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The hoof and horn of Animalism, representing the hammer and sickle of Communism.
Pigs
Old Major / Willingdon Beauty
1954 film
1999 film
Voiced by: Maurice Denham (1954 film); Peter Ustinov (1999 film)
"Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers."
An old Middle White boar. The wisest animal on the farm, he instructs the animals on his ideas for how to better themselves. Represents Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx.- Allegorical Character: He represents the earlier leaders of the movement and their influence, specifically Marx and Lenin. He dies before seeing how the revolution develops.
- Big Good: Before his death, he inspires the animals to rise up against Jones and to build a more egalitarian society. Of course, we all know how that turns out...
- Character Filibuster: Much of the first chapter consists of him giving a long speech to the assembled other animals.
- Composite Character: He takes elements from both Marx and Lenin as the rallying force behind the revolution.
- Cool Old Guy: He's the most respected animal on the farm, hands down.
- Dead Guy on Display: After his death, his skull is exhumed and placed on a post for all to see, a reference to Lenin's preserved corpse being put in public view by the Soviet government. They are to acknowledge it as they walk by. When Napoleon decides he wants to be more human than animal, he decides to order that the skull be reburied.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation:
- In the 1999 film, rather than dying peacefully in his sleep, he is killed by a stray gunshot from the drunken Jones.
- Also the case in the 1954 animated film, where he dies abruptly during the meeting while the animals are singing, presumably of a heart attack.
- Dry Crusader: In his monologue, he says that no animal should ever drink alcohol. Considering he saw the effects it had on Mr. Jones firsthand, it's hard to blame him.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Represents Karl Marx (who died before seeing the Russian Revolution) and Vladimir Lenin (who died during its early years). The CIA (!) had Old Major given
a voice like Winston Churchill for the 1954 film. - Posthumous Character: Dies, either of natural causes or a gunshot wound, but not before his Plot-Triggering Death inspired his fellow animals.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He only appears briefly at the beginning of the book before he dies, but he is the one who inspires the animals to rebel against their farmer.
- Token Heroic Orc: The only pig to be portrayed as a purely heroic figure.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Before his death he pleads with his fellow animals to make the farm their own paradise, not knowing how many of his fellow pigs would utterly corrupt his original vision.
Snowball
1954 film
1999 film
Voiced by: Maurice Denham (1954 film); Kelsey Grammer (1999 film)
A pig who ends up taking control of the farm and leads the rebellion against Jones. Represents Leon Trotsky.- Adaptational Nice Guy: He doesn't side with the pigs in hoarding food in the animated film and the scene where he scolds Boxer for mourning a human is cut.
- Adaptational Villainy: Not entirely, but the CIA investors who helped fund the animated adaptation didn't want Snowball to be too sympathetic so they sent a memo that said they wanted Snowball to be a "fanatic intellectual whose plans if carried through would have led to disaster no less complete than under Napoleon." However it's unclear if these changes were implemented, as in the finished film he seems little different from the book.
- Allegorical Character:
- Represents Trotsky. An influential member of the movement facing opposition from fellow pig Napoleon, he tries laying down ideas for development before being deposed and assassinated.
- In general, he characterizes those that want to help the lower classes but get picked off by those with influence, ambition, and power in the movement.
- Ambiguously Evil: There are hints that he may not be a good guy, considering he agrees with the other pigs on being "above" manual labor and hoarding the milk and apples for themselves and gets angry at Boxer's remorse for having killed a human at the Battle of the Cowshed, but the book never clarifies his exact position on the morality spectrum. Analyses of his character have ranged from "flawed but a good person at the end of the day" to "just as bad as Napoleon but in different ways".
- Badass Bookworm: He is undeniably one of the most educated animals on the farm. He spends a lot of time reading Mr. Jones' old books and becomes very well-read on various types of fields (such as strategy and engineering to name a few).
- Big Good: Leads the farm against Jones, and practically runs Animal Farm during its early years, striving for the ideals of Animalism.
- Brainy Pig: Snowball is the most intellectual of the pigs, who are already depicted as the cleverest creatures on the farm (e.g., they're all highly literate, while other animals struggle with the alphabet).
- Death by Adaptation: In the animated film it's strongly implied he's killed by Napoleon's attack dogs, as they're seen chasing him down while a crow — who shows up whenever a character dies — watches. Snowball's squeals abruptly stop, and the dogs come out of the forest, one of them nodding to Napoleon.
- Deceased Fall-Guy Gambit: After Snowball is (possibly) mauled to death and framed as a traitor, Napoleon begins to attribute any opposition against him as working for Snowball, as the other animals hadn't seen his death and are led to believe that he was simply driven off.
