Why the Music in Cats (2019) is Worse than you Thought

[@meganmissey1982]

They really said, "We're going to copyright this guy for using our movie's music because if we didn't make any money off of it, he won't either."

[@euwue]

Is that why some places are silent and others have random music in place of the video/talking?

[@DDoubleEDouble]

@@euwue yes

[@3twibles4sweetrevenge]

I thought my device had a problem

[@JCBug555]

Thank you! I was looking through the comments for an explanation of the long silences and musical breaks. I thought my phone was screwed up a bit.

[@ing8509]

I see that everyone here didn't read the description

[@123456789811929]

It’s almost like the people who direct musicals should, like....understand music in some capacity.

[@davidreynolds6718]

Why start now?

[@thomasgiles2876]

[Monkey Paw finger curls] Granted, all musicals are now directed by late 90s and early 2000s music video directors

[@wafflechest3555]

Oh wow ya don't say

[@ulisescarrillo2273]

@@thomasgiles2876 this means michael bay is now back on crack Sorry i mean track

[@random_meta]

Imagine that

[@pedroxqui]

Tom Hooper is just a gimmick director trying to be revolutionary by reinventing the wheel, not realizing it's round for a reason

[@hasmiktumasyan846]

this is the most accurate thing ive ever heard

[@brendanmilburn9067]

Funny that his best movie, The King's Speech, is just a straight well made drama film, no gimmicks or anything.

[@atomicdancer]

Quint: "Well it proves one thing, Mr. Hooper. It proves that you wealthy college boys don't have the education enough to admit when you're wrong."

[@saxy84]

... but also has literally no understanding about how the wheel is shaped or why it's shape is significant... 🙄

[@G1NZOU]

Simple but powerful analogy. Producers and Directors who want to change up well loved classics need to first truly understand what they're changing and know exactly why and what they're altering. Changing things for the sake of doing something different isn't enough. They did a similar thing with Ghost in the Shell, the director loved the anime and remembers some pretty iconic scenes, but in interviews he doesn't seem to grasp some of the deeper concepts behind the storytelling and the live action movie suffered as a result, it felt more like a collection of the amazing memorable scenes from the anime patched together with a generic Hollywood "antagonist is actually from the protagonist's forgotten past and the real antagonist was controlling the protagonist all along" plot.

[@shhh.im.thinking3069]

The whole lyrics-don't-match-the-story part, like when Grizabella sings "touch me" and she was already touched, really gets me because they treat these songs like ambience music instead of actual plot devices that forward the story. Yeah, memory sounds nice, but the lyrics actually matter, you know

[@johntaylor7029]

Yeah, it's a mistake a lot of adaptations make, they treat the themes and elements of a story as just ambience or tonal choices. Always frustrating.

[@isabelafreitas8438]

YES! Musicals are not just a story with a bunch of songs, it is the songs that make the story, they matter. Yes, I am here after 2 years cause this musical offense still make me angry and I love this dude

[@starlesscitiess]

@@isabelafreitas8438oh my god same im just waiting for sideways’ comeback if it ever happens

[@vanyadolly]

It's really amazing how they managed to fudge up every aspect of this really very straightforward concept. I mean there just isn't that much to leave out, but they managed. Song and dance? Remove the rhythm. A cast of interesting, individual cats? Can barely tell them apart. A story about a cat who's desperate to be touched? Not that important.

[@AzureRoxe]

It's still funny how a song flatout has the lyrics of "a ginger cat".......so of course he's a black cat in this adaptation. Did they think no one would care?

[@baiwatch1]

An essay about the Cats movie from a guy who actually likes Cats. This is different.

[@vibevizier6512]

It's absolutely POGGERS

[@peacecorenathan556]

As a Musical Theatre kid who is now studying music as a minor in college imma let you in on a lil secret......a lot of us actually enjoy Cats we just hide it because it’s one of the first Pop Musicals that normies watched

[@bxp_bass]

but musical Cats is actually great

[@LeeannG]

@caro I get the impression that he loves some parts of it, but thinks it’s just okay overall. I’m pretty sure his favorite musical is West Side Story.

[@MogoPrime]

Yeah! A good sidecar to this one would be Lindsay Ellis' video on Cats. I bet it's even in the sidebar of this one. She's great ♥

[@Isa-lh2mw]

I feel like sideways is kinda insecure that his audience won't care about all the nerdy music stuff, but rest assured that's what we come here for.

[@Isa-lh2mw]

@Mickenzie McGraw What I meant to say is that sideways thinks we only care about music when it's related to a movie

[@QuikVidGuy]

@@Isa-lh2mw fuck that, college let us down, explain everything with a personal angle!!!!

[@ashikjaman1940]

I don't know shit about music or most of the movies he's talked about, I just like hearing him talk

[@rougedionisio2057]

@@ashikjaman1940 I know right?! it's so weirdly entertaining for me to just listen to someone talk about something they're passionate about or even just someone who really knows their stuff 😂😂

[@SquallLionhart409]

@@rougedionisio2057 I think you hit right on what makes listening to him talk about music so engaging. The emotion, the passion, the fervor, its engaging. I could listen to Sideways go on musical tangents for hours upon hours. Pretty sure I've listened to him talk about Cats for over 24 full hours at this point, just playing this video again on a second monitor.

[@Raisincelery]

I like how he’s just slowly getting angrier and angrier and by the end he’s in the verge of aneurism.

[@teenytinyredhead]

It's a better build up than the movie ever had.

[@jellyriver9490]

Yes

[@I_Think_You_Should_Leave]

@@teenytinyredhead Lol

[@aazhieryakes884]

Totally a rehash of me, a Cats newb, watching this movie with my friend who actually liked the original and watching her slow boil over as it dragged on xD

[@savannahs.5874]

666th like

[@gwendolynpeterson5229]

YOU FINALLY EXPLAINED CATS IN A WAY THAT I CAN FINALLY UNDERSTAND ive been going off of my explanation as a kid of "theres a ton of cats who sing and dance. Theres also a cat who everyone hates. She ends up dying. Thats it."

[@jbvader721]

"Hal...it's about cats."

[@faerykaye]

As someone who has known the plot of Cats for a long, long time, and seen how people misinterpret or misunderstand it, this never gets old to me hahahaha

[@Listening_Books12345]

But also, your explanation isn't actually wrong? 😂 It's just lacking a bit of deeper context, but we genuinely never know why all the jellicle cats hate Grizzabella, and we don't really know what the heavyside layer is, other than heaven? Rebirth? My interpretation of that, and somewhat of Grizzabella, is that since cats are said to have "9 lives", each time they come back they're the same cat, but going to the heavyside layer was a jellicle cat's only chance to truly be reborn as a different cat. And Grizzabella, for whatever reason, was at the end of her 9 lives and needed this last chance to hopefully be reborn into a new life free of the pain of the old one. Or something.

[@Disillusioned_JELly]

Movie: I need a protagonist. Jemima in the play: *drives the plot* (what little there is) *forward at every turn* Movie: So, Jemima is probably an optional character.

[@stingerjohnny9951]

It’s almost like Tom Hooper is a moron when it comes to musicals

[@klaudiaosmalek6105]

I feel Grisabella would have worked bwtter as a protagonist than what we got

[@acookie7548]

@@klaudiaosmalek6105 hell, the cockroaches would’ve worked better as protags than what we got

[@RosesTeaAndASD]

@@acookie7548 lol True

[@max_x]

I saw Cats when I was 9 years old in theatre and even then my 9 year old self picked up that Jemima was a main character lol

[@lotti696]

are we not talking about how weirdly unproportionate the sizes of the cats are? they're too large inside the train but then have the size of hamsters while on the train tracks.

[@sallyr8384]

I noticed that too and it took me out of it more than the CGI because that is at least consistent. It's also really sad because I actually liked the set design but I couldn't focus on it.

[@EvanCWaters]

I think it's that they are cat-sized but when you then give them human proportions they look slighter and wispier than a cat at that size. They don't fit.

[@lotti696]

@@EvanCWaters but they're not cat sized in the dancing scene on the train tracks, right? they're tiny there!

[@Ida-Adriana]

what about the heads of the cats being so oddly proportioned?! on the movie version

[@seasiren7700]

They aren't alive. Its dream like because they're dead.

[@FrenkTheJoy]

I know it's just because of copyright mutes, but "just listen to the clarinet trying to follow him" followed by *dead silence* was hilarious.

[@chunky16]

I HAD NO CLUE WHAT THAT WAS AND NONE OF THE COMMENTS WERE TALKING ABT IT

[@chunky16]

I THOUGHT IT WAS SOME SICK JOKE I DIDNT GET

[@stingerjohnny9951]

@@chunky16 lol nope, his old video got taken down for “copyright” so he edited it.

[@FluffyDragon]

I went and looked up a clip of that bit.. .. my god it was bad. After watching some of this video, it made me buy and watch Cats (the good one) .. and wow, just, the difference was crazy.. the Gus in the 98 one was sad and made me cry a bit, but I also liked how he started out really old, but then as the song continued, he perked up a lot and got more animated, as he relived his memories (gee, maybe a theme).. it was just great Then you got this one and it's like.. he doesn't get spoken for at the start, his paws aren't even particularly shaking like he damn says (not sings) they are.. and he just seems to sorta.. keep most of the same energy the entire song. Which I would describe as 'old'

[@LegosheepIsAwesome]

It's also not how copyright works. This is literally textbook fair use.

[@skyofserenity]

This video has taught me a lot but nothing is gonna stick with me more than the sentence “Rum Tum Tugger is rum tum tugging the harmonies.” 😭😭

[@mboatrightED300]

"The actors made choices about the tempo" is such a great backhanded way to say "none of them were on beat."

[@Apfelstrudl]

No, non of them being in beat is the inevitable result of that decision.

[@brendanmilburn9067]

@@Apfelstrudl Except for the few who actually were on beat like Skimbleshankes

[@6thgraderfriends]

@@Apfelstrudl That's what happens when you cast mostly actors who don't have any professional singing and dancing experience. This isn't to say they can't ever be cast in a musical, but they're going to need training in that department instead of being told to "just do whatever."

[@Apfelstrudl]

@@6thgraderfriends exactly that.

[@raymondthrone7197]

Directors really need to get it into their heads (again) that actors, even expensive, well-awarded veterans, don't automatically come with all the skills needed to pull off your film. Whether it's pulling off stunts, learning an unfamiliar accent, or learning to sing professionally, you need to actually hire experts to coach your talent if you want them to be good, and especially if you want the performances to match.

[@briandaaranda9735]

Cats (the animal) legit touch each other to mark other cats, people, and things, as "safe". That's why they rub the corner of their mouth against your hand; it's a way of saying "this is safe, and now it smells like me, so it's extra safe". Grizabella wanting to be touched literally was just her begging for a friend. And now I'm sad.

