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Animal Farm

Play trailer 2:08 Poster for Animal Farm 1954 1h 12m Kids & Family Fantasy Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
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67% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In this animated film based on George Orwell's novel, animals on drunken Mr. Jones' (Maurice Denham) farm, led by prize hog Old Major (also Denham), gather to discuss their abuse. Old Major exhorts the animals to rebel. Boxer the horse, donkey Benjamin, pigs Snowball and Napoleon and the others agree, and when Old Major dies, they turn against Jones. But Napoleon secretly raises a group of puppies to do his bidding, and over time the efficiently run farm falters as Napoleon schemes to take over.
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Animal Farm

Critics Reviews

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Delmore Schwartz The New Republic 01/23/2013
It is a serious pity that one can only praise the film version of George Orwell's Animal Farm as a valuable beginning or experiment, and hardly more than that. Go to Full Review
Herman G. Weinberg Film Culture 06/07/2022
It is a fable, or allegory, in which human actions are presented in the guise of animal actions. But how can this convince any intelligent person who knows that animals don't act that way? Aesop was far cleverer. Go to Full Review
Tracey Petherick Common Sense Media 09/11/2020
4/5
Intense, compelling adaptation of Orwell's classic story. Go to Full Review
Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine 11/07/2019
This is the first feature-length animated cartoon to tackle an adult theme instead of the usual kindergarten slapstick. A British effort, it sometimes fails to compete with Hollywood's best technical standards. Go to Full Review
Virginia Graham The Spectator 06/19/2018
Even so, when only one figure in a crowd is animated the impression given is that of laziness or lack of funds rather than design. Go to Full Review
MFB Critics Monthly Film Bulletin 01/24/2018
If Animal Farm is a notable, rather than an exciting, experiment in cartoon making, it will doubtless influence future work in this field, both in this country and overseas. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Noel L @RT15930389 1d What a very interesting take on revolution See more Simp S @Simpson143 1d So much better than the newer version. Has it's faults but tells the story amazingly with lovely animation See more Jay W @RT52162311 May 11 It is interesting how something can be both such an obvious product of its time, and a timeless classic. The George Orwell classic is an excellent allegory that reflects the Russian Revolution but can also be applied to teach many important themes about power, corruption and government today. This CIA produced animated adaptation could be seen as Cold War propaganda. Its animation and voice acting are certainly limited. But it is faithful enough to the original and maintains that timeless quality. See more Fabrizio A @RT47934443 May 5 Although the ending leans more towards a pro-American perspective—given that the CIA funded the film's production—this adaptation remains the most faithful to Orwell's political satire. The film successfully retains the book's dark tone and effectively conveys the core message against authoritarianism. The animation is well-executed, although it may not be as polished as in the classic Disney films. See more Dennis H. @jared May 3 Theaters should play this instead of the 2026 version See more Maddie P. @Moonwatcher Apr 27 I enjoy the film so much loved the animation style and everything I have one complaint of this film is that what technically did happen to snowball I know they didn’t show up, but I know he’s dead, but I wish they showed the body saying snowball is actually dead, but either way I like the film I wish the ending was like the book but either way I’m happy See more Read all reviews
Animal Farm

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this animated film based on George Orwell's novel, animals on drunken Mr. Jones' (Maurice Denham) farm, led by prize hog Old Major (also Denham), gather to discuss their abuse. Old Major exhorts the animals to rebel. Boxer the horse, donkey Benjamin, pigs Snowball and Napoleon and the others agree, and when Old Major dies, they turn against Jones. But Napoleon secretly raises a group of puppies to do his bidding, and over time the efficiently run farm falters as Napoleon schemes to take over.
Director
Joy Batchelor, John Halas
Producer
John Halas, Joy Batchelor
Screenwriter
Lothar Wolff, Philip Stapp, George Orwell, Borden Mace, John Halas, Joseph Bryan, Joy Batchelor
Distributor
BBC Enterprises Limited [gb], Universal Pictures, Louis de Rochemont Associates, Associate British-Pathe Ltd. [gb], Polygram, Blue Dolphin Film Distribution Ltd. [gb]
Production Co
Halas and Batchelor Cartoon Films [gb]
Genre
Kids & Family, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 29, 1954, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 20, 2011
Runtime
1h 12m
Sound Mix
Mono