- Didn't Think This Through: His windmill requires materials like cables and turbines which simply aren't available on the farm."How these items were to be acquired Snowball did not say".
- The Dreaded: Napoleon and Squealer slap this on him after he is driven out of the farm, blaming every one of their mistakes and faults as Snowball's doing.
- Killed Offscreen: In the animated film, he is hunted down by the dogs and presumably killed gruesomely. The book and other works leave it more ambiguous.
- Large Ham: Then again, what do you expect from a Trotsky stand-in? Bonus points for being a literal ham.
- Light Is Good: His bristle is white, like his name implies, and is one of the more sympathetic animals on the farm.
- Mr. Vice Guy: He seems to be something of a glutton, but nevertheless a decent pig.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Inspired by Leon Trotsky. In the unofficial sequel Snowball's Chance he becomes one for George W. Bush.
- Pawprint Stamping: When Snowball takes over the farm, he instills a new flag that consists of a hoof and a horn.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: At least compared to Napoleon. While this is Played With as he gives the pigs a bigger meal for themselves (himself included) after their first battle, he seemed to have the other animals' best interests still at heart.
- The Scapegoat: After the dogs kill him away from the sight of the farm, the pigs make propaganda that anything that will subvert their plans will bring him or Jones back. Snowball gets blamed for any acts of dissent and pretty much everything that goes wrong on the farm as a result.
- Sinister Swine: Downplayed. Snowball isn't necessarily evil, especially in comparison to most of the other pigs, but is somewhat of an Insufferable Genius and he even yells at Boxer the horse for showing regret after seemingly killing a human.
- Spared by the Adaptation: His death is implied in all takes, though Snowball's Chance has him return, having survived his exile by Napoleon's dogs. With Napoleon having since passed away, he takes over, and history repeats.
- The Strategist: His tactical brilliance plays a major role in the victory at the Battle of the Cowshed. This reflects how Trotsky reformed the Red Army and led it to victory in the Russian Civil War.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: It's unclear if he was killed by Napoleon, or simply run off the farm. The animated film all but states that he was Killed Offscreen.
Napoleon
1954 film
1999 film
Voiced by: Maurice Denham (1954 film); Patrick Stewart (1999 film)
"For the protection of ourselves and our way of life, the revolution is over. All animals are free!"
A large, black Berkshire boar who runs the farm alongside Snowball after Old Major dies. He begins to usurp the ideals of Animalism for his own ends. Represents Joseph Stalin.- Adaptational Karma: Practically every adaptation of the book ends with Napoleon's tyranny falling apart and his implied death. This at least comes with a case of Real Life Writes the Plot: Stalin, Napoleon's basis, died before the release of the 1954 animated film, while the Soviet Union his regime was based on had also collapsed by the time of later adaptations.
- Adaptational Wimp: Napoleon is fairly brave in the original novel, standing tall even as Frederick blows up the windmill and implicitly taking part in the subsequent fighting (since the narration mentions that he was wounded). His animated movie version is significantly more craven and he meets his end cowering in fear as his long-suffering subjects take their revenge.
- Adaptation Species Change: The animated film changes him from a Berkshire to a British Saddleback.
- The Alcoholic: It's one of the signs that he is becoming more and more like Jones, even selling Boxer so he can buy more liquor.
- Allegorical Character:
- Embodies Joseph Stalin, his cruelty, and his rise to power.
- In a more general sense, he plays the role of the member of the revolution that manages to usurp the movement for his own gain.
- Became Their Own Antithesis: It's arguable how much he was dedicated to the teachings of Old Major, but he was still one of the animals willing to fight and overthrow Jones during the movement's early days. Over the course of the book, he ends up replacing him in all but name and species. He and his followers even walk on two legs and can't be physically distinguished from humans in the eyes of the animal onlookers.
- Big Bad: As the ruthless dictator of the animal farm.
- Big Bad Slippage: Like the rest of the farm, Napoleon was a follower of Old Major, but after his death, he began to butt heads with Snowball on what direction to take the farm, until he chases him away with his attack dogs. Napoleon effectively becomes the dictator of Animal Farm from then on, and things only go downhill from there.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: In the live action movie, after hanging out with Mr. Pilkington, he starts using his catchphrase, "Dear boy".
- The Caligula: He is a selfish psychopath who rules Animal Farm with an iron fist and sees his own people as expendable and even kills them for the pettiest reasons. This is taken further in the 1999 live-action movie, where he ruins his farm through his inept despotism.
- Corrupt Politician: Even before taking absolute power, he promoted his own interests at the expense of the farm's.
