The trailer alludes little to the plotline but focuses on the amazing cast of the film, featuring a myriad of famous actors and singers: James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift and Rebel Wilson. Whilst also introducing Francesca Hayward, an English ballet dancer from the Royal Ballet, in her debut film. The classic soundtrack ‘Memories’ and the mise-en-scène establish a remarkable sensation within the trailer, drawing the audience into the fantasy from a different angle and formulating a multitude of questions that can only be answered by watching the film or taking a trip to the West End.
Impressive use of CGI allowing the actors to look realistically like the feline animal.
Moreover, the cinematography seems incredible, with an impressive use of CGI allowing the actors to look realistically like the feline animal. However, in some ways the visuality has an eerily, uncomfortable quality as the clash between cat and human produces a fantastical element to the protagonists, potentially a subtle link to the subtext to the plot: the attempt to ascend to the ‘Heaviside Layer’ (a version of heaven) and be reborn into a new life, maybe as humans.
Furthermore, the director of this upcoming sensation is Tom Hooper, who previously directed the 2012 film adaptation of the musical Les Misérables, which predominantly received high praise and was nominated for a plethora of awards, going on to win three Academy Awards and three Golden Globe, plus many more endowments at other ceremonies. Thus, it is likely Cats will be as, if not more, successful as Les Mis due to Hooper’s directorial talents and unique outlook on musical adaptations. Now, we can only wait for the release date to see which direction this new screening will go and to fulfil all our unanswered questions.
