Cats movie: Trailer reveals Taylor Swift in her element and first look at ‘digital fur’ – CNET

Cats the movie is coming this December, but we got our very first look at the film on Thursday when the first trailer dropped. We get to see Taylor Swift, Judi Dench, Idris Elba, Jason Derulo, Rebel Wilson, Ian McKellen and Jennifer Hudson transformed into felines, complete with “digital fur.”

The technique used to add digital fur to the cast’s bodies (and faces) has apparently never before been done. The trailer provides us with very few lingering shots to get a full picture of how it moves, but it fits the actors like Lycra, right up to the eyes. They’re all very recognizably themselves, and yet at the same time, a whole different species.

The slated release date for Cats the movie is Dec. 20. Bringing together a cast of household names with hip-hop, tap and Royal Ballet dancers, the movie will bring Andrew Lloyd Webber’s world-famous musical, based on poems by T.S. Eliot, to the big screen for the very first time.

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Trailer for Cats movie featuring Taylor Swift arrives

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The first trailer for the film was supposed to arrive on Friday, but instead landed on Thursday, showing the cast in slick, body-fitting feline form, prancing and prowling to the ever-recognizable song Memory. Ahead of the official trailer, Universal released a behind-the-scenes featurette on Wednesday showing the stars of the movie exploring the set and talking about their love of all things theatrical.

For cast member Judy Dench, the film marks an important moment in her illustrious career. Dench was cast in the original stage cast of the musical in 1981, but snapped her achilles tendon and couldn’t take up the role. Now, she finally has her chance. “I thought that was my history with Cats,” she said. “But it turns out not to be.”

Who is Taylor Swift playing?

Pop star Taylor Swift will be playing the role of Bombalurina, a flirtatious cat, and according to IMDB she will be performing in at least five of the musical’s iconic songs. It’s the ideal role for the star, who is famously a dedicated cat mother to her own three balls of fluff: Dr Meredith Grey, Detective Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button.

“My first memories of performance go back to when I was in Pennsylvania growing up,” says Swift in the behind-the-scenes video. “My favorite thing was getting to be theatrical, to tell a story and I’ve always brought that narrative element to my live shows.”

Swift came straight off her award-winning Reputation stadium tour into rehearsals for Cats. Before the movie started shooting, she attended “cat school” with her fellow cast members, where together they learned how to mimic the physical and behavioral traits of their feline roles.

In the trailer, Swift basks in a giant moon, sprinkling catnip on her fellow Jellicles. It’s just a small glimpse of what we can expect to see from the star, who was shown in rehearsals dancing with Idris Elba. “This musical is timeless,” Swift said. “We got to update it in ways that I think are just so, so, so great.”

As students of cat behavior go, you don’t get more dedicated than Swift, and we can’t wait to see her performance in full. According to Collider, the popstar may also have written an original song for the movie. A spokesperson for Swift didn’t return a request for comment, but if the rumors are true, we can’t wait to hear it.

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