Judi Dench Criticizes Cats Film in Upcoming Memoir

British actor Dame Judi Dench has revisited the disappointing reception of the 2019 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats in her forthcoming memoir, published when she is 91. In Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?, she reflects on the production's shortcomings, the creative talent involved, and why the film failed to meet expectations.

Dench portrayed Old Deuteronomy, the wise feline character, in the film directed by Tom Hooper. According to her memoir, she never watched the final cut, limiting her ability to assess the finished production firsthand.

Despite her reservations, Dench distinguishes the film's disappointing outcome from the intentions of the people who made it. She recognizes the effort invested in bringing the stage musical to the screen while acknowledging the severity of the critical response.

Dench describes her immediate reaction to the film in the memoir.

"Oh God, I can’t bear it," writes Dench, recalling that Lloyd Webber had waited a long time for the adaptation. "What a waste of all that goodwill and talent."

She also addresses the hostile reviews and explains why she cannot offer a definitive judgment on the final production.

"I understand the critics were rather hostile to the film. I never saw the final cut so I can’t judge. All I’ll say is nobody sets out to give a poor performance or make a bad film. You do your best, offer something up and hope that people will get on board and join the party," Dench writes.

The film faced criticism for its computer-generated imagery, particularly its unusual rendering of the feline characters. One widely discussed visual inconsistency involved the removal of the animals' anuses while Dench's character retained a human hand complete with a wedding ring.

Dench rejects the idea that the production's failure necessarily points to individual wrongdoing, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of filmmaking.

"There were no villains in the making of Cats," Dench writes. "And if something isn’t a success, then there are always things you can say you’ve learned."

She further considers how timing, performances, and the combination of creative elements can determine whether a production succeeds.

"Sometimes things just don’t work out: the timing’s wrong, the cast don’t gel, the elements don’t coalesce. But people’s intentions are mostly honourable," Dench writes.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, the musical's composer, has been substantially more outspoken about the adaptation. He criticized Hooper for failing to consult people involved in the original West End production and described the resulting film as "the whole thing was ridiculous" in remarks reported by The Guardian.

In 2021, Lloyd Webber characterized the adaptation as "off-the-scale all wrong" and said the experience had left him "emotionally damaged." He subsequently acquired a dog, describing the decision as the one positive outcome of the experience.

The composer also questioned whether the filmmakers understood the musical's underlying structure and appeal.

"There wasn’t really any understanding of why the music ticked at all. I saw it and I just thought, ‘Oh, God, no.’ It was the first time in my 70-odd years on this planet that I went out and bought a dog. So the one good thing to come out of it is my little Havanese puppy," Lloyd Webber said.

Lloyd Webber also recounted how he persuaded an airline to recognize his dog as an emotional support animal so that they could travel together.

"Just see what Hollywood did to my musical Cats," Lloyd Webber said he told the airline while seeking approval. The request was accepted without requiring medical documentation.

"No doctor’s report required," the approval note stated, according to Lloyd Webber.

The memoir, Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?, is published by Michael Joseph and was written by Dench with Brendan O’Hea, her longtime friend and fellow actor. The Bookseller reported on October 19, 2026, that Johanna Thomas-Corr had reviewed the book for The Times.