Animal Farm, like several other anthropomorphic classics (eg Watership Down) faces serious problems when it comes to movie adaptations. Conventional animation has overtones of Disney cuteness, as a previous cartoon version proved. This is a political horror story.
With the technical developments wrought by the Jim Henson company, however, it seemed as if it might be possible to render the greatest allegory of the 20th century as a film, while retaining the essential message that Orwell intended.
But they blew it.
The cutesy topping and tailing with the loveable sheepdog, giving the story what is essentially a happy ending, is unforgiveable. OK, so Soviet Communism, the subject of Orwell's book, is no more, but dictatorship still exists around the world. And to identify the new "owners" of the farm as a cheery, Clintonesque family is just an abomination.
Many of the effects are excellent, and some of the voice performances (especially from Pete Postlethwaite and the magnificent Peter Ustinov) are superlative. But why the hell couldn't they have just stuck to the story?
As many others have said before me, READ THE BOOK!
With the technical developments wrought by the Jim Henson company, however, it seemed as if it might be possible to render the greatest allegory of the 20th century as a film, while retaining the essential message that Orwell intended.
But they blew it.
The cutesy topping and tailing with the loveable sheepdog, giving the story what is essentially a happy ending, is unforgiveable. OK, so Soviet Communism, the subject of Orwell's book, is no more, but dictatorship still exists around the world. And to identify the new "owners" of the farm as a cheery, Clintonesque family is just an abomination.
Many of the effects are excellent, and some of the voice performances (especially from Pete Postlethwaite and the magnificent Peter Ustinov) are superlative. But why the hell couldn't they have just stuck to the story?
As many others have said before me, READ THE BOOK!