[@kingofthepod5169]

Shoot. Now I am too.

[@promienodrzutowysamuel790]

Shit. I'm sad now.

[@ButterflyKitten]

That’s so saddd

[@MYLAR.]

sobs thinking of the matted little stray that bonks me when he comes by. i love that little man

[@Liam_Phoenix]

AAAWWWEEEE I'm really sad now!!

[@ItoFumika]

Christ, as soon as he said the actors were changing the tempo of songs whenever the hell they wanted to, even my non-musical ass, who hasn't touched an instrument since the recorder in elementary school, thought, "That sounds like a fucking nightmare."

[@eatatjoes6751]

Yes. Even my individualistic grade-school ass would have been like, "The hell?"

[@browncoat697]

I'm a drummer and this is basically the musical equivalent of just stabbing a baby in the face on stage. If there's a click track you fucking play to the click. The thing about getting off-tempo the way they clearly are is that this ultimately ends up sounding like just sounds being laid on top of each other rather than actually, you know, music.

[@2480hanna]

Those poor souls in the orchestra... I bet they still wake up in a cold sweat.

[@derfuchs3296]

How to give people in an orchestra PTSD

[@Tehinstrumentalist]

@@2480hanna having done orchestral work to weird tempos with soloists I can confirm that it is an absolute nightmare. That singer really butchered Purcell... T.T

[@TiaGems]

I'm impressed that you talked about Cats (2019) for an hour and didn't once mention how awful the sound mixing was. I could not hear Jennifer Hudson over the orchestra in Memory and the woodwinds were drowning out the piano at the best of times

[@TheNumnutRandomness]

Watching the movie in theaters was the aural equivalent of _squinting my ears_

[@seamusburke639]

The instrumentation is also very inconsistent. It can't decide between synthesizers or a full orchestra, frequently in the same song.

[@alexreid1173]

If he talked about all of the problems we would be here all day 😭

[@TransistorBased]

In the clips of her singing, it also sounds like she's peaking the microphone. Either that or she's heavily compressed. It's just an assault of sound. I'm curious how much of this was done using just the first take, because somebody should have adjusted the gain on her channel.

[@steelesauer7430]

Another thing I'd like to mention is the fact that the actors in the musical actually seem enthusiastic, like they're enjoying their time onstage and having fun with the choreography. In the movie it looks like they're being held at gunpoint

[@josephschultz3301]

Hooper: "Hey, that's a great idea! Write that down, write that down!" *[Quietly, to himself]* "But can we hold the orchestra at gunpoint too?"

[@imhappy7632]

considering how the movie actors had to attend cat school, i can see why they were less than enthusiastic

[@ArmindaAirth]

@@imhappy7632 I’m sorry what

[@ezelfrancisco1349]

I think the only people who are enjoying the show are the people in the Skimbleshanks number.

[@GuiSmith]

@@ArmindaAirth Cat School, yes, it’s not as bizarre as you’d think. It’s training where the singers for the show do a form of pre-training to get the cat-like movements that they use onstage. What usually happens when you do a production of Cats for the stage is a few weeks of Cat School and then you do dance and song rehearsals. The Lion King and any show with puppets does similar stuff so you can master movements independently of what you need to do onstage. You don’t train in everything all at once; kind of like normal schooling where you learn things sequentially, you get time to train as a sort of being before training to be the character. However, it’s Hollywood, so what’s normally a very brief few hours for a few weeks was condensed into days on end in a week. With far more content and personal innovation, I might add, because of the new cat behaviours and the need to allude to the flicking ears and tails. I’m certain it was typical Hollywood steamrolling a normal musical thing, again. At least they were probably all hydrated in their weird skin suits, unlike certain actors I could mention.

[@cdrag90]

I am incredibly unhappy that parts of this video were muted presumably by the copyright owner, when this video is basically a masterclass in fair use.

[@euwue]

Is that why some places are silent and others have random music in place of the video/talking?

[@allie2185]

@@euwue Yes

[@christophekeating21]

Thank you for pointing this out. I was trying to figure out what was wrong with my headphones.

[@vampirewolf373]

Well of course! He's not praising them so no one needs to hear they're music in his video! Especially since the pieces muted were the some of the worst and most disappointing numbers in the flick. At this point we're lucky they haven't tried to have it taken down. 😡

[@BlindTruths]

I kept trying to figure out what was wrong!! Omg it was driving me crazy. What’s funny is he played chunks of what they kept muting before in the video!!

[@RannXXV]

Sum up the problems with two words: actor worship. This movie was made for everyone to squee over these actors... that's why they sing about themselves instead of each other, why the music was performed around them singing instead of the other way around, etc. The musical numbers were just an afterthought to displaying the actors, which is why zero thought was given to the music or story at all.

[@MonnyArcade]

^^^ this is 100% IT!!

[@browncoat697]

Pretty much. That $200 million budget has to have mostly gone to securing huge names: Taylor Swift, Jason DeRulo, Judy Dench, Ian McKellen, Jennifer Hudson, so on, these are all people who can demand a fatass paycheck because of their star power. I sure as shit know that if I'm Ian McKellen I'm not showing up and doing a half-removed impression of a character I already portrayed for 15 years while saying "meow meow meow" for anything less than the price of a new mansion. So to bring down the cost, you gotta accommodate the actors' egos too! That means that instead of being sung _about_ (the Gumby Cat section portrayed that pretty well, the Gumby Cat barely says anything about herself and most of the lyrics are delivered by the Andrew Sisters-esque trio), they have to sing it themselves, about themselves, about how awesome and cool they are, and then the music is bent to fit them instead of them bending to fit the music as every performer in history prior has done.

[@tyranus1111]

Lol yes show off the actors that we covered in cgi

[@FelisImpurrator]

Not even. It was all, evidently, a gigantic monument to Hooper's hubris and abusive devotion to overengineered technological spectacle. Man doesn't give a shit about actors, he made them all sing until their throats risked permanent damage on Les Mis. Make no mistake, this was just the Tom Hooper Can Do Anything show.

[@designtechdk]

Jason Derulo: "Jason Derulo"

[@Lwhale.3797]

Dame Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy is still one of the most baffling Hollywood casting choices of all time. The whole thing about Dench is that she is renowned at acting while not being much of a singer. It’s why she has one of the most iconic and definitive renditions of Sondheim’s Send in the Clowns - an “easy” song to sing that carries a lot of emotion in every word and line that Ms Dench is able to execute flawlessly. But the Old Dute role needs someone with a big showy voice who can make a nonsense song feel like a big climactic showstopper. The lyrics to the last song are basically a nursery rhyme, but with the sheer power of Ken Page’s voice at 34:32 , you absolutely believe it. We found the one song that Dame Judi cannot put any emotion into. It just comes off as awkward and very unintentionally camp. This ties into Sideways’ central thesis of the 2019 movie completely failing to get the point of the original while trading some misplaced sense of “authenticity” for actual good music in a fucking musical.

[@Nadia1989]

Her agent(s) did her SO dirty is criminal

[@fuyutupx1437]

Judi Dench was the original cast for Grizabella way back. Unfortunately, she injured her foot during rehearsal. And then Elaine Paige got the role of Grizabella. So I get casting her as a nod to her history with Cats.

[@missharrington4452]

Also.. I always forget that Judi Dench was originally supposed to play Grizabella in the original stage production. As far as I know, Judi Dench is primarily a trained (and highly acclaimed!) theatre/stage and film actress. She's not a highly trained singer? The story appr goes that Judi injured herself, her ankle, I think? Which meant they then put Elaine Paige in the role. I mean... Having grown up with the stage musical VHS as the definitive version and Elaine Paige as the definitive singer of Memory BECAUSE of her trained singing and as a singer who can act! There isn't really any way you could compare Elaine Paige and Judi Dench in the same role because their skill set is completely different?! It makes me wonder if Cats 2019 was partly done to give Judi Dench that Cats show she perhaps felt she would hsve had originally? Despite the fact that arguably, Cats the stage musical would never have reached the fanbase it did WITHOUT Elaine Paige as Grizabella? Watched this for a second time, having watched it a while back and been hooked at how his rants and musical and dramatic points he makes are so understandable to us who have grown up with the stage show as the definitive version and who feel the 2019 version needed to NEVER be made! ...its such a great video Sideways, made me cackle in places... 😂 Les Mis... I can do Les Mis the stage show.. But agree Hooper should never touch a Musical again! 😂

[@princessgoldenmoon19]

I never noticed this before but Grizabella in the stage play literally has a matted coat. In the context of her being a literal cat she's depressed and won't take care of herself and she's been isolated for so long no other cat has groomed her either (showing her affection, talking to her, "touching" her etc...) it adds even more to Grisabella's pain than I even thought before. But in the movie...it doesn't look matted. She just looks boujie and well kept, it honestly makes even less sense, maybe Victoria noticed how well kept she was and just assumed she was fine. Nonetheless what a shame this adaptation went THIS badly, and I don't even like Cats.

[@ernie39]

omg I didn't notice that, what wonderful visual storytelling!! I agree; the more I understand about the play CATS the more I realize how much of a disservice the movie was (and wish we got a movie that did the source material justice)

[@Lucifersfursona]

I like when people have the complaint of like, “I’m not even fucked about the story but the art of storytelling was debased here, characterization! Visual storytelling! The purpose of visuals beyond theater of the mind!” And I’m just like yeah you get it

[@otter.mayhem]

I noticed this for the first time during this video, and it smacked me in the face when Grizabella literally belts "TOUCH ME". Cats are social groomers, so the fact she can't take care of herself yet the other cats aren't taking care of her just deeply emphasizes how ostracized she is! We cat moms know though lol Cats is truly a fantastic musical about weird cats for weird cat people lol

[@randomcitizen3939]

Bingo!

[@miss1of2]

​@@ernie39Cats barely uses the music to tell its story and I love it!!

[@Loftiest]

A *_YEAR_* since Cats? It feels like just yesterday everyone was making fun of the terrible CGI cat people

[@antsinminecraft6128]

It was, because the movie was that bad that no one forgot it sucked.

[@nerobernardino88]

Perhaps making Cats has convinced God to torture us.

[@TheSeriousPain]

2020 was so shit we're just erasing it from our memory as soon as we don't have to deal with it.

[@Superphilipp]

Well, this year hasn't felt like a year.

[@groofay]

And yet at the same time it's felt like a decade.

[@ShockedLogic]

Mulan 2020 and Cats 2019 may have both been absolute garbage, but i will slurp up all this youtube content tearing them apart for years

[@realar]

YUP.

