Rotten Tomatoes
Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Animal Farm

Play trailer 2:08 Poster for Animal Farm 1954 1h 12m Kids & Family Fantasy Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
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.
Watch on Prime Video Stream Now

Where to Watch

Animal Farm

Critics Reviews

View More
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
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Fabrizio A @RT47934443 2d 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 4d 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 Alec B @Alec97 Apr 7 I really like the animation and that there's no attempt to lessen the violence. That said, changing the ending does totally undermine the horror of Orwell's book. See more Catherine D. @CatherineOrozco Mar 22 Old but gold. Compelling and a great way to introduce the story to younger audiences. The message conveyed this way will potentially be processed more clearly or at least given a good footing to build off of via talking points and deeper interest. My family has been able to use this film to talk about the damage of alcohol, harm, power, control, and strength. More importantly what it means to be a good citizen and what it means to live in community. Can’t praise this movie enough! See more Tim M @tgmacman Dec 21 The animated Animal Farm proves largely faithful to George Orwell's classic novel, albeit not adding much in the process. See more Read all reviews
Animal Farm

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING
Peter Pan 79% 80% Peter Pan Watchlist Lady and the Tramp 91% 80% Lady and the Tramp Watchlist TRAILER for Lady and the Tramp The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad 89% 71% The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad Watchlist Alice in Wonderland 83% 78% Alice in Wonderland Watchlist TRAILER for Alice in Wonderland Sleeping Beauty 90% 80% Sleeping Beauty Watchlist TRAILER for Sleeping Beauty Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

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