The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch (as the eccentric artist Louis Wain), Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough and Toby Jones.

She encourages Louis to show his cat pictures to Sir William, who prints them to acclaim in the Christmas edition.

Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst sponsors Wain on a trip to New York in 1907, where Max Kase tells him people love his pictures.

As Britain enters World War I Louis hits his head jumping off a bus and falls into coma, in which he sees a vision of 1999.

Mental institution inspector Dan Rider recognises Louis; he had drawn his dog's portrait.

He campaigns, along with Wain's three remaining sisters, to raise money for a better facility for Louis that allows patients cats and outdoor access.

[5] The film was announced in July 2019, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough and Toby Jones cast.

[6] In August 2019, Aimee Lou Wood, Hayley Squires, Stacy Martin, Julian Barratt, Sharon Rooney, Adeel Akhtar and Asim Chaudhry joined the cast.

The exterior and conservatory of The Coast House B&B in Deal doubled as Bendigo Lodge, the home that Louis and his sisters take by the seaside.

The critics consensus reads: "Sparked by a pair of well-matched leads, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain honors its real-life subject by adding a dash of whimsy to the standard biopic formula.

"[16] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".