[@IssyCoonify]

Along with Avatar and Eragon

[@beccag2758]

Legitimate rants are so cathartic to listen to😂

[@MegaSuperjavier]

same with star wars sequels and stuff i saw so many videos on those movies before actually watching them they just feel really satisfying

[@IBG000]

@@IssyCoonify oh we just pretend avatar didn’t exist

[@aspiringjoker2883]

The rage that sideways unleashed upon 56:00 was phenomenal "Tombo... TREAT IT LIKE A REAL PERFORMANCE! WHAT THEY SHIT WERE THEY DOING IN THE REHEARSALS?!" All of that shit had me rolling. Five-ish minutes of sheer, embittered, unbridled animosity.

[@verenabecker2724]

I will occasionally by sheer accident cheer myself up during moments of utter frustration just because "Hey Tom! Tommy! Tombo! MY MAN!" pops into my head. It's so fucking glorious.

[@aspiringjoker2883]

Lol my uncle is named Tommy. I've hit him with that before.

[@scarlettrayzor78]

The reason the vocalists follow the orchestra is the same reason that you stop a string of cars instead of the train at a railroad crossing. Christ have mercy

[@QuikVidGuy]

how is this the best analogy

[@strawhatsmanager]

This is the best way to explain the issue with this

[@squishyghost2259]

It also reminds me of how in early animation they used to finish the animations first and then have the voice actor do their lines, and that's why old animated movies sound and look like that, it's the voice actor trying to sync up with the drawing, not the other way around like it is now

[@adjoint_functor]

“Oh, but the crossing was built for the cars, you see. They should be able to make the creative decisions about who gets to cross.” - Tomathy Hooper

[@scarlettrayzor78]

@@christopherj.lechner4529 you're welcome!

[@jamesf.7985]

Really sucks that this video is another victim of the absolutely horrible copyright system here on youtube. Edit: For those who haven't seen the full thing, check the description.

[@MrSass-yb7dm]

Im now re watching it. Im glad I managed to see it early on before it got butchered.

[@nou5614]

I just watched it two days ago and rewatching it, I got so confused about what the heck was going on and scoured the comments for an answer.

[@deliquescencemusic]

Wow they’ve made him butcher it.

[@daphnerosales2072]

@@nou5614 Me too! I was super confused for a fat minute.

[@nell7692]

@@daphnerosales2072 did he have to cut some out? i’m just now watching it

[@zoeb3573]

Another issue no one talks about: in the original, most of the songs are about cats hyping each other up because they care for each other as a community. But the songs just... hit different when the cats sing about themselves instead. The biggest offense is Gus' song: when Jellylorum sings with him, it sounds caring and loving, she compliments who he was but still appreciates who he is. When he sings it alone in the movie, it sounds pathetic, like he longs for the past he can never get back and can only wait for death. It goes from respectful to pitiful. Same goes for other songs: when Rum Tum Tugger sings about Mr. Mistoffelees, he's hyping him up, saying "you're amazing, you can do this!". When Mr. Mistoffelees does it alone, it's like he's trying to convince himself he can do it but doesn't actually trust himself to at all until the end, it becomes awkward. When the trio of cats sings about the Gumbie Cat, they're appreciating her actions and she joins in for fun. When she sings about herself alone, it sounds like she's bragging. "Hell yeah, look how amazing I am, you are welcome for having me". It goes from fun to unsufferable. They wanted to give each actor a solo because they're popular, but with that simple change, they completely ruined the meaning of the songs for me.

[@kiascenehe]

so true!! this is exactly what i felt watching these solos. most of the time i was just embarrassed.

[@UrpleSquirrel]

Agreed! The only numbers that have the cats mostly singing about themselves are Rum Tum Tugger and Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser, which fits the characters - Tugger is pretty egotistical and wants to make sure everybody knows what he's like, and M&R are troublemakers who know that the only cats who 100% enjoy their exploits are each other so they sing a duet about the mischief they get up to.

[@fairyflight8436]

So true. I always felt like since the sing about eachother it gives it far more of a community than when they sing about themselves. It's "look how great this person is" Not "look how great I am" Rum Tum Tugger, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are able to pull it off for themselves because they seem egotistical and playful.

[@Bealzabub]

This 100%! The act of singing about your community (and occasionally yourself if you happen to be that kind of person) is not nearly the same kind of vibe as a show of people entirely singing about themselves. One of the things that I really like about the original musical is that it almost feels like you're an outsider peering into some strange fae festival that you don't understand.

[@starkman78]

@Simon Marshall the cats who sang about themselves in the original did well because those songs were written to be solo performances. It isn’t just that the changes ruined the meanings of the songs, but ruined the songs themselves. Losing the harmonies in the Old Gumbie Cat. James Cordon singing parts of Bustopher Jones that were meant for soprano voices. There are examples of that everywhere. It made the songs awkward and weak and the singers sound unskilled even the ones with decent voices.

[@sqscarlett]

Slightly off-topic, but after studying for years as a Music Education major, it is so refreshing to have a analytical deep-dive channel that focuses on music themes on an entertaining way without speaking down to the viewers and just assumes we have basic understanding of music theory. It's surprising how hard that is to find and I love it.

[@WhiteWolf-lm7gj]

And sadly he's not doing videos anymore :( not that I can blame him

[@hollum1648]

Finally a critical analysis that isn’t just “cat people bad”, from someone who knows that the musical is weird but actually does have a story and distinct characters with motivations and personalities. Bravo sir

[@firefancy9928]

It took nearly 13 months since the release of the movie, but anything would have been better then the hundreds of videos of people having tantrums over the cgi.

[@ILikedGooglePlus]

Lindsay Ellis' video is pretty good too

[@calebarsenault382]

Lindsay and Maggie Mae Smith both have pretty good videos

[@OpqHMg]

I've honestly seen several great critiques of cats by several content creators

[@sammy135_]

@@ILikedGooglePlus that's also because Lindsey was a theater kid growing up, so she understands how musicals work and how cats didn't work. It seems only theater and music people can accurately describe the issues of this movie outside of "CGI bad" which makes sense since no joe schmo is going to put in the time to understand why they hate the music and then talk about it in detail.

[@99kylies15]

1. This guy sounded like he was on the verge of crying from pure rage at times. 2. I finally understand the plot to this musical. FINALLY. Thanks for that. it's still bizarre.

[@SingingSealRiana]

Well to be fair, most musicals are wierd and you loving it is what gives them sense

[@mollymcdade4031]

Only issue with the plot recap is that not all the cats (#NotAllCats) want to die. The majority of the younger cats (Mungo and Rumple, Misto, Rum Tum Tugger etc.) are just there as bystanders. The older cats like Gus and Bustopher Jones are the ones ‘auditioning’ to die, the other cats are just introducing themselves to the audience or each other (like Mungo and Rumple literally crash the party). But yeah even then it doesn’t really make sense. It’s not so much a plot as a framing device, mainly because apart from Memory all of these songs are TS Elliot poems that have no connection outside of being about cats.

[@brooklynnking6652]

yea... I've done Cats and there is basically no plot. We had to make our own little plots to try to drive our plots as specific characters, which was fun, but yea. Everyone asked what it was about and we just pointed to the front of the playbill. It's called Cats and its just about Cats

[@stingerjohnny9951]

@@brooklynnking6652 It’s about a tribe of cats deciding who will have the honor of being ritualistically sacrificed and reincarnated into the next generation. At least that’s what I read from it.

[@brooklynnking6652]

@@stingerjohnny9951 Yea lmao I've done the show but they mention it in the beginning and it doesn't come back til the end otherwise it's just songs describing cats

[@dias8935]

tom hooper just looked at a photo of the cast of cats and went "oh the one in white really stands out, shes the main cat right?" and noone corrected him

[@MaskedReviews]

Seriously, has ANYONE told him 'no'? For ANYTHING!?

[@caramelldansen2204]

People have always told me bourgeois culture is white supremacist, but I didn't know it was to this extent! XD

[@alexlefay]

AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN STAND OUT IN THE MOVIE! ALL THE CATS LOOKED MUDDY GREY

[@sadwasdead5065]

@@alexlefay seriosuly, in the original i could tell which was which, but here they all look the same (with only a few exceptions)

[@TheRadioknight]

It feels like he never even saw CATS befor

[@scottguitar28]

It's so depressing to me that this thoughtful analysis is often interrupted by copyright claim muting throughout.

[@HadassaMoon144]

Doesn't he still have a link to a copy that isn't full of copyright mutes? In the description.

[@user-sl3po6tk4w]

@@HadassaMoon144 They struck that video too unfortunately

[@danceyjohnson1375]

Can we just talk about how INCREDIBLE the singing was in the original Cats movie? Like, goddamnnn - especially when compared to....well.

[@Thehijosh]

The older version of Memory was so good too.

[@amandapr1me]

So, very strangely, the singing in the 1998 version was prerecorded, whereas the music in the Hooper version was recorded live a la Les Mis. Of course the performers in 1998 were real Broadway performers and they have MUCH better chops and could have done it live, it's just a really interesting observation and juxtaposition.

[@Haley123ful]

@@amandapr1me obviously the singing in the 1998 was prerecorded; did you see the amount and type of dancing they all had to do throughout each song? There’s no way anyone, even a pro, could dance *and* sing that well simultaneously in each and every song of a 2 hour live performance.

[@kaemincha]

Seriously. Memory being the only song I ever knew, but it still has so much impact. And I didn't realize how angelic Jemima's voice was in the OG either!

[@thomasinlockwood_]

Jemima was dubbed I believe. But yes, the singing is brilliant!

[@mosesyu1028]

"I'm starting to question if there's a 100% literacy rate in Hollywood directors" Amazing

[@alexandresobreiramartins9461]

Well, there certainly is a high level of imbecility. And I'm using the medical term.

[@randomwerewolf1099]

The fact that Hooper was apparently surprised to find out he could direct the orchestra like he would direct actors is ... something. I don't know what but it's something. Perhaps it would've been better if he'd never found out and the conductor might have had a bit more control.

[@FalconV7000]

I'd be surprised if it was 50%

[@petrelli231]

Between Hooper not understanding musicals, Snyder not understanding comics, and Abrams not understanding *finishing your mystery before you publish it*, I'd recon there's at best a 60& rate.

[@meghanhenderson6682]

It would explain a lot of book adaptations.

[@Goat-on-a-Stick]

I don't really watch musicals, and I've never seen cats, but this guy was able to hold my attention for a solid hour talking about it. That's how well this was made.

[@Fernybeme]

Same, i just clicked because i wondered what this was about. Then i saw how long it was, but i couldn't click away 😅

[@Goat-on-a-Stick]

@@Fernybeme "I'm probably not gonna watch all this" *later* "I have to watch this to the end now." *even later* "I've finished it and I still want more"

[@tsgriffin]

Same! Never seen any version of cats, and the only musical-ish things I've seen that it referenced was maybe the Disney movies. It showed up in my recommended, somehow, so I clicked on it without even looking at how long it was. Then when it ended I literally said, "Holy crap that was an hour?!" It did such a good job with painting a picture of just what a cluster-fvk-abomination of a movie cats was, I was captivated and utterly fascinated the entire time.

