Revolutions are not meant to be cute. But in Andy Serkis’s new animated Animal Farm, that is exactly what they become.
Once a razor-sharp allegory on power, corruption and control, George Orwell’s classic has now been softened into a brightly coloured, family-friendly fable -- one that trades political sting for pop songs, punchlines and plush-toy appeal.
The shift is immediate.
Where the original story simmered with tension and quiet dread, this version leans into spectacle.
Talking animals crack jokes, dance to upbeat tracks, and occasionally pause for humour that feels more playground than political.
At one point, the tyrannical pig Napoleon, voiced by Seth Rogen, delivers a gag that undercuts the very menace he is meant to embody.
And that is the film’s central problem.
It remembers the plot, but forgets the point.
Screenwriter Nicholas Stoller retains the skeleton of Orwell’s narrative -- the uprising, the rise of leadership, the slow drift into tyranny -- but strips it of its ideological weight.
In its place is a simplified critique of greed and corporatization, with added human villains and a newly introduced piglet, clearly designed to charm younger viewers.
Visually, the animation opts for softness over substance.
The farm feels polished but generic, more toy box than battleground. And while the voice cast -- including Glenn Close, Steve Buscemi and Laverne Cox -- delivers moments of flair, the performances often feel trapped inside a script that refuses to go deeper.
There are flashes of wit, and occasional reminders of what the story once stood for. But they are fleeting.
Because this Animal Farm doesn’t provoke.
It entertains -- lightly, safely, and perhaps too politely.
And in doing so, it turns a revolution into a bedtime story.
