George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” has been the subject of controversy since its publishing in 1945 — and director Andy Serkis’ animated adaptation of the novella is no different, drawing its own share of criticism ahead of its release from Angel Studios.
“It was a very close, detailed analysis of the failure of the Communist Party and the brutality that ensued under Stalinism and totalitarianism,” Serkis says of Orwell’s work. “He was such a prescient writer that this book is so eternally relevant, and it speaks to today, which is why we wanted to set it for a young audience. It’s contemporary, the values being transported into a world that we understand now.”
But therein lies the rub — the film’s inclusion of modern features like drones, computer surveillance and pink Lamborghinis, plus “Old MacDonald”-inspired rap songs and a few fart jokes, left Orwell-heads questioning if Serkis was making any effort to preserve the integrity of the original work.
Serkis cracks a smile when asked about the torrent of online hate directed at his film. “I love the fact that it’s caused so much debate already, and that’s before they even see the film. Orwell has been claimed by both right and left, and reviled by right and left. He would have loved the fact that this was causing so much discussion about authoritarianism in all its different forms,” he tells Page Six Hollywood.
Critics haven’t been too keen on the film thus far, calling it everything from“smooth-brained” to “cinematic manure,” but audiences could sing a different tune when “Animal Farm” hits theaters this Friday — they certainly turned up for Lionsgate’s recently panned hit “Michael.”
Serkis also points out that Orwell purists can already turn to two previous adaptations if they’re looking to go by-the-book. “There’s no point in making the same film. There was a brilliant 1954 animation, and there was also a very good animatronic version in the 1990s,” he says. “This is meant for young inquiring minds, to sit with their parents and grandparents, watch the story unfold with the young kids being put in the center of the moral compass as they go on this journey towards who they should trust in this utopia that goes wrong.” Go pig or go home!
