7 Legitimate Reasons Why Cats Isn't As Bad As You Think
3. It Manages To Form A Narrative Out Of The Stage Show
When it comes to choosing source material to adapt for a musical, literature is always a great choice. That being said it's still strange to believe that someone decided to adapt T.S Elliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats"
Adapting a book of poetry meant sacrificing an overarching story. The stage show did attempt to draw the poem collection together into a narrative but ultimately, it became an assortment of songs about individual characters as opposed to a compelling storyline.
What the film attempts to do (and achieves to an extent), is taking the non-structured narrative and forming a story. The film and show's narratives revolve around the characters pleading their case to be chosen as the Jellicle cat. Whoever wins is given the reward of being reborn into a new life.
The film takes this way more seriously, constantly referencing it and making it clear that each cat is motivated by it. In the show, it felt like an afterthought. But in the film, it's the entire plot.
Additionally, the choice to employ Victoria as the audiences guide through the world made sure that there was at least one consistent character journey.
It's by no means a good narrative, but it does a decent job of taking a nonsensical story and adding some structure to it.