First glimpse of Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson and other stars mutated into cat-sized cats – some wearing fur coats – sparks concern for state of civilisation

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The first, furry glimpses of the upcoming live action Cats remake have left viewers distressed and unhappy after its feline creatures were described as “cursed” and nightmarish.

Feline queasy: eight urgent questions about the Cats trailer Read more

The transmogrified CGI human-cat hybrids were unveiled on Thursday night, to widespread horror.

Cats Movie (@catsmovie) This Christmas, you will believe. #CatsMovie pic.twitter.com/doKFWGAdpB

On Twitter, many found the mutated dancing forms to be troubling, describing them as “cursed” and “like a Doctor Who episode from 2005”.

Cats is the story of a tribe of cats, called the Jellicles, that face a series of difficult life-altering decisions one fateful night.

The live-action remake is helmed by Tom Hooper, the Oscar-winning director of The King’s Speech, and stars Jennifer Hudson, Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo, Taylor Swift, Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench.

But many fans did not appreciate what had happened to these beloved actors – namely, that they had become cats.

j.r. hennessy (@jrhennessy) no one wants to see dame judy dench like this pic.twitter.com/29bVRFg7J0

Josephine Tovey (@Jo_Tovey) To whom does one report an abomination? A priest? https://t.co/zyiGi0LTIR

Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel) I don't know why you're all freaking out over miniature yet huge cats with human celebrity faces and sexy breasts performing a demented dream ballet for kids.

Others complained about the size of the cats (too small), asked why they had visible breasts, and pointed out they appeared to be wearing the fur of other cats.

Nicole Silverberg (@nsilverberg) THE CATS ARE TOO SMALL!!! I REPEAT, THE CATS ARE TOO SMALL!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/z7IGQYFDCQ

Celeste Ng (@pronounced_ing) Sincere Q: when the “cats” in the Cats trailer are wearing fur coats, like Judi Dench is, do you think those are meant to be their own fur, or are they wearing the fur of some other animal that they, the cats, have skimmed and fashioned into garments?

Anne T. Donahue (@annetdonahue) shaming my cat for not having visible breasts

Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) CATS had better be 3D... I want to fear them

It had already been revealed in April that the cats in the remake of Cats would be the size of cats.

Cast of Cats film to be size of actual cats Read more

But on Thursday, many asked why such well-known actors of stage and screen had been deformed in such way, rather than just wear costumes like in the original 1981 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

Victoria Aveyard (@VictoriaAveyard) The Cats trailer cursed the next four generations of my bloodline

In May, the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie was immediately redesigned, after widespread revulsion at the CGI appearance of Sonic in its first trailer.

Director Jeff Fowler announced “changes” would be made due to the reaction to the three-minute clip. The Guardian’s Keith Stuart described the main character as “a cheap knock-off Sonic toy your child might win at a fairground stand and then be terrified of”.

“The message is loud and clear... you aren’t happy with the design & you want changes. It’s going to happen,” Fowler said.

Similar controversy erupted over the first trailer for Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, which eventually opened to good reviews.

The original musical debuted on the West End in 1981, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on a T.S Eliot’s collection of fantasy poems, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

Paul Tudor Owen (@PaulTOwen) It’s just so sad that TS Eliot never lived to see this 😿

Molly Lambert 🦔 (@mollylambert) this is the way the world ends

not with a bang but with CATS

Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) in a way, i'm glad grumpy cat never had to see this

Cats is scheduled for release on 20 December.