- Dark Is Evil: Due to being a Berkshire boar, he is darker than the other pigs and is the villain who seizes power for his own cruel despotism.
- Death by Adaptation: Both the 1954 animated film and 1999 live-action film heavily imply he meets his end. The unofficial sequel to the novel Snowball's Chance is even pivoted by Napoleon's death.
- Despotism Justifies the Means: He will stop at nothing to secure his power.
- Disproportionate Retribution: He executes several animals for the pettiest of crimes (such as a goose for stealing corn shears and some chickens for hiding their eggs from him).
- Dramatic Irony: Before his coup, he's against the windmill, believing it to be a waste of time since food production is more vital.
- Entitled Bastard: Despite oppressing the other animals, he expects them to continue to see him as their heroic leader and saviour.
- Establishing Character Moment: Though his tyrannical slippage is gradual, his first few scenes in the animated film make his Jerkass qualities apparent from the start, where he is introduced as a fierce looking boar with a reputation for getting his own way, rudely butting to front of the audience of Old Major, and nastily squealing at a timid lamb and its mother for bleating during the speech (despite Old Major's words being directed empathetically to them in the first place).
- Evil All Along: He is heavily implied to have been this once he becomes the dictator.
- Evil Is Bigger: In the 1954 film at least, he is shown to be the biggest pig on the farm once Old Major dies.
- Evil Is Petty:
- He literally takes a piss at Snowball's drawings of the windmill just because he didn't like him.
- At one point he executes multiple animals for the smallest and pettiest reasons right in front of the entire animal farm.
- To make sure his food isn’t poisoned, he regularly has another pig taste it for him beforehand.
- Instead of giving the wounded Boxer medical treatment, Napoleon sells him to a slaughterhouse so he can buy some more booze.
- Evil Overlord: The farm's cruel autocrat.
- Face–Heel Turn: Starts out a decent enough sort, promoting Old Major's doctrine and working for the good of all animals. It doesn't last too long. Although there are hints that this was more of a case of Evil All Along.
- Fangs Are Evil: He has some prominent pointy teeth in the 1954 film, unlike the other animals and even the other pigs.
- Fat Bastard: After his corruption sets in, he gets fatter and fatter.
- Faux Affably Evil: Whenever he acts polite, which itself is very rare for him, it's only an act.
- Glad I Thought of It: He dismisses Snowball's plans for a windmill as nonsense. When he fails to undermine him, he sends his attack dogs to dispose of him, and then takes his place as leader, and assures the animals by showing his plans for a windmill."And so the windmill was started after all."
- Hate Sink: After throwing Snowball out of the farm, he abuses the seven commandments and makes Squealer tell lies and propaganda to the animals to keep on supporting him, but as soon as he sends Boxer to a slaughterhouse, he completely loses all sympathy, he is overall extremely unfair to the animals and has absolutely no redeeming qualities or sympathetic qualities.
- History Repeats: Famously so. His rule is even considered to be even worse than Jones's.
- Hoist by His Own Petard:
- His lies when dealing with Pilkington drives the latter to stand by while Frederick attacks and ultimately destroys Animal Farm.
- This happens to him more permanently in the 1999 film, due to Adaptation Expansion following the Soviet Union's collapse. The events of book play out, but after that, we see Napoleon's despotic rule led the farm to just fall apart, with him and his empire being eventually reduced to nothing.
- Hypocrite: Some time after taking over, he forbids all animals on the farm — including pigs — from eating sugar, saying it's a decadent food that will make them fat and lazy. This doesn't stop him from eating it himself.
- It's All About Me: He cares only about getting what he wants and what he wants is the farm all to himself.
- Jerkass: Comes with being a dictator. He kills other animals trying to lead against him, blames those who escaped his rule for his own mistakes, eats the other animals' food and is just a plain asshole.
- Karma Houdini: He strips away every value that Animal Farm wanted to follow, gets rid of his opposition, and solidifies his rule with strong enforcers. While the rest animals work and comply, he and his circle enjoy human luxuries. Except in the 1954 movie, where he is murdered, and in the 1999 movie, where Animal Farm collapses due to his greed.
- Kick the Dog: He abuses and even kills several animals throughout the book just to show how much of a monster he is. The best example probably being when he sends Boxer, who has become ill after being exhausted from overwork, to the slaughterhouse instead of giving him medical treatment and letting him retire.
- Killed Offscreen: In both films, the end of his rule is confirmed but under ambiguous imagery.
- Laser-Guided Karma: In the novel, he gets off scot-free for his actions. However, in both film adaptations, he gets his comeuppance.
- The Leader: Becomes this to the animal farm.
