, he's very tall and thin" Tom Hooper: too unrealistic. Make him a swol Havana Brown.

[@Textile_Courtesan]

You have no idea how irritating it is to me that every rendition I've seen don't portray him as a ginger cat.

[@Zaphtiera]

I'm so glad someone mentioned this, it's like they swapped Macavity and Skimbleshanks' appearances and didn't bother changing the lyrics

[@KristinaVeshtort-Kask]

This! While Elba's, uh, fur colour wasn't as jarring as Lindsay seemed to think - it is somewhere between British Shorthair chocolate and a brown Burmese - it's still decidedly NOT a colour that Macavity has to be!

[@vivaelphaba]

I am ride or die for Cats. Please let me come on your podcast and defend this huge chunk of my childhood.

[@tertain4795]

I just want to add my story here: my dad… doesn’t really like musicals. It’s just not something he enjoys most of the time. We have a running joke that our conversations always turn into an argument about Cats the musical, because I like it and my dad thinks it’s ridiculous. And one night, when it was movie night for me and my dad, I saw that Cats had been added to the streaming service we were using. Surprisingly, my dad said “let’s watch that! I want to see Cats, I want to know what all the fuss is about.” So, I turned on Cats, fully expecting him to turn it off immediately. To my surprise, my dad actually DIDNT turn it off immediately and even turned to me and said “I don’t understand why people are being so mean about this? What’s wrong with it? Those people spent hours making them look like Cats, I think this is just fine.” WHICH IS WILD COMING FROM MY DAD, WHO HATES MUSICALS AND NOTORIUSLY DOESNT UNDERSTAND CATS. Eventually he did say “let’s watch something else” but that was a WHILE into the film. We even turned it on a few nights later, because my dad wanted to watch the rest of it. Just thought that was funny!

[@esmeraldalucio406]

Honestly, I kinda resonate with your dad 😅 I recently put on Cats to see what the fuss was about (always seen memory momentarily portrayed in movies/media, seen the costumes/makeup in passing too) & after I got past the CGI (wondered why so much work was put into... THAT and how anyone agreed to it), terrible jokes, weird constant state of confusion the main character was in... I've seen worse. And Hudson's performance was👌 imo. It was what led me down a rabbit hole to compare the so popular Broadway version, and also led me to the conclusion that yep it wasn't much different, still weird 😅💀 just better choreography.

[@ariwl1]

So if I'm understanding the Guy Fieri reference at the beginning correctly: Fieri was a guy that critics loved to dunk on in the past, but he's now someone people generally are cool with because he's always been himself, enjoyed it, and never intended to be the "high art" of the food world and people love that. But where Cats the stage show was largely the same, Cats the movie really wanted to be taken seriously (even though it was never designed to be) and failed miserably at it. Is that right?

[@sovietcanuckistanian]

It's as if instead of making his restaurant a Manhattan tourist trap Guy Fieri had marketed it as Haute cuisine with little to no changes to the menu and expected to be taken seriously. Just imagine: candle lit dining room, $200 bottles of wine, and a plate of trash can nachos.

[@davidspring4003]

Yeah, sounds about right.

[@Solanuma]

guy fieri is cool because hes a gay ally something the writers of the cats movie can't claim with their adaption

[@sequences8942]

That's how it seems. Guy Fieri gets dunked on but he is genuine to his craft, and there are people that appreciate his craft. Instead of adapting Cats the way it would make more sense to for a film screen, they tried to adapt it to appease the critics of Hollywood, and thought doing so could get it to an Oscar win. Except, Cats won it's awards as a stage musical in spite of the hate critics gave it, and because they tried to appease Hollywood critics from the onset, they already were doomed to disaster because they missed the point entirely.

[@ssjwarrior100]

Solanuma nigga what ??

[@michaelstrong5383]

*SEES LINDSAY ELLIS POST A NEW VIDEO* Me: "YAAAY!!" *NOTICES THE RUNTIME IS ALMOST AN HOUR LONG* Me: "YAAAAAYYY!!!!" *TALKS ABOUT THE CATS MOVIE* Me: "I'm sickened but curious."

[@rachel_sj]

Michael Strong I’ve been waiting for someone to compare Stage Cats to Movie Cats for a few months....that Perfect Someone is Lindsay

[@Smashfan258]

I’m repulsed, but go on...