[@dangtuandung2423]

Can someone explain to me what the problem in the "Macavity the ginger cat" part in 38:42 is, please ? My English is really bad so I don't understand what's wrong in that part :((

[@Fernybeme]

@@dangtuandung2423 as stated before i don't know much of the lore, but the lyrics say what the cat looks like and it does not match the appearance of the cat on the screen.

[@MegCazalet]

“This whole show is ‘Memory’ and two-and-a-half-hours of justifying the existence of ‘Memory’”. Brilliant 🎉

[@Woesteinvuir]

"You spent enough money to fund a quarter of a space shuttle." The outrage in that line alone is worth my patreon subscription.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

Sadly I don't have the financial resources to support Sideways, but I always love his vids

[@kp4692]

Can you give a timestamp?

[@kswinton2666]

@@kp4692 58:50

[@kp4692]

@@kswinton2666 thanks! I love that bit too lololol

[@bemasaberwyn55]

@@kp4692 58:50 ish

[@tp4055]

This movie-length video by a KZbinr is more interesting than the actual movie made by a professional studio

[@evfike01]

Holy shit your right

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

You are absolutely right. The most unfair part is that CATS was originally going to be an animated movie directed by Steven Spielberg but later scrapped for unknown reasons.

[@haraldisdead]

I watched the whole thing, and I've watched Lindsay ellises video essay multiple times. I've never seen Cats. 😆

[@jadeatrophis]

Just like MauLer’s TLJ and TFA Critiques!

[@Laife]

I watched 50 minutes and then just realised I'd just watched 50 minutes

[@Omahdon]

Came here not knowing anything about Cats beyond the memes. Stayed for the impressive breakdown, both technical and emotional. And possibly psychological?

[@yellobanana6456]

Same. I just like listening to people talk about things they're passionate about.

[@HadassaMoon144]

I'm glad. I love this musical. I've seen it live twice and of course have the 1998 DVD. I wish they'd used that talented cast to remake this musical in a modern way without the horrible fur technology. I was really SAD to see the waste of potential. It's supposed to be a spectacle! Just let the people dance!

[@jezpin3638]

He is Great isn't he. I am not naturally drawn to music but this whole channel has explained more about what I like and why then I realized was even a thing.

[@WhiteWolf-lm7gj]

Only *possibly* ?

[@rokamayono2312]

Same

[@emilyavila4308]

Full respect to Steven McRae (skimbleshanks) for being the best part of the movie. His song is the most fun to listen to, and it’s fun watching him dance. Jason does good with what he was given as well. The two of them carried the movie. They couldn’t take it far. But at least there bits are bearable

[@ApocGenesis]

Before: Gee this looks interesting but I don't know much about musicals One hour later: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MUSIC, TOM HOOPER? Edit: Why is there music removed? This is criticism--doesn't that count as fair use?

[@Promatim]

We were sleeper agents for Big Musical all along. We have been activated.

[@SylvanApe]

It's like he used staples, STAPLES people!

[@nancykerrigan]

Right?! I thought I've seen all the reviews i needed to see about this movie but this took the cake!

[@thezplayer3002]

@@SylvanApe What is staple? (Seriously)

[@jonathandpg6115]

Right he is so good at explaining things and it’s super interesting to learn about it as well.

[@theroadstopshere]

Dear God, the copyright claims against this poor video were brutal. I loved the breakdown and comparative examples given, and it made me super sad when the blank sections and copyright free tunes had to be cut in to try and protect the video.

[@silentsparrow8880]

Thank you for explaining this. I was so confused by the gaps. This is a genius video and I hate they did copyright strikes against it!

[@timothymclean]

My reaction to it swung between irritation, to amusement, to hilarity, to irritation, to amusement, to frustration. Possibly I missed a couple of beats? It was a roller coaster.

[@kaylynns8878]

​@@timothymclean Even then the "amusement" and "Hilarity" parts are done specifically b/c Sideways is trying to make the best out of a shitty situation. The fact that this is copyright claimed is really depressing and feels blatantly like trying to silence bad press. I can't link it b/c youtube but Sideways has a tweet about UMG sending 3 manual copyright claims all at once forcing him to use up all 3 counter claims to combat them. Granted, my knowledge of all of this is very limited, but 3 simultaneous copyright claims for one video seems excessive and unnecessary. The whole thing just really sucks. :\

[@scottvarley3823]

Yep, they robbed him of his explanations especially at some of his key points.

[@eEdselEdsel]

@@silentsparrow8880 I force stopped and cleared cache on my phone twice because I thought it was something on my end. Lol

[@anikagrace7530]

Coming back to watch this video and seeing all the spaces where it got copyright claimed is like walking into a town, picking up a worn poster blown by the wind into your foot, and looking into the middle distance like “something bad happened here...”

[@IuckyDucky123]

Is that what the random spurts of music or where it just goes quiet

[@anikagrace7530]

@@IuckyDucky123 Yep! It means those sections got copyright claimed and he has to either replace them or take down the whole video. When it was first released the actual songs were there.

[@pinkajou656]

Exactly.

[@dayceem]

For god sake, doesn't 'fair use' include excerpts of artistic works for comparison purposes. This copyright junk is going too far. Upshot - this excellent dissertation is rendered useless.

[@ZeroOmega-vg8nq]

@@dayceem it should but the music industry and big tech want to maintain control.

[@XxBunnytailxX]

Another thing visual-wise: Their scale keeps changing. Sometimes they're as small as mice, other times they're scaled to more cat-like dimensions. Makes it feel even more like a nightmare.

[@erinwantenaar7206]

THANK YOU 😂😂 feels like a bad trip with the scaling 😂😂

[@cameronhumphreys2309]

Seeing the guy whose violin string broke just swap with the guy behind him and keep playing is oddly badass

[@Vely1]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGmZqaKbhqaJd5Y Here's the full video in case you're interested.

[@doublea8462]

that's Ray Chen one of the amazing soloists of our time (he also has a great sense of humor in his skits in his instagram and youtube)

[@jenniferchough]

The pianist right before that footage who is giving the "WTF" face is even better @56:12. He was there for a very high level competition. There was a mix up and the orchestra played the wrong music and so that face ensues but he picks up the cue immediately and plays the piece that he was not prepared for since the orchestra just chugged on. The competition masters later wrote an apology to him and asked him back but he declined. How stressful and unfair for that guy, though.

[@cameronhumphreys2309]

@@Vely1 thank you very much

[@AnderGdeT]

@@doublea8462 Also, and adding to Mr. Yeet, he has appeared in a comical (but educational) setting in collaborations with Two Set Violin.

[@Hildegardvonblingin]

This filled me with a rage I cannot express. Hooper needs to never be allowed to touch a musical again.

[@starsun6363]

Amen, my Sister Blingen

[@Coelacantha]

I love your music!!

[@crustybagelll8022]

I think this needs to be a national law. Edit: Holy hell this is the most likes I’ve ever gotten thank u guys so much 🥺

[@Yumiyuri]

Oh my god, Dame Hildegard is here too

[@dialecticsjunkie7653]

Much agreed. Why someone as tone-deaf (literally) as Hooper is obsessed with making so many musicals is beyond me. "I literally don't like music, let me direct musicals!"

[@orionh5535]

I didn't think I need more "Cats is horrible" hot takes on cats, but I was wrong

[@Imponderabilia995]

This doesn’t seem to be a hot take at all 😊 maybe that’s what you needed ^^

[@jbvader721]

Hal...it's about cats.

[@friend_trilobot]

I agree. I feel like Cats 2019 required some explanation - its a monstrosity that needs exorcising - but most people explained it as "look at this obvious monstrosity, isn't it obviously monstrous?" Which isn't satisfying nor does it explain it. But this video actually provides an insightful analysis both for the musical's existence and the movie's horrors, beyond the obvious "uncanny valley" nature of the effects.

[@ACGreyhound04]

I think part of the reason the original Cats musical worked is because a lot of people have real cats, and we know that cats are weird, so a story about the secret lives of cats would also be very weird, so we can suspend our disbelief and care about the Alice and Wonderland world the show creates.

[@RosesTeaAndASD]

Agreed. Also, in a theatre it was just set in a simple junk yard - nothing distracting - which made it easier to focus on the performers and the story itself. The movie tried to create an over the top real world story that just took away the immersion.

[@mastermarkus5307]

That's one of the reasons that I don't think of all the touching as too strange or even sometimes sexual like a lot of other people do because... that's just kind of how cats are.

[@Aimi_Kaneko]

@@mastermarkus5307Thank you!

[@c.w.8200]

​@@mastermarkus5307💯 That's why the toxic masculinity boys will proclaim how they hate cats, they are so openly affectionate in a more physical way than dogs, I think that's part of it.

[@flickcentergaming680]

​@@mastermarkus5307 that's actually a really good point. Cats are always touching each other and the things they love. For example, my cat likes to be RIGHT next to you, and she'll fall asleep ON your feet.

[@Mechabang]

Someone asked Andrew Loyd Webber, the creator of the play, what he thought of the movie and he replied that he left the cinema and adopted a dog. The movie "Cats" made the creator one of the most famous Broadway musicals of modern times to become a dog person!

[@stingerjohnny9951]

That’s just…incredible. Webber is such a legend XD

[@soupalex]

why, was he a "cat person" before the film adaptation? you wouldn't know it from seeing the musical (yes, i know that the musical drew heavily from t.s. elliot, but webber is not blameless, and i doubt anyone who had anything to do with its production had ever actually seen or interacted with an actual cat in their lives)

[@stingerjohnny9951]

@@soupalex Would you please elaborate? I personally haven’t seen the play, so I wouldn’t know.

[@vinetail5735]

@@stingerjohnny9951 the Broadway show takes so much inspiration from actual cat movements, at least the choreographers for pretty much every choreo I've seen knows how cats move

[@stingerjohnny9951]

@@vinetail5735 what you just said is the polar opposite of what Soupalex said. Honestly the little I saw of the stage from this video shows the actors being remarkably cat like.

[@mousermind]

This man's righteous fury at the mishandling of CATS is much appreciated.

[@thunderlighting2006]

Agreed when it first came out some friends told me "it did a great honor to the musical" and I just walked away cuz I just couldn't

[@shadelings]

@@thunderlighting2006 You must be friends with Zach of the Try Guys because that's literally the only person I've ever heard say that they love the CATS movie.

[@estebanquinones5918]

Mishandling is not even close to being a strong word as to what they did with this movie.

