Second Trailer for ‘Cats’ Spotlights Star-Studded Cast

The second trailer for Tom Hooper’s film adaptation of Cats dropped Tuesday, offering viewers another window into the world of the fantasy film.

Adapted from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical of the same name, the Universal film features characters from T.S. Eliot’s poetry book Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, known as the “Jellicle” tribe. Every year, the group of felines must decide which one of them will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life.

In the first trailer, Francesca Hayward’s starring character asked, “Are you going to try for a different life?” teasing the theme of the movie, while Jennifer Hudson performed a rendition of the musical’s signature song, “Memory.”

Reactions to the first trailer centered on the characters’ appearance — descriptions of which ranged from hysterical to disturbing. Behind-the-scenes video later showed the actors in performance-capture suits with body and facial tracking markers, while they appeared on greenscreen and bluescreen sets.

This new sneak peek sees Hayward’s feline absorbing the central message, as she is told that the most deserving cat will be reborn into another life “so they can be who they’ve always dreamed of being.” Judi Dench’s Old Deuteronomy (a character originally played by a man) is also seen telling Idris Elba’s Macavity that she judges cats by their souls.

The film, written by Hooper and Lee Hall, also stars Ian McKellen, Rebel Wilson, Taylor Swift, James Corden and Jason Derulo, whose characters are all spotlighted in the new footage.

Cats releases in theaters Dec. 20. Watch the trailer above.