Production Hell - Cats

Overview

This episode dives into the infamous production of Cats (2019), exploring how a promising musical adaptation with a star-studded cast spiraled into one of Hollywood's most notorious disasters. From misguided creative decisions to chaotic production challenges, the episode unpacks the layers of failure that led to its downfall.

Notable Quotes

- Andrew Lloyd Weber was so traumatized by the experience of seeing this movie that he had to buy an emotional support dog to help him cope.

- Imagine joining the film industry thinking you're going to be creating real art, and that's the task that you end up with.

- The very concept behind this movie was so awful that even ILM couldn’t have made it look good.

🎭 The Origins of *Cats*

- The original Cats musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber debuted in the 1980s and became a global phenomenon, earning over $4 billion.

- Early attempts to adapt it into a film began with Steven Spielberg in the 1990s but were abandoned due to the musical's lack of plot and Ambimation's closure.

- Universal revived the project in 2016, banking on the resurgence of musicals and assembling a high-profile team, including director Tom Hooper and stars like Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, and Taylor Swift.

🐾 The CGI Cat Catastrophe

- Tom Hooper opted for a hybrid of live-action and CGI to depict the cats, rejecting traditional makeup or full animation.

- Actors wore motion-capture suits, and CGI was added in post-production, leading to unsettling visuals that blended human features with poorly rendered fur.

- The VFX team faced impossible deadlines, exacerbated by Hooper's micromanagement and lack of understanding of animation processes.

🎶 Production Challenges and Missteps

- Actors endured cat boot camp, crawling and hissing to embody feline behavior, which Taylor Swift described as bizarre.

- Hooper insisted on recording musical numbers live on set without backing tracks, resulting in timing issues and a unique sound.

- Andrew Lloyd Weber contributed new songs but was excluded from script decisions, leaving him horrified by the final product.

📉 The Fallout of Failure

- The first trailer, released in July 2019, was met with widespread ridicule, but Universal refused to delay the release for redesigns, unlike Sonic the Hedgehog.

- The rushed post-production left the film riddled with visual glitches, including detached body parts and inconsistent shadows.

- The movie grossed only $75 million against a $100 million budget, marking a financial and creative disaster.

🎬 Career Consequences

- The film's failure significantly damaged careers: James Corden's Hollywood momentum stalled, and Tom Hooper has not directed another film since.

- Stars like Judi Dench and Ian McKellen distanced themselves, while Corden and Rebel Wilson mocked the film at the Oscars, unfairly shifting blame onto animators.

- Andrew Lloyd Weber called the movie off the scale wrong, encapsulating the public's disgust with the adaptation.