In July 2011, a feature film adaptation of George Orwell's 1945 novella Animal Farm was announced to be in development, with Rupert Wyatt serving as director. Wyatt and Andy Serkis, who had worked together on Rise of the Planet of the Apes, were slated to serve as co-screenwriters.[3] By October 2012, Serkis was announced to have taken over directorial duties, with the project being developed as a HFR-3D film.[4] In August 2018, Netflix purchased distribution rights to the film.[5][6][7] After numerous delays, Serkis once again began pre-production on the project, after completing his directing duties for the Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) film Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021).[8]
By April 2022, it was announced that production had commenced as an animated film at Cinesite Studios, with a screenplay written by Nicholas Stoller.[9][10] Serkis also served as producer, alongside Adam Nagle, Dave Rosenbaum, and Jonathan Cavendish with both Stoller and Wyatt set to serve as executive producers.[11] Connie Nartonis Thompson (Frankenweenie) produced the film on behalf of Cinesite. The project is a joint-venture production between Cinesite, Aniventure, and the Imaginarium Productions, with Netflix dropping the distribution rights.[12][13] In March 2023, during an interview with Screen Rant, Serkis stated that one year of production had passed while another year was left for the film.[14]Deadline Hollywood reported in May 2024 that Animal Farm finished production.[15]
Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "Serkis' 21st-century update dilutes Orwell's political allegory in favor of what passes for something more 'audience friendly': His approach adopts the celebrity voices, cutesy character designs and antic, mile-a-minute energy of big-studio American toons. The result isn't nearly as polished as Illumination or DreamWorks movies, but 'good enough for government work,' as the saying goes."[20]
Pete Hammond of Deadline wrote the following, "With a screenplay, alternately funny and frighteningly perceptive by Nicholas Stoller, this gorgeously animated version is not outwardly trying to be political but nevertheless is uncannily meeting its time and proving to be a little too close for comfort to America's drift toward authoritarianism."[21] Rafael Motamayor's IGN review noted that Serkis shifts Orwell's allegory from Stalinism to modern corporate corruption, trading a dystopian tone for "something a little more uplifting." He praised the visuals and cast but felt the adaptation "lost some teeth" compared to the novel.[22] Tim Robey, writing for The Daily Telegraph, gave the film 1 out of 5 stars, heavily criticizing the film:[23] "A Trump-era makeover for this classic is totally misjudged, from terrible songs to toilet humour." In a mixed review, Wendy Ide of Screen International states:[24] "While it may struggle to satisfy diehard Orwell purists, the film still takes a political stance and delivers an emphatic message celebrating equality and the power of the collective."
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