- Lesser of Two Evils: He exploits this by telling the animals they don't want Jones back. When in fact, Napoleon is even worse than him.
- Make an Example of Them: He has his enemies and opposition publicly executed to force the rest of Animal Farm to follow his orders.
- Manipulative Bastard: While he lets Squealer do most of the talking, he has his own way with words and twisting the rules around to get what he wants. And in the novel, he gets off scot-free because of it.
- Meaningful Name: What better name for a ruthless dictator who usurps his own revolution? Even better, Marx, who studied the French Revolution well, warned of Bonapartists who like Napoleon, consisted of counter-revolutionaries that would seize power and use selective radicalism to justify their tyrannical rule. Trotskyists thus use Bonapartism to describe the Marxist-Leninist regimes of the Cold War. Even Trotsky himself was ironically accused of Bonapartism due to his position in the Red Army being a potential gateway for seizing power.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Represents Joseph Stalin. Could also represent the actual Napoleon who famously seized power after a democratic revolution, which resulted in communists using the term "Bonapartism" to describe unscrupulous and ambitious individuals hijacking populist movements to seize power for themselves.
- Obviously Evil: The 1954 adaptation makes him more blatantly sinister in appearance and behavior, giving him fangs and a permanent frown and making many of his pre-coup actions more overtly shady.
- Offscreen Karma: In the 1999 adaptation, after the other animals abandon the farm, we see nothing of Napoleon afterwards. When they return, the farm is in collapse and Napoleon is gone.
- Perpetual Frowner: Has a constant grimace in the 1954 animated film. The only time he's not scowling is when the other animals corner and supposedly kill him.
- Really Gets Around: Sired dozens of piglets. Then again, he's implied to be the only intact boar on the farm after Old Major's death and Snowball's exile; if that's true, it's not like the sows have many other options.
- The Resenter: To Snowball.
- The Rival: Whenever Snowball comes up with a proposal, no matter how good or necessary it might be, Napoleon always opposes him and tries to convince the others that they're bad ideas.
- Sinister Swine: A cruel, manipulative, greedy pig who usurps control over the farm.
- Smug Snake: His manipulativeness and tendency for lying eventually bite him in the back. Namely when he makes a false promise to Pilkington about selling a pile of wood to him and instead sells it to the insidious Frederick, who swindles him with Counterfeit Cash. When Frederick later attacks the farm and blows up the windmill, Pilkington refuses to send any help out of spite. But after that, it's pretty much back to normal.
- The Sociopath: Imprisons and executes dozens of animals suspected of conspiring against him, exiles Snowball under threat of painful death-by-mauling and takes credit for all his good ideas like the windmill (which is then engineered so only the pigs see the benefits), entrenches himself as the farm's autocrat who is ultimately no different from Jones, and gladly sends Boxer off to the knacker when he's injured and can no longer work...all without a shred of guilt.
- Stupid Evil: Zig-Zagged: Napoleon is very cunning and manipulative, but as his rule becomes more assured, he does a lot of pointlessly evil acts that don't further the farm's or even his own best interests. In some cases he seems almost subconsciously driven to show he's no better than Jones, such as deciding Manor Farm sounds better than Animal Farm after all. Had the animals not been so easily manipulated, they would have overthrown him. Expectedly, this ends up playing a lot into his Adaptational Karma in the two films.
- Tyrant Takes the Helm: He takes the power all for himself after driving Snowball to exile and proceeds to rule through fear and manipulation.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Sells Boxer to the knacker, after he worked so hard to feed him.
- Villainous Glutton: He hoards the farm's sweets for himself.
- Villain Protagonist: One could make a case for this, at least in the second half of the novel where it starts to focus a lot more on him and Squealer over anybody else.
- Villainous Valour: He has a few moments of this. For example, when the windmill gets blown up, he's the only animal who doesn't take cover (which represents Stalin refusing to evacuate even as the Germans got to within 30 km of the Kremlin during the Battle of Moscow).
- Villain with Good Publicity: The animals never stop admiring him and his leadership despite how poorly he treats them. Though the novel hints that at least some animals are starting to see through the facade by the end, something that's explicitly true in both film adaptations.
- Vocal Evolution: In the 1954 animated film, both he and Snowball share the same voice actor, but he starts off with a more nasal snarl to distinguish him from Snowball. As the movie continues, intentionally or not, he deepens to the point he has the exact same voice.
Squealer
1954 film
1999 film
Voiced by: Maurice Denham (1954 film); Ian Holm (1999 film)
"You don't want Jones to come back, do you?"
