'Cats' Oscars joke made by James Corden and Rebel Wilson offends Visual Effects Society

James Corden, left, and Rebel Wilson present the award for best visual effects at the Oscars. Photo / AP

The Visual Effects Society has slammed the Academy Awards over a joke made by Cats stars James Corden and Rebel Wilson.

The two actors stepped out in full furry suits and make-up to present the Oscar for Best Visual Effects at the ceremony and referenced their flop film as they joked about the importance of getting such things right.

They said: "As cast members of the motion picture Cats, nobody more than us understands the importance of good visual effects."

And the organisation have hit out at the "demeaning" jibe, insisting visual effects cannot "compensate for a story told badly".

The movie was widely criticised for how it used CGI effects to turn the human actors into cats.

They said in a statement: "Last night, in presenting the Academy Award for Outstanding Visual Effects, the producers chose to make visual effects the punchline, and suggested that bad VFX were to blame for the poor performance of the movie Cats.

"The best visual effects in the world will not compensate for a story told badly.

"On a night that is all about honouring the work of talented artists, it is immensely disappointing that the Academy made visual effects the butt of a joke.

"It demeaned the global community of expert VFX practitioners doing outstanding, challenging, and visually stunning work to achieve the filmmakers' vision.

"Our artists, technicians and innovators deserve respect for their remarkable contributions to filmed entertainment, and should not be presented as the all-too-convenient scapegoat in service for a laugh."

The group ended their statement by urging the Academy to do better in future to "properly honour the craft of visual effects."

Hey guys I haven't watched all of the Oscars but I assume these two were really classy and thanked me for working 80 hour weeks right up until I was laid off and the studio closed, right? https://t.co/dolAwK2xbr

— Yves McCrae (@YvesTM) February 11, 2020

And a visual effects specialist who worked on the film has also hit out at the joke.

Yves McCrae, who worked for Moving Pictures Company, wrote on Twitter: "Hey guys I haven't watched all of the Oscars but I assume these two were really classy and thanked me for working 80 hour weeks right up until I was laid off and the studio closed, right?"

He later added: "Thank you to everyone for the outpouring of kind words and support! Hearing how much people enjoyed the movie far outweighs a couple misguided jokes!"