[@superthorc6894]

Michael Strong me: YAY I’ll understand why cat

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

I'm thirty seconds in so far - so maybe Lindsay covers this too - but if you're still curious about Cats, Maggie May Fish also made a great video about this recently, focussing on TS Eliot's cryptofascism.

[@ty_teynium]

Talks about Cats. Me: ... yay-ish?

[@shepherdaaron9683]

The Madonna and Antonio Banderas “Evita” is like, one of the best movie adaptations of a musical and definitely the best adaptation of anything Lloyd Weber. I even think it retroactively makes the musical stronger.

[@Mulbert]

I absolutely love it, the whole production is stunning and so heartfelt, apparently it took Madonna and Jonathan Pryce ages to get a good take of the hospital scene because they kept bursting into tears

[@obiwankenobi9141]

Also directed by Alan Parker, one of Britains greatest directors who directed Fame, Bugsy Malone and the Wall, some of my favourite films

[@gingerkent1542]

I am Autistic, I have never seen Cats, But I have watched this video dozens of times and love it every time. It helps so much when im not feeling well. It is literally the best tool I have ever had. Thank You so much Lindsay Ellis for making the content you do. I hope that as the years go on I am able to keep watching your videos.

[@sandradermark8463]

I am autistic too

[@penguinsrbirds2]

I don't get what autism has to do with anything but I'm probably missing something.

[@gingerkent1542]

@@penguinsrbirds2 many autistics like to re-watch comforting shows when we feel disregulated, especially about unique special interests. It can help burnout and overwhelm better than adivan.

[@Jaydee-wd7wr]

@@penguinsrbirds2, “We” (The diagnosis system in my country is awful so I personally will never know for sure) place quite a lot of value on “comfort media”, I have a bunch of videos and fanfics saved that I rewatch or reread after I have a difficult time when dealing with things. For example, in my case, I rewatch/reread stuff related to the neurodiversity movement to make me feel better about myself, Hbomberguys Vaccines and Autism video and “I’m a freak cause I’m always freaked out” The TOH fanfic are my main ones.

[@penguinsrbirds2]

@@gingerkent1542 Doesn't everybody rewatch comforting shows/media? That's a very universal thing.

[@franticranter]

If t.s. elliot's wife never wanted the cats poems turned into an animated film because she was worried it would turn out like winnie the poo, then imagine what she'd think if she saw the cats film.

[@marinadeburgos8666]

I guess like most of the authors when they see their work translated to a movie without guidance, blame the studio and say that the original work is way better (most of the time with a good reason)

[@rabbit-exe3606]

I mean, "horny hieronymus bosch style nightmare" is about as far as you can get from "winnie the pooh"

[@trampoline11x]

Followed by the Winnie The Poo live action film? Consistant confusion and maybe concern, as well all should once in a while

[@dc98424]

I think technically it was a different t.s. Elliot property she was worried about but the point is still valid.

[@Igorcastrochucre]

I feel like TS Elliot's wif was worried that the poems would become "kid's stuff", because beside americanize Winnie the Pooh, they turned it into something that's unmistakably for kids. And yes, both the poems and Pooh were made with children in mind, but they weren't just for children. Either that or the Walt Disney-P.L. Travers debacle still had a rippling effect on how authors in general act when approached by Disney or any big hollywood studio.

[@phillipjohnson8903]

"Don't let a child's life become just a MEMORY" is so disrespectful and the funniest thing I've heard all month.

[@sigmacademy]

@N K Like? :P

[@momofy420]

Having just recently watched Maggie Mae Fish's look at TS Eliot's (hateful, misogynist, imperialist, the-world-is-sliding-into-degeracy) ideas and politics, the light hearted joking from Andrew Lloyd Weber about TS's wife enthusiastically talking about how he would have like a "hot gossip" style show hits DIFFERENT. He probably hasn't stopped rolling in the grave since opening night, knowing this musical is his legacy.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

46:01 Also the lyrics are literally he's a ginger cat, thin and tall, when in the movie he's dark brown, stocky and average height compared to the rest of the cats.

[@projectanimation7730]

... never thought I’d hear Lindsay Ellis talk for a prolonged period time- or any length of time, honestly- about Guy Fieri, but here we are.

