WATCH: The trailer for ‘Cats’ is here, and it’s…strange

MANILA, Philippines – The first trailer for the Cats is out, giving viewers their first look at director Tom Hooper’s take on the beloved stage musical.

Universal Pictures released the trailer on Wednesday, July 18. It shows the film’s all-star cast – including the likes of Judi Dench, James Corden, Jennifer Hudson, Idris Elba, Ian McKellen, Jason Derulo, and Taylor Swift – in their cat form.

As in the stage play, the felines in Cats look more humanoid, with human proportions and facial features, but this time rendered in hyperrealistic CGI, the look comes off as rather unsettling – almost like someone used Snapchat’s face-swap filter on a bunch of celebrities and their pets.

Still, the film based on one of Broadway’s most well-known musicals looks like it’s going to be a spectacle. And if the snippet of Jennifer Hudson’s emotional version of the musical’s signature song “Memory” is anything to go by, there’s going to be a lot of amazing musical performances.

Cats, created by Andrew Lloyd Weber, tells the story of a tribe of felines, the Jellicle cats, who come together for the Jellicle Ball as their leader selects one among them to be reborn into a new life.

The film is due out in the US in December – but for Filipino fans who can’t wait, the stage version will run at the Theatre at Solaire in November. – Rappler.com