“Animal Farm” Doesn’t Know What It Wants to Be

Animal Farm (Andy Serkis, 2026) 1 out of 5 stars

When British author George Orwell wrote Animal Farm in 1945, he had a specific purpose in mind. Inspired by the rise of Joseph Stalin after the Russian Revolution, Orwell’s novella told a bleak cautionary tale about the dangers of totalitarianism. It may have had a cast of talking animals, but it was mature enough to convey the corrupting nature of power. Unfortunately, director Andy Serkis’ new animated adaptation desperately tries to appeal to a younger audience, an overcorrection that defangs the narrative.

Like the source text, the film focuses on a group of farm animals living under the cruel Mr. Jones (Andy Serkis, Venom: The Last Dance). They include pigs, cows, baby chicks, and a loyal workhorse named Boxer (Woody Harrelson, Fly Me to the Moon). When Jones attempts to send the animals off to a slaughterhouse, a young piglet named Lucky (Gaten Matarazzo, Stranger Things) rallies the animals to stage a revolt. As the newly renamed Animal Farm slowly builds its own society, two pigs begin to emerge as prospective leaders: the practical Snowball (Laverne Cox, Disclosure) and the manipulative Napoleon (Seth Rogen, The Fabelmans). However, over time, the pigs are slowly corrupted by their proximity to power.

For what it’s worth, Serkis and screenwriter Nicholas Stoller (Bros) clearly have some understanding of the book’s commentary. Snowball proposes that the animals live by seven commandments to prevent them from becoming like humans. The most crucial commandment is “All Animals Are Equal.” Over the course of the story, Napoleon and his propagandist Squealer (Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain) manipulate the other animals into bending commandments one by one. Lucky serves as an audience surrogate, watching their actions in horror. Despite this, the film does not respect its audience enough to let serious moments sit.

One minute, Snowball and Lucky are discussing the perils of absolute power. The next, Napoleon is saying his farts are what freedom sounds like. Lucky has several admittedly sincere scenes where he talks to Boxer about where the farm is going. But then it’s right back to pop-culture references and needle drops. Serkis even casts himself as another character, a comic-relief rooster named Raymond who doesn’t really have anything funny to say. Without spoiling anything, the most egregious choice comes in the third act. It completely misunderstands the novella’s ending in an attempt to craft something more hopeful.

This is especially surprising considering Andy Serkis’ previous work. After gritty star-making roles in The Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes, he hesitates to embrace Orwell’s darkness. He compresses the story into 94 minutes, cutting out most of the pigs’ gradual descent into villainy. He breezes past the majority of the socialist commentary, favoring a broader “power corrupts” message. Even worse, the animation looks generic for a director with so much motion-capture experience. The art style and character acting remind me of the Back at the Barnyard series, lacking the humanity this story deserves.

The original Animal Farm was meant to be a lesson on how revolutions can be co-opted. If we’re not careful, charlatans take advantage of a movement for their own benefit. Serkis and Stoller do not want to challenge people. They want to entice the viewer with vague political statements but ultimately reassure them that the bad guys always lose. They want to create this encouraging fable for children, teaching them right from wrong, but Animal Farm is not Zootopia. This film takes a story known for its political realism and makes it childish.

George W. Campbell

George W. Campbell is a director/screenwriter/editor from Bowie, Maryland, whose films focus on themes of family and personal relationships. As a Nicaraguan-American filmmaker, he aims to highlight specific parts of his culture and personal experiences (songs, dances, foods, and language).