A new animated version of George Orwell's Animal Farm dropped its first trailer Friday night, and the internet lost its mind. The adaptation, which reportedly took 14 years to produce and struggled to find a distributor before Angel Studios picked it up, appears to many to have completely missed the point of Orwell's classic anti-communist allegory. Instead of warning about Soviet totalitarianism and the corruption inherent in Marxist ideology, this version allegedly takes aim at capitalism and corporate greed while tacking on an uplifting ending that would make Orwell roll over in his grave.
As an Angel Guild member, these accusations made little sense to me. I’m extremely familiar with the content on Angel’s platform, and my son is a fan of the series The Tuttle Twins, which follows two kids who stumble into adventures that introduce them to ideas about freedom, personal responsibility, and limited government. It teaches free-market and libertarian concepts through fast-paced stories, humor, and history, aimed at kids but written so that adults can not only know exactly what lessons are being taught but also enjoy watching it.
According to a report from The Telegraph, the new adaptation of Animal Farm tells its story through Lucky, a brand-new "plucky piglet" character not in the source material. Director Andy Serkis, who spent nearly 15 years developing the project, says he wanted to make the story “accessible” rather than "overtly political" for modern audiences. For sure, that’s a Hollywood doublespeak for gutting the original message and replacing it with something more palatable to the crowd that thinks communism just needs better marketing. The film introduces a new villain, Frieda Pilkington, who is reportedly a billionaire capitalist scheming to seize control of Animal Farm. She also drives around in what many say looks suspiciously like a Tesla Cybertruck, though producers insist any resemblance is purely coincidental.
The adaptation abandons Orwell’s bleak ending for the story, replacing it with a typical Hollywood happy ending in which the animals overthrow the pigs and reclaim the farm. Critics say the change guts Orwell’s warning by recasting communism as noble and workable, blaming its failure on corrupting capitalist influence rather than inherent tyranny.
Naturally, Angel Studios found itself in damage control mode as backlash mounted.
When I reached out to Angel Studios, a spokesperson assured me that the film remains an anti-communist story and clarified that the studio is the distributor, not the producer, and has no creative control over the film.
Guild members who previewed the film voted heavily in favor of distribution and insisted that the film remains anti-communist despite appearances. I didn't preview the film myself and can't personally vouch for its content. However, guild members would not have been able to preview the entire movie.
As for the changes to the original story, I was informed that the updates were made to “make it relevant to a broad-based, values-centric, family-friendly audience.”
“This is an anti-communism film, and the Angel Guild will ensure that it stands by the principles of our members,” the spokesperson said.
“This is a project of tremendous heart,” Brandon Purdie, Executive Vice President of Theatrical and Brand Development at Angel said in a statement. “Andy Serkis’ visionary direction, combined with this powerhouse cast, creates a film that feels timely, urgent, and deeply human — even though the protagonists might be pigs, donkeys, and horses. We’re confident that moviegoers will see not just a story of farm animals, but a mirror held up to our world today.”
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