[@Rebe8d89AH]

I thought there was a glitch because I clicked on video about Cats. Thanks for reaffirming my sanity lol

[@ericemigh3869]

Every day we get closer to Homestuck's Alpha timeline.

[@viridimagoria1778]

"Heterosexual cats" cracks me up every time.

[@Bluebaritone]

🎵 HETEROSEXUAL CATS! HETEROSEXUAL CATS! HE-TE-RO-SEXUAL CATS!🎵

[@r.b.7577]

the amount of will schuester energy in this musical is almost impressive

[@fxntasyland2844]

after watching this video I still have no idea wtf is cats about (other than, well, cats) but your comment is an accurate description

[@petkamoravcikova]

It's camp, it works musically, the dance and visuals are super interesting and the resolution in Memory is going to make you cry. Why would anyone not like cats, the original musical?

[@sophiaaa6042]

If you’re wondering who likes the stage show - dancers! I was a pretty serious ballet dancer through high school and loved the stage show because of the dancing, the physicality and atheticism of the actors is so fun to watch, especially when most broadway musicals don’t have that intricate choreography

[@ragabashmoon1551]

I was a member of my high school's Thespian Club, and we made going to see CATS when it came to our city an official club event so our teacher could get score us group rate tickets. We still had to pay for our own tickets, but we gave our money to her and she bought them. We all were obsessed with CATS, and when I changed schools my senior year, I went into Competitive Speaking and interpretation of the original poems was so overdone, but we didn't care. The judges hated us all doing CATS poems though, I'm sure. Haha.

[@willbe3043]

I also love love loved the stage show for the same reasons. Watched it twice. :)

[@Kittymouth]

Dancers, and set designers, and kids who crawl around the yard pretending to be animals all day.

[@skshore338]

@@ragabashmoon1551 this is why I endured the film. I was curious about the dancing.

[@PhoenixFireKMS]

I once said that Cats is the best way for dancers, makeup artists, and art designers to show off their technical skills. Also I just love Cats, it’s dumb but it’s fun (as long as we leave out Growltiger and the thing about the Pekingese in Pekes and Pollicals...)

[@polymphus]

This demon video will not leave my recommendations. Every single thing I watch, Cat-Elba is staring at me and I know what it means to be in hell. If I leave on autoplay for too long I come back and find myself staring at writhing cat-human bodies. "I watched it already," I say to the uncaring heavens. "Did you like it?" say the Gods. "I did, I did! But please, let me leave!" There is nothing in heaven but laughter, and - from a distance, carried on the wind - 'Macavityyyyyyyy'

[@elvellarambles9151]

Criminally underrated comment: 10/10 existential rage

[@Elocinization]

As I read "Macavityyyyyy" in this comment, I vividly imagined and heard the scene it described.

[@marisp2588]

This comment is a literary masterpiece

[@nathanwinters2400]

Legit like every other week this video appears and I'm just like... I've watched it five times too many just... just please stop! xD

[@heatherbeal3473]

Pure Poetry

[@lilliedoubleyou3865]

CATS is spectacle, and I feel lucky to have seen the spectacle live (West End, right before it closed in the early '00s). But the audience interaction thing kind of made me feel for the actors - even as a kid, I felt like what they were having to do was weird. I'll never forget the two elderly ladies who sat in front of us at the theatre and tried to feed one of the actors yogurt as he came down the aisle. It was certainly a 'yikes' moment.

[@Zebwak]

Four minutes in and I am recognizing Hank Green, Steve Taylor of Kurzgesagt, Dan Olson, and Jenny Nicholson as the review voices. Makes me want to find and watch content of the other voice-overs used in this segment to complete the set.

[@abigailhoover2058]

So glad someone else noticed and commented on this!! I thought I was going crazy when I recognized their voices 😂

[@HorrorGeek9]

“No one wants a child to become a memory” I can't believe this was an actual commercial, like WTF

[@starfishcoffee2854]

HorrorGeek9 and then the song started playing!!! Legit tears of laughter.

[@MrBoygiles]

I think that PSA was actually more horrific than Cats 2019.

[@rockaway0beach]

I read this comment before the video's ending and didn't understand it. Then I saw it and damn, I haven't laughted so hard in a decade, GOD DAMMIT

[@3Rayfire]

What can I say, we were a much more savage people prior to the new millennium.