[@thunderlighting2006]

@@shadelings i literally lost respect for Zach after he said that Cats was his favorite movie

[@shadelings]

@@thunderlighting2006 Yeah, love the Try Guys but not gonna lie, I kind of did too a little, at least I was extremely disappointed to hear him say it the first time I heard it. But still, he's definitely a quirky guy and I suspect he plays that up on purpose as he has brought up the fact that he loves CATS movie on other Try Guys episodes. But yeah, that's a flimsy excuse for him, I admit, but he's Zach, and I just have a hard time being mad at him. ;)

[@fulla1]

I can't believe, that I just watched someone ranting for over an hour about a movie I haven't seen, based on a musical, I only know the main song of..... and still had sooo much fun.

[@ManticorePinion]

The ranting was entertaining on its own merit. Now don't do what I did and go listen to the one good song and get it stuck in your head for two weeks.

[@pumpkinspiceart6018]

Sameee

[@blissclair9743]

me too. I even got mad along with him.

[@OttoGrainer27]

Unlike you, I actually DIDN'T know the main song, until now. I literally knew nothing about cats, yet heard that melody my whole life thinking it was some Hollywood opera or something.

[@CeltycSparrow]

Me too. I've watched my fair share of musicals, but I have never seen Cats. And I only know about Memory, because I watched the movie Jersey Girl once and they made a joke of it because the little girl's school was doing a presentation and EVERYBODY but her sang Memory from Cats. She sang God That's Good from Sweeney Todd and made her teacher faint. I DID enjoy his perspective though. lol

[@galactics]

i still can never believe that they put that clip of the director saying he needed a break in the special features, as if it makes the production look cool and not like they treated their staff like crap

[@YelenaSkunky]

Damage control. It was well-known that he treated the orchestra horribly during the filming of "Les Miserables". I guess, Hooper's next special features would be about him being sweet and decent towards the CGI team.

[@mammoneymelon]

i am BAFFLED that they kept in the director's frustrations as if it was some kind of brag

[@YelenaSkunky]

@@mammoneymelon, he was suffering for the art.

[@nonebody2601]

“Do you want a cocktail” bro the man needed a BREAK and a better director

[@LindsayEllisVids]

Tomathy Hooper

[@eclipsedbadger]

Any time we get a Cats review, we realize Cats was the real MENACE all along.

[@Tomfish3000]

Why is Tomathy Hooper?

[@jacklynthomas0]

Ah, a cameo appearance Lindsay Ellis The Menace!

[@elizabethhunley4020]

Just... How?? Did this get all the way to theaters

[@haraldisdead]

You too got me into fucking Cats. Thanks a lot 🙄🙄🙄

[@GreatFlamingEyebrows_]

Why does Tom Hooper, a guy who clearly doesn’t like musicals keep directing musicals

[@atlasbradford6535]

I think that he likes them because he knows they move people, and he, too, is moved by the originals. He's trying to alter the musicals for film in such a way that they move even more people than the originals did. However, he lacks any of the technical knowledge needed to take creative liberties with shows widely considered to be exceptional. It's like giving a toddler expensive paints simply because they love Van Gogh - while their dreams may be masterpieces, they still only have experience with crayons.

[@OpqHMg]

@@atlasbradford6535 I honestly don't think he likes them or gets them. I can't imagine anyone who likes them destroying the music like he does

[@AidanXavier1]

Maybe he thinks he can "fix" them

[@allenl5960]

@@OpqHMg He could just have a really bad ear for music. I love music, and I really like the music from Cats I find on youtube, but I can barely notice half the mistakes pointed out in this video without re-listening and paying really close attention to the beat and such. Heck, even most of the really obvious ones I can't really catch without having it pointed out first.

[@outside8312]

He needs to let it out, let it out, let it out I'm not sorry

[@theinfantmetroid]

"toUUCH MEE" "SHE LITERALLY JUST DID????" HELP I CANT I HAVE A COLD AND KEEP CHOKING ON MY LAUGHTER

[@p0mp0mpudding-YT]

Your profile picture I-

[@yellowjellow5744]

my dude your profile picture could cause people ptsd attacks lmao

[@kyawya312]

Are you sure that it's only your laughter?

[@friendlywale]

@@yellowjellow5744 what’s the pfp?

[@WobblesandBean]

Feel better soon!

[@kristianpettersen3962]

Thank you. I had forgotten Jemima’s role in the stage show. And connecting up the physicalness of Cats with the story of acceptance *by touch* is a thing I had understood, but could never articulate. So if the 2019 movie did nothing else good, it made you make this, and it is beautiful. Thank you.

[@ApocryphalFish]

You have explained the plot of Cats better than anyone I know

[@KelciaMarie1]

Agreed!

[@MajorAfro]

I’ve watched Cats with my sisters maybe a hundred times and we love it for its silliness. But I NEVER knew it had an actual story.😅

[@ardinhelme687]

I'm particularly fond of the Bowser's castle analogy

[@jrpggolf]

A cat cult gets together to decide which cat get sacrificed; what’s not to get.

[@Rocksteady72a]

Probably better than whoever explained the plot to the director of the movie apparently

[@Kayworx]

This is the first Cats video essay I've seen that actually says "the stage production is good, actually" instead of just "the whole thing is a mess and should never have been made" and I really appreciate that.

[@Kabbaway]

Definitely - the show itself is very misunderstood and dismissed because it’s more of a concept musical than the more conventional type with protagonists, plot etc. It’s great and unique 😊

[@maggie5990]

You should definitely check out Maggie Mae Fish’s video essay on Cats and T.S. Elliot.

[@maikenzupancicdanko9377]

Right? And it pisses me off so much because before the film came out, the stage version was generally regarded as a good musical, both by audiences and critics, it was a kind of a weird little classic. No one thought it was ugly, or attacked it for 'having no story', they understood that it was an odd, dreamy spectacle, and great at that.

[@sandra-kq3mj]

Lindsay Ellis video essay seemed like, while she didn’t personally get Cats, she still understood the why and where the musical worked where the movie didn’t.

[@mcwyman7928]

@@maikenzupancicdanko9377 In theatre circles, there are actually a LOT of snobs who dismiss and deride Cats, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's work in general, for being populist trash with no substance. And this was even before Cats the movie came out. There's been debates about this even dating back to when Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" beat Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" at the Tonys for Best Musical in 1988. To many people both familiar and unfamiliar with musical theatre, Cats' success is dumbfounding.

[@bevinhunter8204]

as a lifelong CATS hater i can’t believe that you got me to not only understand CATS but appreciate the beauty of the story,,, im having an identity crisis now thanks

[@marieraie]

NO BECAUSE SAME HAHA-

[@liteflightify]

No, it’s still sh*t.

[@marieraie]

@@liteflightify john🤧

[@DinfarManshad]

the musical is actually pretty ok. I mean, their costumes are 100% better than the cgi stuff they did from the film.

[@Toothachess]

Same

[@bazzjedimaster]

Even without any particular musical knowledge just hearing the 1998 pro shot ost to the ost of the current movie, you can instantly tell the superior quality in the older score, and is not just the performers.

[@singenstattatmen5096]

I pray every day that Tom Hooper will watch this whole entire video and realize what he's done.

[@franziskasanders3943]

I would love a reaction of the entire cast of Cats 2019 + Hooper and Webber with the 1998 cast. The 2019 cast could finally see what a wonderful musical Cats is and how mostly Hooper ruined it!

[@ProstatePuncher]

I doubt he could handle criticism, especially from someone who knows/cares more about the shows he "directs".

[@paulinegallagher7821]

Its not just his fault; the only mistake he made was trying to film an unfilmable, terrible musical.

[@Junkyardproduxtions]

@@paulinegallagher7821 dammit you beat me to it.

[@siph0r154]

Well. It's your perogative to call Cats terrible, millions of people disagree with you there and probably about as much chime in, but what I want to focus on is the *unfilmable* part. Because nothing really is *unfilmable*. Not everything is able to be turned in a summer blockbuster, but there are more movie types than that. However if they wanted to make a film with a protagonist, still a dumb idea but okay, they should have chosen Jamima for it. Basically having her learn of the tragedy and make the 3rd act climax dependant on her support like the show.

[@shiriperech4965]

I watched an hour's worth of roasting the Cats movie without watching the Cats movie and I enjoyed it

[@pinkajou656]

100 PERCENT YES AGREED

[@chloeelimam3899]

This but also I've never seen or heard the stage performance 😂

[@rubykauffman8940]

BIG SAMEEEE

[@CrisisghostOM]

What makes it better is that is roasting full of totally valid reasons and fundaments

[@rebbecawitt581]

@@chloeelimam3899 OMG SAME

[@shaurmiath6719]

"YOU SPENT ENOUGH MONEY TO FUND A QUARTER OF A SPACE SHUTTLE to try and make a movie that captures the majesty of dance and you made it IMPOSSIBLE to keep to a beat in at least HALF of these numbers" I think, says exactly what is wrong with this movie at its most basic level.

[@MikeWeiner]

Agreed.

[@justdb4]

@@npcimknot958 wait they are not still doing that... they actually have gotten smarter with money..... since when... lol

[@WhiteWolf-lm7gj]

@@justdb4 uhh what

[@justdb4]

@@WhiteWolf-lm7gj it was just a joke on Hollywood wasting money.

[@WhiteWolf-lm7gj]

@@justdb4 I just... The order of your words confuses me

[@enigmadrath1780]

I watched Disney's Wish thinking "Man ...... I wish Sideways was still around to tear this movie a new one."

[@sonofaspyder3000]

He’ll be back soon and he’s said that he will cover it! I’m so excited

[@gokuxsephiroth4505]

@@sonofaspyder3000 Great news! He's my fav music guy and boy howdy does Wish have some music worth ripping apart

[@alinamirgorodskayaalina2129]

I love how this video was made 3 years ago and people still go back to watch it and even go to reread the comments. Really tells that this video about the movie is better than the actual movie. Also thank you for this comment! I'll be looking forward to Sideways returning with new stuff!

[@emistyledxd545]

I wish he’d tear into the little mermaid remake. Like, I know a ton of people already did but this is my musical education.

[@Hyurno]

Holy shit this hurt me WHY DID THEY DO THE WHOLE TEMPO THING SO COMPLICATED I WANT TO CRY

[@coquine2002]

The conductor wanted to cry as well!

[@adjoint_functor]

Probably because they're that kind of person who thinks using feelings and just does whatever sounds the most "free" or whatever, even if it completely goes against all logic

[@jarlyd5565]

hyurno? my favorite vocaloid cover artist turned spanish animation youtuber? never thought id see you here

[@MiklaneTrane]

Honestly, it reads as a really colossal failure to understand what music is, at the basest level. I'm not a musicologist, so don't quote me, but to me, the two most important elements of music are rhythm and pitch. If you say, "Eh, screw the tempo, sing it however you want and we'll have the musicians figure it out later," you're gonna have a really hard time maintaining that basic element of rhythm!

[@chia-weihsu660]

that's called passive copy right protection

[@raquelp.1267]

The downgrade they gave Mr. Mistoffelees in the movie is almost criminal. His number is one of the best in the original show!

