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All the main talking points in the pawesome new Cats behind-the-scenes clip

All the main talking points in the pawesome new Cats behind-the-scenes clip

Taylor Swift! Idris Elba! Giant sets! And! So! Much! Dancing!

Published: Thursday, 18 July 2019 at 10:46 am

Here’s something that’ll get you feline excited: fans of Cats have been offered their first sneak peek of the upcoming movie with a behind-the-scenes featurette.

Featuring cast members from Taylor Swift to Idris Elba, Judi Dench, Rebel Wilson and James Corden, the three-and-a-half-minute clip gives an interesting insight into some intense rehearsal sessions and mind-boggling sets.

But before you get your paws on it, we should warn you now: it contains no actual cats, with all stars appearing out of their furs. The clip does, however, feature some key talking points...

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The film sets are absolutely massive

From a giant door with a handle just-out-of-reach for Rebel Wilson, to a bicycle several feet taller than Taylor Swift, the featurette reveals some staggeringly large sets.

Why? As you’ve probably guessed, it’s all a trick to make the human actors look cat-size in relation to their environment. “The scale of this film is huge, three or four times bigger for the cats’ perspective,” explains Elba. “This is a moment for you to step into a world that’s completely designed to entertain you.”

cats trailer

“Digital fur technology” is now a thing – and a great meme

One of the sneak peek's most notable moments comes when Cats director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables) reveals the actors will be aided by “digital fur technology to create the most perfect covering of fur”.

Unfortunately, we don’t get to see the finished fur in action, but the phrase “digital fur technology” soon spawned a cat-alogue of memes…

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There will be A LOT of dancing in Cats

In fact, most of the clip is centred on actors and extras trying out their feline choreography. "I came in right off a stadium tour and right into rehearsals," Taylor explains over footage of her dance practice. "Everybody's working really long hours every day, and it's fun!"

Alongside Swift, we also get to see Idris Elba, hip hop duo Les Twins, ballet dancer Francesca Hayward and Hamilton choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler performing a mix of styles, from street to tap.

Basically, if you love dance, this film is for you. If not, better show yourself slowly out the catflap.

There's going to be a full Cats trailer VERY soon

The new clip isn’t only a sneak peek, but also a teaser for the film’s main trailer, which is dropping on Friday (18th July).

Will we see (yet more) dancing? Will other confirmed cast members such as Ian McKellen make an appearance? And will we finally get to see the digital fur technology in action?

For now, it’s all a meow-stery (sorry).

Cats is released on Friday 20th December 2019 in the UK and USA

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