‘Animal Farm’ Is Sunnier (But Still Disturbing) in Angel Studios Adaptation

I admit that, unlike most movies, I have been fascinated by what Andy Serkis’s adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm would look like. Based on a decidedly mature book, which took a critical eye toward the Marxist-Leninist ideology under Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union, it serves more as a cautionary tale these days rather than a commentary on current-day politics. How would Serkis adapt the material to fit with today's world? When we found out it was animated and saw the first clips, eyebrows were raised even more. It was looking…let’s say, more child-friendly than what fans of the novel were expecting.

Finally, we have the movie in theaters, courtesy of a strange distributor: Angel Studios, which is primarily known for faith-based programming like The Chosen and Sound of Freedom. Just what was this version of Animal Farm going to look like?! Having now seen it, the best way I can describe it is that this is what Animal Farm would look like if Disney decided to take a crack at it. Sure, the source material doesn’t exactly scream “family-friendly” to most audiences, but then, neither did The Little Mermaid or The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and those worked out just fine in the long run.

The story largely remains the same: animals fight back against humans, take over the farm, and then lose their way by putting their faith in a leader who does not have their best interests at heart. All of this the film keeps intact. What it adds is more fart jokes, a slightly lighter touch to more sensitive topics, and a new piglet named Lucky (Gaten Matarazzo), a young protagonist kids can root for and relate to. As with the novel, the main source of conflict comes from Napoleon, a pig who slowly takes over the farm and uses his power to enrich himself at the expense (in some cases, the lives) of the other animals on Animal Farm. Early on, much concern was made of the fact that Seth Rogen was voicing Napoleon, an actor I personally could not have seen doing the role justice.

Yet as the film went on, it dawned on me how inspired this casting actually was: Seth Rogen is perfect as the guy who doesn’t appear threatening or callous until it is too late. Considering we live in a world where less-than-professional people have found themselves in positions of power they should (arguably) not have, the casting of Rogen went from being an “on paper misfire” to “he’s the secret sauce for why this movie works so well.” It also helps that Serkis is an accomplished actor and director who knows where the balancing act should be. Yes, he is making the world of Animal Farm more sunny and less bleak, but he isn’t shying away from the tragedy of the situation either.

While adding an ending that is happier than the source material will certainly be considered a bridge too far for many, it makes sense in the context of what he is trying to do (and for what it’s worth, Angel Studios has taken the unusual step of warning parents that this movie may be more appropriate for ages 11 and up in the advertising). If you walk into this expecting a family film, you’re going to walk out impressed by how much of the novel was actually left untouched. Where things are going to trip people up is the fact that the book does have rabid fans, and if they aren’t approaching this with the right mindset, they will likely be very disappointed.

They’re going to have to accept that this is Andy Serkis’s version of Animal Farm and is only based on George Orwell’s novel. Political commentators might complain about the fact that this version focuses on modern-day capitalism instead of socialism. Since Orwell himself was a democratic socialist, I think it’s fair to say that his issues weren’t with socialism itself so much as they were dictatorship and the exploitation of the lower class (which, to be fair, capitalism at its worst is capable of doing). And yes, it is strange that a largely faith-based studio would want to distribute this and dip its toe into movies that might annoy its (mostly) conservative customers, but then, who’s distributing the film has the least to do with the quality of the movie.

I’m not entirely sure why Serkis chose to make a family-friendly version of Animal Farm, but as far as I’m concerned, this is a great stepping stone for kids to the works of George Orwell. It isn’t overbearingly dark and depressing, but it does have a serious bite that most kids will likely not find in the upcoming Minions movie (or certainly Mario). Personally, even if there are uneven elements, I think the end result should be praised for what it managed to accomplish rather than condemned for not making the movie book fans wanted. Besides, there are other, darker adaptations of this story, including a 1954 animated feature that is quite dark. I recommend seeking that out if this didn’t scratch your itch.