Andy Serkis’ animated take on Animal Farm looks decent enough and benefits from a strong voice cast featuring Seth Rogen, Kieran Culkin, Kathleen Turner and Woody Harrelson. The animation is colourful and polished, while a few moments involving Benjamin and the rewriting of the farm’s laws still carry traces of Orwell’s original ideas. New protagonist Lucky gives the film a more emotional and family friendly angle, clearly aiming the story at younger audiences.
Unfortunately, the film completely loses what made George Orwell’s novella so powerful in the first place. The sharp political allegory is watered down into a generic story about corporate greed, while the darker themes are softened in favour of a more uplifting and modernised approach. It often feels embarrassed by its own source material, changing the foundations of Orwell’s story to fit contemporary tastes. The result is a frustrating adaptation that barely resembles Animal Farm by the end, and a terrible film overall that struggles to justify its existence.
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