On 21 December 2019, a mere two days after its release, Universal Pictures announced they would be releasing a new version with updated CGI at an undisclosed time.
In an article published in April 2020 on The Daily Beast website, visual effects artists speaking on condition of anonymity said that they had six months to produce the early two minute, thirty second trailer and then only four months to produce the full film. Visual effects artists were spending 90 hour weeks, even sleeping under their desks in some cases, to finish the film on time. This time crunch, along with a cantankerous working relationship between the visual effects team and director Tom Hooper, are at the root of the problems with the film, according to the article.
Was originally intended to be a traditionally animated movie before Tom Hooper came on board to direct.
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber was so affected by the disastrous reception of this movie, that he ended up adopting a Havanese puppy and had the dog registered as a therapy pet. When asked by the airline via a note, asking if he really needed the dog, Lloyd Webber responded "Yes, just see what Hollywood did to my musical 'Cats'." The airline sent an approval back with a note saying "No doctor's report required."
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote to Universal a year before the film's release saying, "You've got a car crash on your hands unless you get a grip on this thing." He never got a reply.