Yesterday, Universal teased the technology that would transform regular looking people like Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, James Corden, Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, Ian McKellen, and Judi Dench into felines for Cats, a film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name.

Now the studio has released the first trailer for that film adaptation. And the results, are, well, you should probably just make that judgment for yourself. Check out the trailer below.

Okay, so, I don’t think I am the only one weirded out by this. However, the musical did see humans wear catsuit onesies, so why not try something bigger and bolder for the film adaptation. At least, that’s what director Tom Hopper is going for.

That featurette was just interesting enough to have me anxious to see what this technology could bring. But I remain mystified by the entire thing. I am no musical aficionado, but why does this look like there is absolutely no plot. The song “Memories” sounds vaguely familiar, and the tag “one chance for a new life” seems to indicate that one of the cats, maybe dancer Francesca Hayward, will have the chance to discover who she is and where she belongs in this very strange world.

At first, the set designs from that teaser video had me excited for what was to come. But watching the awkward VFX is really off-putting. Of course, this is just the first trailer, so there is some time to at least polish it off. We will just have to wait and see how the rest of the world reacts to it all.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

Featuring Lloyd Webber’s iconic music and a world-class cast of dancers under the guidance of Tony-winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton, In the Heights), the film reimagines the musical for a new generation with spectacular production design, state-of-the-art technology, and dance styles ranging from classical ballet to contemporary, hip-hop to jazz, street dance to tap.

The film also stars Robbie Fairchild (Broadway’s An American in Paris), Laurie Davidson (TNT’s Will), hip-hop dance sensation Les Twins (Larry and Laurent Bourgeois), acclaimed dancer Mette Towley (featured in videos for Rihanna and Pharrell Williams’ N.E.R.D.), Royal Ballet principal dancer Steven McRae, and rising-star singer Bluey Robinson.

Universal Pictures presents a Working Title Films and Amblin Entertainment production, in association with Monumental Pictures and The Really Useful Group. Cats is produced by Debra Hayward, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Tom Hooper. The screenplay is by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot, Rocketman) and Hooper, based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot and the stage musical by Lloyd Webber. Cats is executive produced by Lloyd Webber, Steven Spielberg, Angela Morrison and Jo Burn.

One of the longest-running shows in West End and Broadway history, the stage musical “Cats” received its world premiere at the New London Theatre in 1981, where it played for 21 years and earned the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical. In 1983, the Broadway production became the recipient of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and ran for an extraordinary 18 years. Since opening in London in 1981, “Cats” has continuously appeared on stage around the globe, to date having played to 81 million people in more than fifty countries and in nineteen languages. It is one of the most successful musicals of all time.

Cats opens in theaters on December 20, 2019.

Trailer

[Source: Universal Pictures]