A group of farm animals rebel and chase off their cruel human owners, taking over the property and renaming it “Animal Farm.” But hopeful beginnings sour as a pig named Napoleon seizes control and begins to act a lot like those oppressive humans. Despite a talented voice cast, this take on George Orwell’s Animal Farm is just not a very good or effective movie—with any positive messages being overshadowed by slapstick violence and toilet humor.
The animals control the farm now.
Upon learning that they were about to be sent to the slaughterhouse, the animals rebelled and chased all the humans off the farm, renaming the property “Animal Farm.” The animals have resumed their work on the farm—but this time, for the good of all. They even establish seven commandments to live by, but the most important one is that “all animals are created equal.”
A bright piglet named Lucky is excited about the farm’s new ideals and hopeful future. In particular, he admires two of the farm’s new leaders: Snowball, a sow who taught Lucky how to read, and Napoleon, a charismatic boar.
Snowball desires equality, and she promotes the improvement of the farm for the animals’ benefit. The things they could do if the animals would just listen to her! Her dreams are short lived, however, when Napoleon turns the other animals against Snowball and banishes her from the farm.
Napoleon sees a different kind of opportunity in the wake of revolution: He should be in charge. After all, animals are created equal, but maybe some animals are more equal than others.
What could go wrong?
Lucky is swayed by Napoleon’s reasoning as the pigs take control of Animal Farm, but he eventually returns to defend the other, mistreated, animals. He asks forgiveness for his actions and strives to atone for his mistakes.
Boxer is a simple yet hardworking horse who treats everyone around him with kindness. He is selfless in his labor and even saves one of his enemies when the man gets injured—at great cost to himself.
The initial concept of Animal Farm is a noble one: That all the animals will work together for the good of all, and that no one will be mistreated as they were by the farm’s previous owner. The film promotes the idea that helping each other is always the right thing to do—not because you have to, but because you want to.
Boxer encourages Lucky to “look up at the stars—they take all our worries away.” Later, it’s implied that when animals die, they go up to the stars.
Benjamin, the farm’s jaded donkey, sounds downright nihilistic at times, saying, “[There’s] no such thing as good or bad. Life is meaningless.” Someone speaks of another character’s “destiny.”
While the Seven Commandments of Animal Farm are not religious in nature, they are deeply held rules that the animals agree to live by and, at least initially, are regarded as sacrosanct.
Lucky says he loves a female piglet named Puff. The attraction is mutual, and they lightly flirt and call each other “babe.” It’s hinted that Napoleon is romantically involved with a sow.
A few animals shake their haunches suggestively. A rooster flirts with a porcelain chicken. (He doesn’t realize it isn’t real at first). Someone calls Napoleon the “sexiest swine.”
Animal Farm is full of slapstick violence. When the animals learn that the humans are shipping them off to a slaughterhouse, they rebel, kicking off a cartoony melee. Fireworks cause destruction and chaos. A pig crashes a car into a swimming pool. Someone gets slapped across the face by a cow’s udder. A sheep gets comically sheared by a weed eater.
But, in keeping with the original source material (the 1945 novella of the same name by George Orwell), there are moments of not-so-silly violence as well. Napoleon directs his vicious dog minions to attack other animals on the farm. One injured animal gets taken away—with the implication that he will be killed. Animals from the farm are sold off to slaughterhouses. One character appears to drown. There are some brief scenes that suggest animal abuse. Two pigs tussle, and one begins to choke the other.
Napoleon says the farm’s former owner turned half his family “into bacon.” An animal frets, saying, “We’re all gonna die!”
A donkey winkingly uses the word “a–.” We hear one use of “sucky.” Characters call each other a few names, like “dork,” “stupid” and “loser.” Someone says, “Shut up.”
One of Animal Farm’s commandments prohibits animals from drinking alcohol, which the animals refer to here as “naughty juice.” As the pigs seek to become more like humans, they begin drinking naughty juice at a party.
A champagne bottle is seen. While not explicitly stated, the only time we see Mr. Jones, the original owner of the farm, he appears drunk.
Seeing an opportunity to seize power, Napoleon turns the other animals against Snowball, running his rival off the farm. Napoleon then starts a propaganda campaign, slandering Snowball and slowly changing the rules of Animal Farm to his own benefit.
Eventually, Napoleon allies with Freida Pilkington, the human owner of a corporate farming enterprise. We see how Freida’s business mistreats animals. Freida describes her plans to “crush competitors” so she can control the market and charge exorbitant prices for goods.
Napoleon loudly passes gas, calling it the “sound of freedom.” Someone mentions unwashed underwear. There is talk of manure. A man steps in animal droppings. We hear that a child may have wet his pants. When surprised, a chicken suddenly lays an egg.
The pigs become more humanlike, walking on two legs, wearing clothes and even developing an unhealthy obsession with screens. When the farm comes into some money, the pigs eagerly spend it on frivolous items for themselves.
In the movie, the animals describe freedom as the power to act and think how they want. Boxer says that work is “all I live for.”
I’ll admit, if I was considering a piece of literature to adapt into an animated kids’ movie, George Orwell’s grim, allegorical novella wouldn’t have been the first thing to come to my mind.
Nevertheless, that’s what director Andy Serkis has done with his adaptation of Animal Farm. And, unfortunately, it just doesn’t work.
This animated adaptation from Angel is a strangely dissonant take on the classic tale. While many plot points from the original work remain, the film tries to stretch the somber story into a sort of wacky comedy.
The movie wants to have its cake and eat it, too: It tries to share a cautionary message about power and greed—leveled at the excesses of capitalism rather than Orwell’s original satirization of Stalinism. But it also wants to include slapstick comedy, toilet humor and a hip-hop remix of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”
Animal Farm does sport a talented voice cast. And there are a few positive messages found on this farm, too, such as the encouragement to help each other.
But ultimately, Animal Farm is just not a very good or effective movie—neither for adults who’ll appreciate the allegory, nor for kids who enjoy animation.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