[@amranth5946]

HONESTLY! Although- the ONE thing I like better about the movies number is that he acts more nervous so he’s less confident but the plays dance number is SO MUCH better

[@benjaminersgaard7640]

They definitly took a risk with Mistoffelees character, but I personally think it works. With a show that honors uniqueness, it's nice to see a character that actually has some insecurities.

[@isisraspberry2565]

When I tell you that ok so first my mom is a dancer so she is in love with musicals so obviously we love anything Andrew loyd Webber I was SO mad in his part I wanted to throw a bowling ball at the screen

[@supremememersnoke7350]

Which really isn't saying much. Cats (both the play & the movie) f*cking sucks.

[@Gabe413]

@@supremememersnoke7350 you take that back right now, the musical is awesome

[@Sacrosanctity451]

Imagine getting copy-striked for a valid criticism.

[@matthewfloyd2195]

You don't have to imagine it - it actually happened! Not surprising considering that Universal and UMG had also covered up a massive archival fire that ended up destroying the original master tapes for a century's worth of artists. The joys of bureaucracies valuing copyright over both art and artists... :(

[@cammo353]

@@matthewfloyd2195 Oh is this why there's random cuts in audio in the video?

[@matthewfloyd2195]

​@@cammo353 Sadly yes it is the reason why! Sideways had to insert random cuts so that his video would stay up, as UMG had claimed it as violating copyright.... despite him critically reviewing/analyzing the film, which does count as fair use. Even for terrible media, corporations will always exploit systems just to claim ownership of their property rights, almost aways at the common good's expense. :(

[@capacraft2735]

Yeah I thought that it was playing on the different things they were playing in the performers ears.

[@MontageLegacy]

Did anybody actually download the original one?

[@mfraye12]

One of the biggest misconceptions about Cats, and one that Hooper put in his own version too, is that all of the cats are competing to go to the Heaviside Layer. The Jellicle Ball is not meant to be a competition (confirmed as far as I've seen by several actors from the stage prodcutions, the original choreographer, and ALW himself). The cats are performing and showing off simply because that is what is traditionally done at the ball. They sing and dance together to show affection and validate their belonging to the tribe, which emphasizes Grizabella's lack of belonging, and therein is the plot hook. They're not going "this is why *I* should be chosen". In most of the cases that doesn't make sense. Most of the songs about aren't even sung BY the cat that the song is about, but instead by another who is affectionately going "isn't this cat awesome? We love them." People are just desperate for there to be more of a plot than there really is. The musical is literally just cats dancing around and singing poems by TS Elliot. Once you stop overthinking it and embrace the absurdity, it's actually really lovely. Anyway the 2019 thing is still a dumpster fire though lmao.

[@ceejno7861]

THANK you. If I see one more take on 'It's a DEATH CULT and they all want to DIE!' I will drop-kick a laptop. Most of them are just vibing! The tone isn't even slightly morbid. They're not even singing at Old Deuteronomy, he's not there for the first few songs at all. If anything, they're introducing the cats to the audience. This is easily the most misunderstood musical of all time. (Including by Tom Hooper, clearly.)

[@kimy770]

Only one word is needed: THIS.

[@fukkthisnewupdate8882]

not everything needs to have some deep meaning to exist. some things just exist

[@excessivelyfangirlingbookw3339]

Agreed. Even Sideways gets it somewhat wrong or at least seems confused by it… It’s really not that deep. I always saw it as a class reunion, where people go „do you remember this person? They did __ in school“ for the entire evening, because the introductory song states that these cats only meet up once a year, so it stands to reason that not every cat knows every other cat.

[@Al-hc7vl]

I feel so bad for the orchestra. I've been a musician my whole life and their suffering is felt..... rip legends

[@danielemazzali9810]

F

[@3twibles4sweetrevenge]

I'm musically illiterate

[@leovang3425]

@@3twibles4sweetrevenge imagine your job is to fill bottles with water but the person next to you who makes the bottles keeps making the bottle different sizes. you cannot go off of how long you would expect a bottle to fill because every bottle is different and you are now less efficient.

[@ariuss3009]

@@leovang3425 and think that you are doing that without seeing the bottles. You can only hear them and measure the time.

[@drawnwithlove3499]

@@leovang3425 so rhythm heaven but worse

[@HonkeyKongLive]

There's a reason live rock bands have one rule: follow the drummer, and the drummer's job is to stay exactly on tempo. If the band tried to conform to the vocalist, every love performance would completely collapse.

[@anarchohannibalism]

slightly unrelated but this is why led zeppelin were unique, because their drummer actually followed the lead guitarist. as a drummer myself i can confirm bonzo was insane.

[@matthewcrossley1807]

@@anarchohannibalism I'm not big on led zeppelin, and I'm not much of an expert on music, so could you go into some detail about his that paradigm in Led Zeppelin affected their music? :)

[@nobodybutaghost]

I'm a percussionist (a glorified dummer that gets rainsticks and castanets to fuck around with) and I can confirm in most ever level of band, they follow the drummer. I follow the conductor, the band follows me and the conductor. (I should also say, this isn't a rock band, but a highschool concert band.) When there's no conductor, I'm the one who counts us in, I say how fast we go, I'm in charge because of the importance of rhythm. Of course I get plenty of help from the rest of the band from their cues in the music. (on some sheets i actually have brass cues above my music to know where things fit) the most I'm off the reins is do improvisational Jazz, I pick a beat (swing or rock usually) and the band plays to that I just chill and when there's a pause or somewhere that deserves it I'll put in a lil fill (a fill is me hitting as many things as I want as quickly as I want, they usually are used for transitions) So honestly the thought of following, let's say, one singular flute (could be any instrument) is horrifying, especially because almost everyone in my band (we have like 12 people in total so dw) has confessed that they can't count. So following a sax, that can't count, sends shivers down my spine. Now all 11 people trying their best to play together but none of them are listening to me and how fast I'm going, we've all got earplugs in or something. Is an actual fucking nightmare. I know I'm being over dramatic but that would be a shit show.

[@STRiPESandShades]

See also "That Thing You Do!" for a (fictional) example of this

[@tracevance5914]

A part of the reason why Peter Criss was fired from KISS. Due to disagreements within the band, he started to purposely speed up and slow down during live shows, throwing the rest of the band off beat. After he started doing that, he's ass was swiftly fired, and replaced.

[@emerson-biggons7078]

Anyone else get distracted at the attractive cast of the original cats and then the second the "movie" cuts in you just retract your skull like a turtle. Edit: when I say attractive I dont just mean sexual, I mean how the design draws the eye.

[@AzureRoxe]

They're obviously outfits, but there's a beauty and realism to it taking into account they're obviously humans. The younger cats have smaller fur, the older ones have a bit longer, the fur looks more like it's a dress, Grizabella clearly looks a street cat that's on her last legs [her fur is heavily matted and extremely long, she actively looks weak and that's even the point when she falls during Memory]. The CGI just looks.....odd. It tries so hard to make them look like literal cats [which is quite clearly NOT the point of the show, none of them realistic] that it makes them all look bad.

[@shelby4355]

@@AzureRoxe Yes, exactly! The thing I liked the most about the stage costumes is that they used the actors' hair to _suggest_ the shape of a cat's head, ears and cheeks and everything. The cats in the movie look really weirdly bald in comparison, with the kind-of exceptions of Old Deut and the Rum Tum Tugger. The attempt at realism just makes them all look more fake.

[@jellyfish0311]

Yeah, I still don't feel comfortable with the costumes but they're eye catching. Really fitting for the spectacle.

[@catalayalafaye5337]

Honestly I would love the musical just for how aesthetically pleasing the costumes look.

[@Radio-sj5th]

So true. The costumes are really good in the original then the CGI is just.... Really really ugly and weird

[@Portal2LabRat]

this video is directly responsible for me becoming a cats 1998 stan. sideways i genuinely want to thank you for getting me interested in something i otherwise might not have given a shot

[@moleperson]

The original costumes for the musical had so much character. Granted they were SUPER weird, but so were the characters. The costumes had so much personality, and seemed to represent each character. That’s what made the CGI hurt so much for me. These are literally just cats. I feel bad for any artist that had to work on this if they saw the original musical, must’ve wanted to quit their jobs.

[@americankid7782]

At one point they all had CGI buttholes

[@James-wd9ib]

If just you stare at the movie actors long enough, they stop looking weird. They even stop being creepy. And then you blink, just even for a second, and it's the entire werido-rama booboo freakypoo all over again. Why did god give me eyes

[@francisnewlandnewland]

Weird and makes children whimper. It's what some critics are calling the "uncanny valley".

[@yukaiyami]

I took a Teather Costume class (sorry dunno if that’s how you say it in English) and a joke my professor would constantly say was “when your client doesn’t listen to what YOU know is best for the play’s costumes, you have to just shut up and cry all the way to the bank with your cheque”. Something tells me that’s what happened with this movie as well…

[@portobeIIa]

not only that, with the costuming, you can even tell apart some traits from the characters. they're not an amorphous blob with cat characteristics. Deuteronomy and Grizabella have clumpy coats because they're big, rugged street cats with matted fur. The house cats arent just fat, they also either have flowy dangles to channel silky fur. Younger cats have more youthful makeup as well, and you can TELL OLDER FROM YOUNGER CATS solely by the way they dance when theyre around grizabella! now imagine all that and throw it out the window. because in the movie, the only thing telling you which cat is which is what face has been face swapped into the cat youre seeing.

[@kzatx5350]

It seems like Tom Hooper just has some weird personal vendetta against musicians. He seems to enjoy making their work especially hellish

[@aspiringjoker2883]

Yeah that's one thing I felt. Like the whole story of how hooper treated his orchestra sounded abusive.

[@otter.mayhem]

It's like he's trying to get some weird praise. Like as if he feels like he had this big vision and made it come true despite these super huge annoying hurdles like tempo lmfao. It's truly unfortunate he keeps being allowed to butcher some of the most gorgeous stage music ever, and then THATS the version people know.

[@josephschultz3301]

@@otter.mayhem I'm just thrilled that it probably won't happen for Tommy-Tom-Tombo a third time. Sure, Le Mis (2012) _somehow_ stumbled ass-backwards into 3 Academy Awards, but the sheer embarrassing trainwreck that is Cats (2019) has all but ensured that he won't have this level of creative control over a musical again. They might let him direct another, but he'll have far less freedom to actively fuck-up everything. That's my bet and I'm placing it.

[@uneasyanduncertain]

its like he thinks hes revolutionary, but doesnt realise nobody else is doing what hes doing because its just a bad idea

[@georgethompson913]

It sounds like he thought direxting an orchestra is no different than an actor.

[@maximumlength5052]

i think maybe one of the biggest problems with Cats (2019) is that it's a musical about how vanity and self-service is ultimately less important than compassion towards each other... and then they cast celebrities in it.

