George Orwell's 1945 classic novel, Animal Farm, is a staple of secondary school curricula. However, a new cartoon version plays loosey-goosey with the original, particularly when it comes to the new feel-good ending.
Relocated from England to rural America, the story starts fairly faithfully. A mean, drunken farmer neglects and mistreats his animals, facing repossession and an eventual trip to what they believe is a jolly 'vay-cay' – but is in fact an abattoir.
Alert: if your children can't read the word 'slaughterhouse', or you aren't prepared to discuss why animals are being dispatched to a glue factory, best avoid this movie. The animals quickly – way too quickly – oust the humans and gain control of the farm, led by the pigs.
Their initial leader is Snowball, a democratic socialist porker who establishes key Orwellian rules such as 'All animals are equal' and 'Four legs good, two legs bad.' However, Snowball is soon – way too soon – overthrown by Napoleon, a boarish dictator driven by greed and power.
Crucially and controversially, two new key characters have been added: a perky little piglet called Lucky, who becomes our cutesy new hero, and a mean tech billionairess who snarls 'I want that farm' and drives an electric car.
Writer Nicholas Stoller has updated Orwell's allegory from Soviet totalitarianism to modern corporate corruption. In theory, that's all fine and good. However, the clarity of Orwell's bleak political allegory is entirely watered down within what becomes a confusingly cosy coming-of-age kids' caper.
The film's climax involves robots, henchmen, lasers, and underwater escapes, as Lucky and his chums lead a mission titled 'Operation Party Pooper.' Speaking of pooping, there are plentiful fart gags – the lazy crowd-pleaser of almost every kids' animation.
The CGI is bland, rosy-tinted, and featureless, falling entirely to a stupendously starry voice cast to round out the characters. Kieran Culkin plays a snivelling pig, Steve Buscemi a banker, and Kathleen Turner a nihilistic donkey. Best of all is Woody Harrelson as Boxer, the naive and trusting workhorse who also hefts the extra burden of narrator.
Verdict: Andy Serkis's take on George Orwell's classic bleak political allegory is a watered-down, soulless mess that's borderline incoherent. Ironic, given it's directed by an actor-turned-director known for imbuing human characters with Oscar-worthy humanity.
Animal Farm hits cinemas on Saturday, July 18.
