New York City Cabs Now Have Cat Ears as Marketing for Cats Movie

Depending on who you ask, the upcoming adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats is either a highly-anticipated cinematic event, a deep trek into the uncanny valley, or a mixture of both. The star-studded film got quite a lot of attention earlier this year when its first trailer debuted, showcasing its unique approach to character design and “digital fur technology”. Many on the Internet spent days questioning the design of the cats’ faces and what exactly cat Judi Dench’s coat is made out of, and it looks like the film’s marketing team has taken that perplexing feline nature to a whole new level. Taxi cabs sporting a pair of cat ears have begun to be noticed around New York City, which promote the December release of the upcoming film.

The marketing move even got a self-aware mention from Cats‘ official social media account, which shared a photo with the caption “these are taxis but they’re cats, and this is kind of blowing my mind”. This is a reference to a line James Corden said in the film’s behind-the-scenes sizzle reel, in which he marveled at the human-feline hybrids within the film.

As the name suggests, Cats follows a tribe of cats called the Jellicles, who, over the course of one night, make what is known as “the Jellicle choice” and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. The film serves as the biggest adaptation yet of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same, which has been a mainstay on Broadway for decades.

The star-studded adaptation stars Taylor Swift as Bombalurina, Idris Elba as Macavity, Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella, James Corden as Bustopher Jones, Rebel Wilson as Jennyanydots, Jason Derulo as Rum Tum Tugger, Ian McKellen as Gus the Theatre Cat, and Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy. The film will be directed by Tom Hooper, who brought Les Miserables to life back in 2012.

What do you think of Cats‘ latest marketing campaign? Will you be hailing a “taxi cat” on your next trip to New York City? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Cats will be released in theaters on December 20th.