Hollywood is flipping George Orwell’s classic anti-communist allegory on its head with a new animated adaptation of “Animal Farm” directed by Andy Serkis. The film, set for release in 2026, introduces a billionaire villain absent from the original novel and shifts the focus toward corporate greed, drawing backlash for altering the book’s core message about Soviet totalitarianism.

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Orwell’s 1945 novella “Animal Farm” serves as a direct satire of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalinism. In the story, farm animals overthrow their human owners to create an egalitarian society based on the principles of “Animalism,” a stand-in for communism. The pigs, led by Napoleon, who represents Joseph Stalin, gradually seize power, corrupt the ideals of the revolution, and establish a tyrannical regime. The famous ending shows the pigs walking on two legs and becoming indistinguishable from the humans they overthrew, underscoring how revolutionary movements can devolve into oppression.

Serkis, known for his motion-capture roles in films like “The Lord of the Rings,” spent 14 years developing this CGI-animated version. The adaptation adds a new character, Frieda Pilkington, a wealthy antagonist voiced by Glenn Close, who plots to take over the farm. This billionaire drives a vehicle resembling Elon Musk’s Tesla Cybertruck, though producers insist the similarity is unintentional. Napoleon, voiced by Seth Rogen, is downgraded to a secondary villain, with the primary threat coming from this external capitalist force.

The film’s ending diverges sharply from Orwell’s bleak conclusion. Instead of the animals remaining under pig rule, they overthrow their oppressors and envision a “brighter future.” Serkis explained the change at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in July, saying, “We wanted some hope.”

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Critics argue these alterations invert Orwell’s intent. The original work, written by the socialist author as a warning against the corruption of socialist ideals by authoritarian leaders, targeted the internal betrayal within revolutionary movements. By introducing an external corporate villain, the adaptation shifts blame onto capitalism, making the pigs’ corruption secondary.

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Historian Rafe Heydel-Mankoo posted on X saying, “A critique of Stalinist Russia, the betrayal of revolutionary ideals, and how ideological regimes can devolve into totalitarianism appears to have been turned into a – sadly predictable – attack on capitalism.”

The production also includes voices from Woody Harrelson as Boxer, the horse, and Gaten Matarazzo as a new young pig character named Lucky, serving as an audience surrogate. Angel Studios, known for faith-based films, acquired U.S. theatrical rights, with a planned release on May 1, 2026. 

Orwell, who fought against totalitarianism in works like “1984,” drew from his experiences in the Spanish Civil War to caution against power’s corrupting influence, particularly from the left. This adaptation’s family-friendly tone, including comedic elements around serious plot points like Boxer’s fate, further departs from the novel’s somber warnings against communism.