[@sydnickiB]

When I saw Jennifer Hudson, a pretty young woman not aged up in any way, being Grizabella I knew they were gonna mess up the purpose of her character

[@bowmanc.7439]

Thank you! Everyone keep saying she’s the only good part of the movie, or her talent is wasted on this. But she is so poorly casted for this role! She can’t sing like a withering mangy cat, why cast her to be one?

[@MrLegendofLP]

@@bowmanc.7439 Well to be fair, EVERYONE’S talent was wasted on this movie.

[@bowmanc.7439]

@@MrLegendofLP fair enough. Still, all those people praising her really get on my nerves.

[@burnt_0range319]

Yeah... it made no sense for her to be chosen. She looked very lively, and she looked like she had a long time left. Old D. Seems to aim towards choosing the oldest and least fit of cats, because choosing younger ones would be pointless.

[@andrewb.8184]

Jennifer Hudson is a beautiful, young woman but so was Betty Buckley when she got the Tony for her performance of grizabella. And she was actually a year younger than Hudson. Elaine Page was about 5 years younger than Hudson when she originated the role. Age really isn't an issue here. Grizabella isn't Gus. She doesn't have to be an older cat. Just worn down and sickly, which people can be at any age

[@Rebel-hl7oi]

I feel like those poor people in the orchestra just went home and cried every night because of this mess. So what ive learned is that Hooper here shouldn't direct musicals

[@MiloKuroshiro]

That's not even half of what he did on Les Mis. It was awful for everyone, including the actors.

[@bachilles3285]

I said it in the Les Miserable vidja, and I'm gonna say it here: This is the music theory version of the psychiatric torture scene from The Rubbeface of Comedy at the end of The Batman season 1.

[@fzndn-xvii]

"Grizabella is more lonely than the Pokimane's subs" You don't have to attack Grizabella like that

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

I don't get the reference.

[@fzndn-xvii]

@@cheezemonkeyeater It's about simps, further reference : kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpuwoJ2sqMibqZI

[@serronserron1320]

Cool.

[@PhilNEvo]

That got me xD

[@TransistorBased]

The first time I heard that I had to rewind and listen again to make sure I heard it correctly 🤣

[@thebeebz9511]

Dude dont shy away from the music theory stuff, we really like it. It seems like you're apologizing every time you bring up not just music theory terms but opera terms, but the fact that you get this stuff doesn't come off as smug or boring at all. We love when you share how the music works with us. I personally love when you say this is here's how it's achieved and this is what it's shorthand for, and here's how how and why the affect was changed in this particular usage, and how it changed the moment.

[@ivoryXmorales]

This video's rewatchability is remarkable, I will never get tired of "Sideways passionately screaming at Tom Hooper in the name of theatrics for an hour straight". Same goes for the Les Misérables video

[@msmegs93]

Safe to say, he may not have a career as a director after this. Idt Hollywood takes well to such a hatchett job of a beloved musical that cost them a $100 million.

[@freelanceangel8962]

I agree. I watch these two videos a LOT while at work

[@sadisticsweet3140]

Good god so do I. Him being pissed off reminds me of when my friends are very passionately ranting about something they hate but I only half understand what they're talking about. However it reminds me of this one specific friend I met online and rarely call (we usually text)

[@erickarodriguez5900]

the amount of times i’ve watched this video because i can’t help pressing on this video because i love listening to sideways shit on this movie 🥲

[@randibillett472]

Oh my god it's not just me? I thought I was an abnormality, listening to him slowly get more agitated over the course of an hour long video.

[@mothlarvas5066]

why...... didnt they just make jemima the protag if they needed a protag so bad.......................???

[@sophieleong67]

Or Grizzabella?

[@Tadpole_Plyrr2]

a salty singer yeah isn’t she like... the main character in the musical??

[@clararose]

Because she's the most famous cat from the musical.

[@blueshell292]

Because they didn’t watch the musical indepth and never realized that Jemima is more important than Vic.

[@miloformiles]

because Victoria is dressed in ALL-WHITE and is therefore PURE and ANGELIC therefore the MAIN CHARACTER

[@spaceitow7512]

Bro imagine being a company and copystriking a video over CATS. Like, THATS the hill you wanna die on? You want to actually claim the content of the movie Cats (2019) dir. Tom Hooper? You want that money that bad? That stinky, cat puke-stained money? You get mad about film critics talking about C a t s (2019). Wild. Cats 2077.

[@JediMaestr0]

Poetry

[@claymountain1300]

Also, if this doesn't fall under fair use I don't know what does. With how much they claimed it makes it almost impossible for Sideways to make his point of criticism properly. It's absolutely disgusting how much power they have.

[@gr8noob]

with how much money they lost they probably need it

[@Ixarus6713]

How they should've fixed this, if they INSIST on keeping Victoria as a protagonist, (which is stupid): - Have Victoria's 'I want' song about joining the Jellical Cats - Keep the other cat tjat realises Grisabella want to rejoin, keep Sunrise. - HAVE VICTORIA HEAR SUNRISE AND REALISE GRISABELLA WANTS TO REJOIN. - Memory performance - Victoria touches Grisabella BOOM That. Easy. Jesus christ.

[@mimisezlol]

I feel like Jemima would've also made a better protagonist

[@kimy770]

Or they could make Victoria a even more silent character who is there watching the whole thing, trying to follow the dance (mainly) and the singing (a little). I've seen people saying that Victoria is the youngest kitten, so having her in a position where she gets old enough to want to see/experience the ball would be nice. And yes... THEY SHOULD'VE KEPT JEMIMA.

[@thextremekittenmdj]

jesus christ i literally got chills from the og cat's vocals...how could they ruin something that amazing

[@stellabelikiewicz1523]

Seriously! Especially Old Deuteronomy, whose vocal range is so varied and powerful! WHY, Judi, WHY?!

[@thextremekittenmdj]

@@stellabelikiewicz1523 exactly! i was wonder ing why they chose her because most of his lines are meant for a deeper voice!!

[@rcslyman8929]

@@thextremekittenmdj I don't necessarily think a change in the octave to support a female casting would be a bad one. It just would have helped if she actually... you know... sang.

[@thextremekittenmdj]

@@rcslyman8929 you're right, it would still be good. and yeah she really did not sing at all lol

[@aprilblues3202]

@@rcslyman8929 it’s not just the octave, it’s the sheer strength and volume. 2019 Deuteronomy is a nice old lady singing a lullaby, og cats Deuteronomy is belting out emotion

[@APoliticalConfusionAndMess]

I don't know how I never noticed this, but Grisabella's coat is supposed to look like matted fur to show just how down-on-her-luck she is while everyone's is nice and smooth.

[@lordfelidae4505]

As someone who knows cats, it also reinforces how painfully *alone* she is. As cats age, they have difficulty grooming themselves, so other cats help them groom. Looking at how matted and unkempt her coat is (heh, literally) she has been alone for *years.* She hasn’t been loved for YEARS. She’s not just ‘down on her luck,’ she’s abandoned.

[@askinredroads5132]

@@lordfelidae4505 : (

[@esotericpince]

i hate how much charm and character they took out in the 2019 adaptation from trying to be realistic (they failed in making it look realistic obviously, but even if they had it look not creepy it would be the same) theres SO much character in the costumes that was sucked out in the movie. just rum tum tugger alone has such a cool outfit and design ;w;

[@13thMaiden]

@@lordfelidae4505 Username checks out with information.

[@captainsarcasm1567]

@@esotericpince That's what I'm realizing too. The musical costumes had personality that reflected both the character of the cats, and allowed you to believe these were anthropomorphic cats. The movie turned them into uncanny cat hybrids and removed the personality mostly

[@dorkdumproductions7900]

It’s ridiculous that the copyright owners made him mute parts of this video. This video is a critique and serves as educational use. 😡

[@lironmtnranch4765]

It's amazing anyone would stand up to claim ANY form of ownership of this debacle of a movie!

[@romancenovelfreak]

I could understand if they took it from the '98 version because you know...those are the actual GOOD versions but nope they willingly claim the 2019 disaster

[@piratesswoop725]

@@romancenovelfreak For me, it was almost ENTIRELY Ian McKellen's song lmao it was so frustrating

[@SnakeandBake1]

I genuinely thought my laptop was going up the creek glad to know it’s not

[@tjredreppinpcp]

Jesus I just had to scroll thru the comments to make sure I wasn’t losing my shit I kept changing my headphones out all kinds of stuff. I’m currently otp with my phone company for tech support!!! Thank god

[@Orange_p33l]

I've never heard someone say a more perfect line than "Rum tum tugger is rum tum tuggering the harmonies"

[@erikawright1510]

Came to hear someone tear up Cats. Left needing to hear more Jemima and Grisibella singing

[@BooksSongsStuff10]

the full numbers from the 1998 version are on youtube! Jemima's solos featured in this are in "The Moments of Happiness" (starting about a minute and 40 seconds in), "Old Deuteronomy Chooses the Heaviside Layer", and her duet with Grizabella is in "Memory". Just put "cats 1998" as part of the search.

[@baileybrinker5935]

Ugh yes, I was actually crying at 13:55 😭

[@toodleloos]

jemima's daylight gets me every time 🥺

[@toodleloos]

@@baileybrinker5935 same! i was trying to hold it together 😭😂

[@Dan_Busby91]

Jemima had the best voice of the whole cast

[@kj7067]

I know next to nothing about music, and even I am deeply shocked that the musicians were given so little respect. This is horrifying.

[@stingerjohnny9951]

It’s not just that Tom doesn’t understand music, it’s that he THINKS he knows better than anyone else. Had he been self-aware in not understanding it, he could have let the musicians and performers do their thing and trusted in the process. However, in a classic case of the Dunning Kruger effect, Tommy-boy decided to take his zero experience and reinvent the wheel into a lopsided rectangle. It’s like when Tommy Wiseau wanted to use both film and video cameras for The Room because it had never been done before…not considering there’s a REASON it had never been done before.

[@themorrigan7224]

Honestly, that whole part just made me want to cry. It’s so frustrating to hear that they got so incredible shit on

[@icravedeath.1200]

​@@stingerjohnny9951honestly if he knew what he was doing it could've been an interesting mix of formats. Tommy boy on the other hand...

[@Window4503]

@@stingerjohnny9951 This is the problem with society's obsession with originality. It used to be that originality came about because it was necessary. Its purpose was to solve an actual problem that didn't yet have a good solution. Now originality is just an end in itself for the sole purpose of "self-expression" and being not like the other girls. I suppose that if we didn't have that misconception about it, we wouldn't get something as delightfully horrible as The Room though...

[@stingerjohnny9951]

@@Window4503 What you just described perfectly fits with how sega makes sonic games. Completely throwing out ideas that worked in previous games just to pull new stuff out of their ass rather than evolved what was good in the franchise.