[@shaunwatson6354]

It's why I wear my seatbelt to this day. Because of CATS.

[@cindylithium]

“No one wants a child to become a memory” Oh my god who had the audacity to write that commercial?!?! 57:02 for beginning of this masterpiece

[@cindylithium]

Corvus you are not wrong

[@TurtleRhythm]

Still more emotionally gripping than Cats 2019

[@twincast2005]

I mean, that line is fine, but that she then breaks out into song is utterly tasteless.

[@Lazamattaz]

I'm CREASED

[@bndncn]

The comedic timing of the start of the song there is actual genius.

[@kaitlynalonzo7092]

The little macavity after kidnapping Gus, kills me every time I hear it 😂

[@BaronB.BlazikenBaronOfBarons]

Hearing the Kurzgesagt narrator say the words “horny fur demons” 3 minutes into the video is just perfection!

[@Bean404]

Hearing the voice actor from Kurzgesagt say the words "horny fur demons" felt akin to stumbling across p*rn featuring Blue's Clues. I'm horrified, thank you

[@fossilfighters101]

+

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Me, after hearing that: *Rips skin off and bathes in bleach*

[@michaelfrazier7234]

Thank you this made my day

[@pseudonymousbeing987]

Yeah hey Lindsay why'd ya ruin Kurzgesagt for me?

[@Bean404]

Pseudonymous Being To be fair, if I had to try to explain how unsettling it is to see Gandalf roll around as a hyper sexualized cat and a grown woman eat anthropomorphized cockroaches to someone who has never seen the movie, that clip would get the job done

[@kaamn1829]

for real though, this essay is such a great autopsy, but also, I've never seen the "Dead Dove: Do Not Eat" clip before and wtf, that was so funny???

[@InChristIDelight]

Arrested development. Thank me later

[@chrysanthemum7391]

When my parents were first dating, my mom and dad had the option of seeing either Cats or Les Miserables on Broadway. My mom wanted Les Miserables, but my dad vetoed her because he thought Cats was the more well known one. She still mocks him for it because of the deeply uncomfortable experience they had.

[@hellogoodbyeandallinbetween]

Wait, and Les Mis wouldn't be uncomfortable to watch?

[@flyingstonemon3564]

​@@hellogoodbyeandallinbetween Alternate universe dad didn't veto and regrets It too confirmed

[@derdrakkar]

"Humanoid Cats with human faces" Hooper: Yup, sounds realistic. I can make it a grounded non-fantasy. "Gay people" Hooper: Get this unrealistic nonsense out of my movie! There is no way that could exist.

[@arubinojr5670]

*Gay cats.

[@raccoonjs6437]

says the guy who directed The Danish Girl.

[@arubinojr5670]

A Cat is Not a Danish Girl. Coming this Christmas, after being finished December 24th.

[@Kylora2112]

@@raccoonjs6437 And Hooper kinda downplayed Lily Eibe's sexuality there, too.

[@shushia1658]

Yeah that sucks

[@calypsoa205]

The movie mostly casted actors, singers, and dancers. They didn’t cast triple threats, they cast dancers who couldn’t really sing or act, actors who couldn’t really dance or sing, and singers who couldn’t really act or dance.

[@dsfddsgh]

And then they cast Taylor Swift who cant do any of those things.

[@vingram100]

Exactly, the short answer to this whole issue is that Hollywood should have given this to the gays! You need the most extra, triple threats to make something this ridiculous work. You can't manufacture camp! I'm kidding but I really think the production was way too stiff and by-the-numbers. Edit: words.

[@toosigoosi]

imcrying,t his is literall y so fucking funny

[@celinak5062]

Honestly tv shows have better musical episodes then this

[@EnderPryde]

Ok, I'd give Derulo dancing and singing, if only because he's at least competent. Not great, but competent. Acting for him... ehhhhhhhhh... EHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

[@melwasnevergivenaname]

The time lapse of Dame Judy taking her sweet time over the world decaying is art I'd like to see playing on loop in a museum

[@arnepianocanada]

56:30 The two Public Service ads have magnitudes more meaningful impact than the entire Hooper-hash horror of Cats this staggeringly idiotic movie.😡 Thanks, Tom.