Taylor Swift in "Cats" behind-the-scenes video
photo: YouTube/UniversalPictures

Cats first toured on Broadway in the early '80s and received mixed responses. Some people laud the musical as their favorite show, while others are still confused by the over-the-top costuming and bizarre storyline. 

Continuing the wildly successful live-action adaptation trend, Cats is getting a musical movie update with an all-star cast. Shortly off her lucrative world tour, Taylor Swift is on board in a completely on-brand move for the self-proclaimed cat lady. The majestic Dame Judy Dench is getting a second chance at participating in the musical after she was replaced in the original production following an injury. Jennifer Hudson will show off her incredible vocal capabilities with the iconic ballad "Memory," and, strangely enough, pop/R&B artist Jason Derulo is on board as one of the cats, too. 

Filming for the musical spectacular wrapped in April, and is set to debut in December. The trailer will drop tomorrow, July 19. But eager fans got a first behind-the-scenes look that shared the actors will be covered completely in CGI fur using "digital fur technology," whatever that means. 

The movie looks like it will be just as spectacular and over-the-top as the original, but fans are mostly curious about what the actors will look like with CGI fur all over their bodies. 

Will they be as terrifying as I'm imagining? Probably. From the first behind-the-scenes look, the set is as extravagant as the Broadway production, but little is seen about the look of the human-cat hybrid actors. 

Taylor Swift shares here that the actors have been partaking in "cat classes" to help with movement in order to portray the felines as accurately as possible. Incredible dancers like the principal ballerina of the Royal Ballet, Francesca Hayward, and hip-hop dance duo Les Twins have been given starring roles. 

It's difficult to imagine what "digital fur technology" could possibly entail. 

"I will think about the phrase 'Digital fur technology' spoken with absolute sincerity for the rest of my miserable life," one person tweeted. 

"We've used digital fur technology to create the most perfect covering of fur," director Tom Hooper says in the video. James Corden, who will play Bustopher Jones, said, "These are people, but they're cats, and this is kind of blowing my mind." 

Never forget the digital fur technology that transformed Hermione Granger into Millicent Bulstrode's cat in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 

The CGI animation of this iconic Harry Potter scene has absolutely been slept on, and no one can convince me that Cats didn't take some inspiration from Emma Watson's look. One fan tweeted, "Digital Fur Technology," with this throwback photo from the 2002 classic. Animation techniques have certainly improved since then — just look to the new Lion King for proof of realistic animal depictions — so Cats is sure to be a relatively realistic interpretation of the feline-human hybrids. 

One of the best parts of the original Cats was the elaborate costuming and makeup that transformed humans into their feline counterparts. 

The interesting part of the bizarre musical is that the actors aren't exactly cats; they're a sort of mix between human and cat that the movie is clearly attempting to re-create. The makeup and costumes in the Broadway musical evoked feline energy without the need for technological advancements. 

One person who starred in the staged version joked in a tweet, "me using DIGITAL FUR TECHNOLOGY years before Tom Hooper." 

One of the most recognizable songs in the musical will be performed by the incredible Jennifer Hudson. 

The astounding vocals on the former American Idol contestant will definitely pay tribute to the iconic number. Dame Judy Dench was originally cast in the role of Grizabella before a torn Achilles took her out of the production. She was then replaced with Elaine Page. 

Taylor Swift will play the flirtatious feline Bombalurina, who sings the most well-known song. 

Multiplatinum artist Jason Derulo will star as Rum Tum Tugger in the adaptation produced by the musical's original creator Andrew Lloyd Weber. 

Derulo makes his acting debut as the rebellious cat who tugs at the heartstrings of Swift's Bombalurina. The singer is most well known for his hit mid-'10s songs like "Whatcha Say," "Ridin' Solo," and "Talk Dirty." 

One person poked fun at Derulo's signature musical style in a tweet, "If Jason Derulo doesn’t sing his name at the beginning of his song, I’m walking out of the theater. #CatsMovie." 

While most people are excited about what to expect from the adaptation, some are worried it won't do the iconic musical justice. 

Some wish the parts had been given to musical theater–trained actors as opposed to A-list pop stars and celebrities, but the star power of the cast will bring in a wider audience. The stage version of Cats continues to tour in its Broadway revival production, so die-hard fans can catch it onstage if the movie version doesn't live up to the hype. Of course, with musical actors like James Corden and Rebel Wilson on board, there shouldn't be too much to worry about.