A small porker who quickly becomes Number Two to Napoleon, and acts as a propagandist for Napoleon's regime. Represents the entire Soviet propaganda machine, but more specifically, Vyacheslav Molotov.- Adaptational Karma: Whatever fate Napoleon undergoes in any interpretation, Squealer shares it.
- Allegorical Character: Characterizes the leaders and creators of propaganda to help a despot remain in power. For more specific comparisons, he may be used to allude to Vyacheslav Molotov.
- Catchphrase: "Long Live Napoleon," and "You don't want Jones to come back, do you?"
- Consummate Liar: Towards the end of the story, he is able to convince the animals that Snowball was on the side of humanity all along.
- Crocodile Tears: Squealer gives a tearful eulogy for Boxer after having him sent to the knacker and professes to have been by his side at his final moments. At one point, however, he gives suspicious sideways glances to check if anyone is seeing through the lie.
- Dirty Coward: It's heavily implied that he shies away from any fighting. Notably, he's completely unscathed immediately after the Battle of the Windmill, a battle in which nearly everyone on Animal Farm's side - including Napoleon himself - was wounded. The animated film punctuates it by him being the first pig to dive under the table when the animals begin their revolt.
- The Dragon: Though Napoleon has no direct right-hand man, Squealer is the closest thing there is to one. He contrasts his vicious, taciturn leader by being more cowardly, vocal and dramatic.
- Eunuchs Are Evil: Orwell calls him a porker, indicating that he was originally raised for... well... pork, and male livestock raised for meat are usually neutered to make them fatter and more docile. In contrast, Orwell refers to elite pigs like Napoleon as boars, which denotes intact male pigs; a typical farm will often keep a few intact male animals of a given species for breeding rather than eating.
- Evil Is Hammy: Has a very shrill voice that is good for attracting an audience, not to mention he's literally a ham.
- Fat Bastard: As with Napoleon. By the end of the story, he winds up so obese, he can barely see through the folds of his fat.
- Hate Sink: Just like Napoleon but not as much, Squealer is also unlikeable.
- Manipulative Bastard: Is very good at convincing the animals that every awful thing Napoleon does is for the farm, and without it, Farmer Jones would come back.
- Mouth of Sauron: An unusual example, since he didn't start as one. However, as Napoleon descends into alcoholism and grows increasingly paranoid, he starts isolating himself from the rest of the animals more and more, with Squealer used as his mouthpiece.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He is an allegory for propaganda, but he is been compared to Vyacheslav Molotov, Soviet Foreign Minister, and Stalin's Number Two.
- Non-Action Guy: Unlike virtually every other animal on the farm, there's no indication that he takes part in any fighting; in fact, it's implied he deliberately avoids it.
- Propaganda Machine: What he represents. Squealer has a talent for persuasion and continuously spreads propaganda to the animals for Napoleon and the pigs' benefits.
- Sinister Swine: Being The Dragon of the story, Squealer helps Napoleon and the other pigs stay in power by being a cruel, manipulative propagandist.
- Smug Snake: Especially in the 1999 film, where his Manipulative Bastard ways are much more thinly veiled, knowing his ties with Napoleon means anyone will be intimidated to do as he wishes anyway.
Equines
Benjamin
1954 film
1999 film
Voiced by: Maurice Denham (1954 film); Pete Postlethwaite (1999 film)
"Windmill or no windmill, life would go on as it had always gone on - that is, badly."
A cranky donkey, he is one of the most intelligent animals on the farm and is very wise to what the pigs are doing to the farm. Represents the intellectual class who knew about Stalin's tyranny but did nothing about it.- Accomplice by Inaction: In a sense. He's aware of what the pigs are up to and how downhill things will go but we don't see him, outside of his failed attempt to save Boxer from the knacker’s, and the 1954 film, do anything about or, for that matter, try to stir the other animals to rebel. However, he might be a justified case, given what we've seen Napoleon do to animals he didn't like. He does, at least, try to warn Boxer not to overwork himself.
- Adaptational Heroism: While he's far from a villain in the book, he's content to lie low and conform even after his best friend Boxer dies. He's fully aware of what Napoleon's regime is doing but ultimately does nothing to stop him because he can't be bothered to explain it to the other animals, even Boxer. In the 1954 movie, in response to the same event, he points out to the animals the hypocrisy of the pigs and leads the rebellion at the end that gets Napoleon killed.
- Adaptation Personality Change: In the original novel, he's very cynical and doesn't do much to contribute to the work the animals have done. In the animated film, he is much more determined and helpful and even leads the animals to rebel against Napoleon and the other pigs. In the live-action film, he is far calmer and, similar to in the book, makes several remarks to Boxer to not overexert himself.
