The first trailer for the film adaptation of the classic musical Cats has landed, and it has been giving the internet nightmares.
The movie, set to be released in December, will star Taylor Swift in her first on-screen role, alongside Jennifer Hudson, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Jason Derulo and James Corden.
The film, from Les Miserables director Tom Hooper, sees its stars morphed into fur-covered cats while keeping their human faces as they perform the musical's critically acclaimed songs on a sparkling set, and the first glimpse has left viewers pretty terrified.
The trailer received more than 100,000 views in the first hour, and has now been watched more than 1.4 million times.
People were quick to share their reactions, causing #CatsMovie to trend on Twitter, and the widespread horror seemed to be caused by a number of things, including seeing their favourite actors transformed.
no one wants to see dame judy dench like this pic.twitter.com/29bVRFg7J0
— james hennessy (@jrhennessy) July 18, 2019
Others were left confused about why the human cats were so small, and why some appeared to be wearing extra fur.
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?
— Celeste Ng (@pronounced_ing) July 18, 2019
The original 1981 musical from Andrew Lloyd Webber became an instant hit and spent 18 years on Broadway and 21 years on London's West End, winning numerous awards for its soundtrack.
The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make the "Jellicle choice", deciding which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. It is based on based on a T.S Eliot's collection of fantasy poems, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.
The Cats trailer cursed the next four generations of my bloodline
— Victoria Aveyard (@VictoriaAveyard) July 18, 2019
The film is set for worldwide release on December 20, which should give everyone just enough time to get over the trauma of the trailer.
