CATS Film Adaptation Thread

[SeanMartin2]

Impossible2 said: "Gorlois said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "Based on Hooper continuing to apologize for the CGI work, expect work to continue on it. There definitely will be an entirely different design for the DVD/Blu-ray/Digital release.

He said in an interview they were still doing tweaks to the CGI hours before the film’s premiere the other night. WTF?"

Why would they spend more money when this thing is already expected to bomb? I could see Hooper wanting this to happen, but why would Universal ever give him more money?"

It may have come in way under budget so there is still money to spend."

They have gone way past the initial budget of 100 mil, especially with all the last minute work. I wouldnt be surprised if, after the dust settles, this thing came in at closer to 150 mil.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Nobody else thinks that if they had made it just a CGI animated film with adorable and beautiful looking Pixar like cats this could’ve been a winner?

This movie flopped the second it looked creepy.

People will not like it because it does in fact look creepy.

[Impossible2]

ArtMan said: "Impossible2 said: "hork said: "Impossible2 said: "People who care about rotten tomatoes and base their entertainment choices on it are idiots x"

Oh? Why is that?"

Why would you base what you want to see on someone else's opinion *shrug"

Agree completely. If I want to see something, I could care less what others thought. I watched Once Upon A Time In Hollywood over the weekend. I wanted to see it because of the plot. Critics and others told me I would love it. With the exception of Brad Pitt, I found it to be a dragged out bore."

OMG!

That film was literally the one I was going use as an example!

I love Tarantino, love all the actors in it, it got amazing reviews and I absolutely HATED it!

[CATSNYrevival]

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Nobody else thinks that if they had made it just a CGI animated film with adorable and beautiful looking Pixar like cats this could’ve been a winner?"

I would agree with this except T.S. Eliot turned down Walt Disney because he didn't want his cats turned into cartoon cats. There's no way of knowing how he would have felt about this creepy looking film, but we can at least be sure he didn't want them to be animated.

[chernjam]

I'm planning on going to see this.. perhaps not until after Christmas as I'm just busy with holiday preparations and stuff... but it's interesting reading people already saying this is a train wreck based on critics reviews and a few trailers and speculating what would've been better.

First off, the other "visions" - a cartoon version for example - yeah we look at some cool drawings and think that would've been much better... but remember Cats is far from a happy-go lucky tale.  And I can see where ALW hesitated to see it become "Disney-fied".   

As for the CGI vs costumes - well had they used similar costumes to the stage production the criticism would've been they were just doing another video version of something that was already done and released (and then compared Elaine Paige to Jennifer Lewis).  They were attempting to do something different with a known property.  And obviously poured a lot of time, energy and resources.  That alone should be celebrated or at least welcomed and appreciated on this forum that appreciates theatre-arts.  Whether it truly works or not will be subjective.  So far as a non-Cats fan, I've been curious by the visuals I've seen and thought the two songs "Beautiful Ghosts" and Lewis "Memory" were spectacular - and look forward to hearing the rest of the score.  

I'm rooting for its success just to encourage the art-form, for studios to continue to invest in developing movie-musicals (especially since I'd really love to finally see Sunset get greenlit) and for nothing else then to smack back at all the snarkiness the creatives have endured at every friggin step of this development and process.

[sabrelady]

Stop motion would have been a better medium.

[greensgreens]

chernjam said: "and then compared Elaine Paige to Jennifer Lewis"

OMG. I would've MUCH preferred Jennifer Lewis played Grizz. At least then we would've gotten an unexpected performance from someone in this film.

[spiderdj82]

I don't care how low the score is on Rotten Tomatoes.......my butt is going to be in that movie theater for 3 reasons: 

1) Gotta support the movie musical

2) Who knows.......I may enjoy it in some fashion

3)  I can say I saw it opening weekend on the big screen years from now when the next generation of film buffs talk about and dissect this movie. 

[dmwnc1959]

^ ^ ^ THIS.

:)

[Justin D]

sabrelady said: "Stop motion would have been a better medium."

regarding this and the comment about a pixar cats animation, these wont work because its a dance show. U cant have anatomical cats dancing, it just wont work, the whole point of it being a dance show is to have people dancing, even if it was full on cgi like Frozen, cgi dancing is not appealing as there is no apparent skill involved (dance) as the animators can make them do anything they want.

