“Doctor Who did it better” fans say of new Cats trailer
The CGI-furred singers and dancers of Tom Hooper’s new movie aren’t a patch on BBC prosthetics, say viewers
The first trailer for musical adaptation Cats has arrived, and it’s fair to say that reactions have been…mixed, with many unnerved by the digitally furred-up celebrities who are bringing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash-hit stage show to life.
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Of course, the counter-argument could be that any human-cat hybrid would look inherently weird, so the problem was unavoidable – but Doctor Who fans aren’t so sure.
After all, the BBC sci-fi series managed to create cat-human aliens using prosthetics in 2006 and 2007 – specifically for episodes New Earth and Gridlock – and to an awful lot of fans, Doctor Who’s weird cat people still look a lot better than the new Cats movie’s attempts.
And yes, we mean a LOT of fans. Almost too many. Who knew the Venn diagram of Whovians and Cats-mockers would be so close to a circle?
And if a 13-year-old practical effect winning over hearts and minds wasn’t enough, some have even pointed out that Doctor Who’s classic years also offered some enviable cat makeup, specifically during a storyline where Ace (Sophie Aldred) was menaced by the Cheetah People.
Clearly, the fans concluded, the new Cats movie is in need of a great recasting – or should that be re-Cats-ing – and we're sure mid 2000s-era Who prosthetics could pick up the slack.
Now, if anyone could get cracking on the Starlight Express/Mummy on the Orient Express mash-up, we’ll really have a West End season on our hands.
Cats is released on the 20th December 2019