- Allegorical Character: Represents those that know about what is going on and the eventual tyranny that will result, but are not willing to do anything about it.
- Ascended Extra: In the 1954 film, rather than being a supporting character, he is the protagonist, as it focuses straight onto him, rather than Snowball or Napoleon.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Deconstructed. He's the only one who realized what the pigs were up to, but couldn't be bothered to explain it to anyone, besides his unsuccessful attempt to save Boxer from the knacker.
- The Cynic: The setting doesn't give him much to hope for. In fact, it's implied heavily that the main reason he doesn't attempt to stir the rest of the animals to overthrow the pigs is a deep-seated belief that the oppression of most animals will just continue, regardless of who's in charge.
- Deadpan Snarker: His response to whether he likes the pigs' reign better than Jones'? "Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey."
- Despair Event Horizon: Boxer's death. He was already cynical and devoid of hope beforehand, but his death is just the last straw.
- The Eeyore: He is endlessly dour and morose. He gets bonus points for being a donkey just like the Trope Namer.
- Grumpy Old Man: Crusty, cynical and one of the oldest animals on the farm, but he does have a nice side.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He is one huge crank, but he does care about their equality and is extremely caring towards more good-hearted animals in the barn, like Boxer. He gets very upset when Boxer is sold to the knacker.
- Long-Lived: "Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey." He's one of the few animals still alive at the end of the story. While Clover was losing her eyesight from old age, he just had a few more grey whiskers.
- Odd Friendship: Benjamin essentially forms a Smart Jerk and Nice Moron duo with Boxer. Unlike most examples, he is unusually kind to the horse: when he's injured or sick, Benjamin helps care for him.
- Only Sane Man: The only one who really understands what Napoleon is doing, but does very little about it.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Two cases:
- When Boxer is being delivered to the knacker, he actually alerts his fellow animals to what's about to happen with a tone of absolute panic in his voice.
- Towards the end of the novel, when Clover, who has bad eyesight, notices something about the Commandments wall, he actually agrees to read it to her and for all the other animals present to hear. The text on the board? "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." That is the moment where the animals realize that the sight they had just seen has become the new normal and that it was too late to do anything about Napoleon's constant abuses of his power.
- Poor Communication Kills: Despite being the only one who understands what the pigs are doing, he doesn't do anything to warn his fellow animals about it or convince them to stop the pigs. By not caring, he ironically, if indirectly, gets Boxer killed and ensures a Full-Circle Revolution happens.
- Stubborn Mule: Benjamin embodies both the good and bad sides of this trope. He's too ornery to be swayed by propaganda or make an effort to counteract it. He's so stubborn it's hard to even get him to talk.
Boxer
1954 film
1999 film
Voiced by: Maurice Denham (1954 film); Paul Scofield (1999 film)
"I will work harder!"
A very large and powerful draft horse. Though somewhat dim, he is the nicest, most trusting character in the setting. Represents the male working class.- Allegorical Character:
- He represents the male working class, who loyally work under their oppressive leaders no matter how much it may harm them, all for the sake of the new nation. Even if it costs them their lives.
- Specifically, his character appears to be an allusion to Alexey Stakhanov, a Soviet miner known for working himself to the bone to surpass labor and production quotas. Though unlike Boxer, Stakhanov was allowed to retire and managed to outlive Stalin.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Some of Napoleon's guard dogs try to bite into him at one point. Boxer fends them off and nearly goes so far as to kill one of them in retaliation before Napoleon tells him to hold.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: While Boxer ultimately gets sold to his fate by Napoleon for more whisky, where he is sent to varies in each version. The original novel has him be sold to a knacker, the 1954 animated film has him get sent to a glue factory and the 1999 adaptation has him sold to a slaughterhouse.
- Diligent Draft Animal: Boxer is a draft horse who is respected by the entire farm for his diligence and steadfast nature.
- Dumbass Has a Point: When Squealer claims that Snowball betrayed the Farm during the Battle of the Cowshed, it's Boxer who voices everyone's doubt: he flatly tells the propagandist pig that this contradicts what everyone saw with their own eyes. Squealer is ultimately able to convince him by appealing to Napoleon's authority.
- Dumb, but Diligent: Boxer is fully characterized like this, being very simple-minded but extremely dedicated to his work, traits which do not pan out well for him in the society the farm turns into. One of his life mottos is even "I will work harder."
- Dumb Muscle: Undoubtedly the strongest animal on the farm, but he can only remember four letters of the alphabet at a time.