[@RadiantSharaShaymin]

I knew absolutely nothing about Cats, but you explained the original show so well that I got just as enraged when you explained the movie version. When this was suggested I thought I'd only watch a few minutes before looking for something else, ended up watching the entire thing without losing attention at all!

[@kai_winchester_66]

Same

[@copper4855]

damn thats exactly what happened for me too! and i have a very shitty attention span

[@151monka]

@@copper4855 that is how good video-crafting gets people to learn lots of things

[@emynemy5821]

Me too! Never seen Cats the musical or the movie, but I'm such a Cats musical fan now hahaha

[@captainteeko4579]

It was my first Broadway musical as a child. Then I saw the film and was like... why 😫

[@simonnachreiner8380]

The thing that really gets me is how the practical costumes offer more to each character than the CGI skins in the movie. I'm a big practical effects guy and that kind of movie magic is my jam. In the practical the detail work is distinct with each costume giving every character a unique profile. If you put them in silhouette they're all recognizable down to details. This is HUGE for designing memorable characters as you can pick them out in a flash even in the way the costume forces the actor to move. Then you have the skin suits. Oh god the skin suits! Uncanny valley and furry shit aside they're too smooth. Like I get the idea is that fur doesn't encumber an animal but it just makes all the actors glide across the screen without character. All the actors move the same because in reality they're all in green skinsuits. It's made worse by the fact that they're all pretty much colored the same. About the only thing recognizable is the actors face, not a good thing when the movie is mostly wide shots of dancing. This has been my ramble.

[@theredwolf8573]

Hooper: reaches for a musical Everyone: NO! No! Bad Hooper! BAD! *squirts with spray bottle* No more musicals for you!

[@donttalktome6878]

Spray him down with hairspray as a dancer that shit hurts

[@ezelfrancisco1349]

Hooper: But I want to do Hamilt- Everyone: NOOOO! *Pulls Hamilton and every other musical that has no adaptation yet away from Hooper’s reach*

[@Smorans]

😂 this comment cracked me up

[@darrylstrohl]

Shake the can of pennies at him!!!!

[@SnakeandBake1]

Just duct tape him to wall he can’t do any damage if he can’t move

[@becauseknowledge]

After 15 years of work in the musical theater industry, this is the only time I've really understood the plot of Cats. I guess the adage about showing the negative to understand the positive is true

[@LAtttiful]

same. I can respect it a lil more now. Before it was just random theatre garbage.

[@D-me-dream-smp]

Yes my enduring feelings towards Cats has always been Why?

[@bigred8432]

I understood it when I was nine. Cats have a potential of nine lives, tonight is the night, they present their stories in a sort of Cat Variety Show in the hope of the leader choosing them. Without being snarky I'm not sure how that isn't abundantly clear.

[@excessivelyfangirlingbookw3339]

@@bigred8432 i feel the same. maybe you have to watch it as a kid first to get behind the story?

[@crowenocturnal6560]

@@bigred8432 I didn’t understand cats when i was younger but the set design, movements, costuming, and overall energy of the show really fascinated me at a young age for whatever reason; it seemed more interesting than any of Andrew Webers other works or any Stage for that matter. I def did not understand the vague plot though until this video

[@sighcantthinkofaname]

The whole process feels somewhat disrespectful to the musicians. They seriously allowed the actors to do basically do whatever they wanted and told the musicians it was their job to cover for them. Considering the musicians surely knew more about music and what would sound good? I'm not expecting the violinist to tell Rebel Wilson what would be funnier, why is she getting to dictate how the song goes?

[@carmeltabby]

I think the "successful songs" prove your point.

[@quantumblauthor7300]

Also a dick move to the Actors by saying they "chose" how the music went, pinning the blame on the actors for the inevitable suffering of the musicians. And I guarantee you the director never told the actors that they were making those "choices," he probably just told them "don't worry about the timing, we'll handle it in post" and then "handling it in post" involved subjecting the orchestra to this nonsense. And furthermore, directors probably told the musicians that "the actors just did that and we have no idea why and now you have to deal with it" just to sow rivalry. Source: have worked backstage in a production where we found out from the actors that, apparently, the director sent all actors an e-mail to "not interact with the stagehands" and they instantly knew it was sus and told us, then gave the stagehands signed "thank-you" notes in defiance.

[@faithjolley6034]

@@quantumblauthor7300 You shouldn't have to tell actors in a musical that they need to sing to the beat and on time, that's just what's expected, that's the norm. The actors still could've sung to the metronome or orchestral track. The musicians had a choice, and they chose to make it harder for the musicians. Actors that are hired for musicals should have musical experience, they should have a basic understanding of how ensemble music works and is performed. And if they don't, they should figure that out, do research and talk to professionals, make sure that they're giving everything for the performance. It's their job to make up for their deficiencies in knowledge or shortcomings, just like it's my job as a band member to take extra time out of rehearsal to practice sections that I'm not as good at, or to take extra lessons when I'm falling behind. Bad productions aren't ever a single person's fault. Casting should be casting the right actors for the role, actors should be picking up their slack and doing what they need to do to give a good performance, a person who's directing a musical needs to understand musicals and musical theater, and they all failed to do these things.

[@simbahunter8894]

@@faithjolley6034 Sorry, but this is just idiotic. You're thinking in terms of community theater. If a musician can't cut it on Broadway or the West End, they don't practice the hard parts. They don't get hired in the first place. Making sure that the music works is the responsibility of the Musical Director. If they cast the wrong people, which it's obvious that the film of Cats did, the director, the musical director and the choreographer still have to make it work. After all, for a big budget movie, they had their pick of the most accomplished performers in the world. But someone wanted Rebel Wilson in that part. (Not to rag on her particularly, but come on, there are at least a hundred actors who could have done that role better, and they know it.)

[@millenniumf1138]

I think it's because nobody in Hollywood sees musicians as important to a motion picture. Literally, they're seen as being tools to get the soundtrack made, and the music itself isn't really important either. Notice how few musical soundtracks these days are truly memorable? The only focus is the actors, because the names of the actors are what bring in the big bucks. Who cares what the tools who generate the background sounds have to say about anything the all-important actors do? It's no longer a collaborative effort. With few exceptions, the Hollywood system is built to generate as much income as possible by selling you on a name and then assuming that's all you really care about.

[@grammy_hnng]

even after years of this video being out, i cant stop rewatching it. this is my 15th time. this is not a problem.

[@yael9137]

As a professional dancer who works in ballet, opera and musical theatre, I appreciate Sideways acknowledgement of dancers having their own shit together resulting in the most successful numbers of the film. This is, in fact, often the case in a professional theatre environment. Dancers usually require the most rehearsal time (because everyone not being on the same page about something can have actually dangerous consequences), but that means that they’re usually the most prepared come showtime. There is no improv. We will rehearse it so that it looks spontaneous if necessary, but no improv. And Cats is, at the end of the day, a dance musical.

[@edwardhisse2687]

So basically Hopper haven't got his filthy grizzly hands on dancers and thats the only good thing about the movie.

[@razagan1343]

@@edwardhisse2687 Hit the cat right on the head

[@wrockage]

i saw the nutcracker again recently and i have to say i have the utmost respect for theatre performers. you are incredible.

[@ultravenia]

Professional dancers are the best. They put their body on the line to entertain us for the tiniest fraction a professional ball player makes.

[@emsydacat9707]

Yup, been doing theater both in production (I do costumes, hair, makeup, and SFX), as well as performance (particularly acting being my strong suit) for around 11 years now and ANY TIME someone comes unprepared thinking "oh, it'll be fine, my fellow performers will save me", as it went especially in high school, I wanted to pull my brains out so I wouldn't strangle them. Holy fuck, preparation is SO important. NEVER expect someone to save you. Improv is a LAST RESORT. I have far too many stories of this bs for my own good... All the respect to you, I love dancers so much. You all are so amazing to work with!

[@majastolt2796]

As a former ballerina, I can’t IMAGINE someone telling me to dance to the music in my own time 😂

[@sylven7236]

Yes! Even IMPROV has more structure.

[@leopoldsimmons4804]

"just wing it, this is the guy who didn't care enough to make the paper rip at the timing in Les Miserables, so as long as you don't die during the dance he'll take it"

[@QuikVidGuy]

@@leopoldsimmons4804 he might take it if you do die considering how much he told his actors to tear up their bodies

[@christmas8]

THIS. I literally couldn’t imagine them giving you a dance to a piece of music but oh also do whatever the hell you want cos it doesn’t matter. I would actually die.

[@flyingwind66]

hello fellow former ballet dancer, I fucking can't imagine not have even a click track to dance to... fucking excuse me? dancing is moving TO music, not the other way around

[@chibithemyy]

As an actor, I can imagine that a director telling you "you control the tempo, do whatever you like" might also make you think you SHOULD do something quirky and change the tempo with no proper reason... because the director is expecting it. I can't believe how bad the movie makes its performers look/sound. What a disservice to all of them!

[@seamusburke639]

If I was hired for a musical and heard a director say that, I'd be horrified.

[@frugalhousewife9878]

"No one counts in dancers like 5-6-7 do whatever" had me DEAD

[@BronwynErb]

This video is a comfort video for me, I love seeing someone passionate and knowledgeable thanks so much sideways!

[@crptpyr]

It actually is kinda important that it's Victoria who touches Grizabella first. Victoria is the oldest of the kittens, crossing into adulthood. The kittens want to welcome Grizabella in, but do not have the agency or influence in the clan. The older cats are more stuck in their ways and refuse to embrace her. Victoria has both the innocence and ability to be influenced of the kittens, but is also considered old enough to have her choice to welcome Grizabella both be respected and mean something. So it's not really anything super intrinsic to Victoria as a character still, just the unique position her age puts her in.

[@msk-qp6fn]

I agree with this!!! Victoria herself isnt THAT important but her age at least is significant to a degree

[@ChristinaEKidd]

My whole life, I had no idea that there was a difference between cats and kittens in this musical.

[@emilyclarkezaresstheprince7945]

I see where you're coming from however as somebody who is grown up on the stage version of this musical there technically is a Victoria in the musical she doesn't sing she's like one of the few that doesn't get a solo if you look at the stage production and then compare the characters to what's in the movie the white cat that does a lot of pretty ballet moves and doesn't really sing a solo is Victoria. However as he said they took Jemima, an actual character in the show, who does all of the things that Victoria does in a way that actually fucking makes sense They completely change the point of some of the characters and the point of view that they give us because of how they sing their songs changes the meaning of half their songs and like he says the way Victoria is you can't understand her her motivations

[@richardkovacs2006]

I thought the "white cat" was that mattered. White symbolizes innocence, so I thought that's why it's Victoria and not any other cat. Her purity is what matters . Not the age.