If you remove the dance I wonder if either the stage version or any other version would have much  point.

[Justin D]

listening to the music now, Loving it so far TBH. they have re-orchestrated stuff

[Impossible2]

SeanMartin2 said: "Impossible2 said: "Gorlois said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "Based on Hooper continuing to apologize for the CGI work, expect work to continue on it. There definitely will be an entirely different design for the DVD/Blu-ray/Digital release.

He said in an interview they were still doing tweaks to the CGI hours before the film’s premiere the other night. WTF?"

Why would they spend more money when this thing is already expected to bomb? I could see Hooper wanting this to happen, but why would Universal ever give him more money?"

It may have come in way under budget so there is still money to spend."

They have gone way past the initial budget of 100 mil, especially with all the last minute work. I wouldnt be surprised if, after the dust settles, this thing came in at closer to 150 mil."

How do you know this?

[Justin D]

thankfully also they have stuck to the original Rum Tum Tugger song, and not the hiphop version. but it does have a more soulful take. (no longer an elvis type song)

[Gorlois]

Justin D said: "sabrelady said: "Stop motion would have been a better medium."

regarding this and the comment about a pixar cats animation, these wont work because its a dance show. U cant have anatomical cats dancing, it just wont work, the whole point of it being a dance show is to have people dancing, even if it was full on cgi like Frozen, cgi dancing is not appealing as there is no apparent skill involved (dance) as the animators can make them do anything they want.

If you remove the dance I wonder if either the stage version or any other version would have much point."

You’re right, nobody really cares about dance choreography in animation (I *think* the only time I’ve seen it used extensively is Don Bluth’s Anastasia). But oftentimes the best movie musicals are radically transformative. Perhaps the ideal Cats would have been an animated version that abandoned the dancing and instead focused on producing stunning visuals? Maybe they could have turned Cats into a modern day Fantasia?

[Justin D]

well, at this stage i am quite happy with the music (after being so disappointed with Lion King)

It's a bit getting use to with most of the songs now in first person lyrics, and a somewhat semi British Taylor Swift. But it sounds great, so I couldn't care less how it looks. cant wait to hear the full score.

[morosco]

What is the lyric supposed to be? Listen...
The streets lamp dies

[Justin D]

lol, yea she flubbed that one.

[Justin D]

ok, well, one other exception, poor Judy, Addressing of Cats was a real let down.

[rosheider]

Before you go, I would suggest a heavy dosage of THC.  

[A Director]

This should have been the way to go, way back then.

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/why-steven-spielbergs-hand-drawn-adaptation-of-cats-never-made-it-past-development-178296.html

[jacobsnchz14]

Justin D said: "ok, well, one other exception, poor Judy, Addressing of Cats was a real let down."

Watch it in context and let me know if you feel the same. 

[Sauja]

jacobsnchz14 said: "Justin D said: "ok, well, one other exception, poor Judy, Addressing of Cats was a real let down."

Watch it in context and let me know if you feel the same."

Having caught it tonight, I will vouch for the fact that “The Addressing of Cats” is a low-point in an already dreadful movie. The Empire 25 audience openly laughed at Dench’s scenes.

[TheatreFan4]

Saw it tonight and I am pissed and I am upset. Tom Hooper should be nowhere near a musical ever again, why someone allowed him to after Les Miz I will never understand. I swear to god... Jennifer Hudson's THREE close ups in THREE separate scenes of snot running down from her nose... NO. BACK THE F*CKING CAMERA UP! 

Also, is it fair to call Andy Blankenbuehler a hacky one trick pony yet? Because his Choreography in place of Gillian Lynne's was a **** show.

[TotallyEffed]

This was absolute torture to sit through. A total waste of time and money.

[Fosse76]

TheatreFan4 said: "Also, is it fair to call Andy Blankenbuehlera hacky one trick pony yet? Because his Choreography in place of Gillian Lynne's was a **** show."

Calling it choreography is being very generous.