- Fatal Flaw: His passive acceptance of and obedience towards authority. If he'd rebelled when he was able, the pigs would've been completely unable to stop him (as shown by his effortless defeat of Napoleon's attack dogs), but he was loyal to the end and it ultimately killed him.
- Friend to All Living Things: Expresses huge regret when it appears that he has slain a human farmhand during the Battle of the Cowshed."I have no wish to take life, even human ones."
- Gentle Giant: His great size and strength are only matched by his big heart.
- Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: He tries to justify Napoleon's cruelty by saying that it must be because he and the animals are not working hard enough instead of realizing the obvious - that the pigs are selfish and evil.
- Good Is Dumb: Boxer is very simple-minded and rarely questions anything. But he is hard-working and very good at heart.
- Greater Need Than Mine: He believes in putting all of his efforts into Animal Farm's projects for the benefits that its success will bring to others, ignoring the harm it does to him.
- Happiness in Slavery: He refuses to realize that Napoleon is an evil ruler and instead always tries to find the errors in himself and the other animals.
- Horrible Judge of Character: He honestly thought Napoleon had his best interests at heart. It costs him his life.
- Implied Love Interest: It's possible that he's the father of the foals Clover had, but the novel never establishes a clear romantic connection between them, though they are good friends.
- Kick the Morality Pet: Selling Boxer to buy more whisky showed just how low Napoleon and the rest of the pigs have sunk.
- Morality Pet: For Benjamin. He is the only character that Benjamin treats with any kind of respect or care.
- No Place for a Warrior: After the Battle Of The Windmill Boxer suffered some battle damage that deteriorated his health and finds that his age has made him not work as efficiently.
- Nice Guy: He is the nicest, most loyal, and most trusting character on the farm. He's got a big heart and works hard.
- Offing the Annoyance: The pigs are bothered by his questions (see Dumbass Has a Point, above) and decide to sic the dogs on him. Boxer easily trounces them, and Napoleon decides not to press the matter further. The horse never even suspects that his leader tried to execute him.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: He gets sold to be slaughtered after a lifetime of working for others.
- The Workaholic: When things start to degenerate on Animal Farm, he resolves to work harder.
- Working-Class People Are Morons: He is a sweet fellow, but he allows himself to become a tool to the pigs.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Once he is no longer capable of working, he’s sent to his death.
Clover
1954 film
1999 film
A kindly mare who cares deeply for each animal, and is driven to despair by what she witnesses. Represents the female working class.- Allegorical Character: Represent the female working class, who overall believe in the movement but grow somewhat suspicious as time goes on.
- Break the Cutie: The mass execution shocks her to the very core.
- Demoted to Extra: She is very prominent in the original novel as the point of view character, which makes her lack of focus (and speaking lines) very jarring in both films.
- Fatal Flaw: Her lack of self-esteem.
- Implied Love Interest: It's possible that Boxer is the father of the foals she had in the past, but the novel never establishes a clear romantic connection between them, though they are good friends.
- Mama Bear: Though they are of two different species, she protects a clutch of newborn ducklings by surrounding them with her hooves during Old Major's speech.
- Nice Girl: Clover is a kind, good-hearted mare who cares deeply about others.
- Nothing Is Scarier: Her reaction towards seeing the pigs act like humans to the point they can't be told apart from them isn't said, so the reader is left to guess it.
- Only Sane Woman: She's clearly smarter than Boxer, and is the only animal (besides Benjamin) who notices that the commandments have changed but then doubts herself. She knows all the letters of the alphabet but is unable to put words together.
- Team Mom: Protects the goslings and cares for Boxer. It helps that she was a mother herself.
- Took a Level in Cynic: She starts genuinely believing in the revolution before becoming almost as cynical as Benjamin.
Mollie
1999 film
Voiced by: Julia Louis-Dreyfus (1999 film)
A vain, spoiled mare who is more concerned with luxuries than her revolution. Represents the upper classes.- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Loves to wear a ribbon in her mane. This puts her at odds with the rest of the animals since Animalism forbids clothing.
- Adapted Out: Does not appear in the 1954 animated film.
- Allegorical Character: She embodies the upper echelons of society that leave once the revolution dismantles the establishment that benefitted them.
- Appetite Equals Health: When describing her shirking responsibilities, the narrator says, “she complained of mysterious pains, although her appetite was excellent.”
- Dumbass Has a Point: She's aware that the new order set by the animals isn't providing what she wants, though her stated reasons are selfish. She leaves before it gets worse.
- The Elites Jump Ship: As the animal that suffered the least while under Jones' rule, she depicts this, abandoning the revolution for another farmer that offers her what she wants.
- Happiness in Slavery: The only animal to willingly return to the service of humanity and, as far as the other animals can tell, is quite happy with her lot.
- Hated by All: For abandoning the farm for her own wellbeing, everyone on the farm unanimously agree to have all memories of her erased and they all agree to never speak of her again.
- Let Us Never Speak of This Again: When the other animals discover her being spoiled by another farmer, they are shocked and opt to never make mention of the incident or her existence from that point forward.
- One-Hour Work Week: Her main job is to pull a cart for Jones and his wife an hour a week.
- The One Who Made It Out: Manages to end up in a better position than any other animal (except the pigs) by the end of the book.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: She leaves the farm not because she recognizes the trouble brewing in it, but because she does not want to put in the extra work and can't live without her old luxuries. Considering what the pigs turn the farm into, it's the smartest thing any animal could have done.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Leaves the farm so she can go to another and enjoy sugar and ribbons. She was the lucky one.
- Too Dumb to Fool: Played with. She is more concerned with sugar and ribbons than with ideologies, and so avoids being swayed by the pigs' rhetoric. Also, she learns enough of the alphabet to spell her own name, which is more than most of the other animals can do, but that's all she cares to learn or remember.
- Trademark Favorite Food: She likes being fed sugar cubes. Not getting them under the new establishment upsets her.
- Unperson: After she leaves the farm, the other animals act as if she never existed.
- Upper-Class Twit: Her main concern after the revolution is whether she'll get more sugar- which Snowball has to remind her cannot be made on the farm. However, she is smart enough to spell her own name, putting her in the upper ranks of intelligence among the animals apart from the pigs.
The Other Animals
The Dogs
Jessie (1999 film)
Pincher (1999 film)
Voiced by: Jessie- Julia Ormond (1999 film); Pincher- Charles Dale (1999 film)
The dogs (Bluebell, Jessie, Pincher, and the pups) that live on the farm. Represents the KGB and the state law enforcement/secret police.- Adaptational Badass: In the opening scene of the live-action film, Jessie tackles the drunken Mr. Jones when he looks to strike Boxer, knocking him on his rear.
- Adapted Out: We don't see Bluebell in the 1999 film.
- Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: In the 1954 film, when the animals rise against Napoleon, he calls for the attack dogs. However, they are too drunk from whiskey to respond, leaving the pigs defenseless.
- Allegorical Character: They represent the Soviet secret police and their operations, silencing opposition to Napoleon and prioritizing loyalty to him above all else. They may also represent the militaristic element brought by Stalin's reign.
- Antagonistic Offspring: The pups aid in the oppression of their own mothers.
- Ascended Extra: Jessie is a fairly minor character in the book and animation. In the 1999 film, she takes over Clover's role from the book and the story is told from her view.
- The Brute: Collectively, the pups are raised by Napoleon as his regime's enforcers that keep the other animals in line.
- Heel–Face Turn: In the 1999 film, after Napoleon's rule collapses, one of the attack dogs survives and returns to Jessie humbled. Despite previously being raised to be a killing machine even towards her, its mother, whatever happened has drained it of its aggression.
- I Have Your Wife: "I have your kid" version. When Jessie's puppies are weaned, they are taken away to be raised to be attack dogs by Napoleon. This is amplified to an upsetting degree in the 1999 film, where Jessie asks for her puppies back and gets told, "You wouldn't want to disadvantage your own puppies, would you?" Later in said film, they nearly attack her, either not knowing or not caring who she is.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Pincher's role as the leader of the attack dogs gives him more than a passing resemblance to Lavrentiy Beria.
- Right-Hand Attack Dog: What the Pigs raise the puppies for. Said puppies are used to assist in public executions.
- State Sec: The dogs, much like the KGB, would purge animals who presented a threat to Napoleon, or those he deemed so out of paranoia.
- Team Mom: Jessie tying into the above.
- Thin-Skinned Bully: They viciously maul and kill animals under Napoleon's command or even just their own bloodthirsty whim. When they realize what a mistake it was to try and target Boxer, however, they beg for their lives, and are only spared because of Boxer's loyalty and obedience towards Napoleon. The outcomes of both adaptations also play on the fact they were Not So Invincible After All.
- Undying Loyalty: Napoleon makes Pincher swear an oath of one before making him head of his personal guard and chief enforcer.
Moses
1954 film
1999 film
Voiced by: Maurice Denham (1954 film); Charles Dale (1999 film)
A raven that shows up mostly to talk about Sugar Candy Mountain. Represents organized religion, more specifically the Russian Orthodox Church.- The Alcoholic: Despite his piousness, the 1999 film shows him drinking right alongside Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington. He even complains that Napoleon will let the human drink all their whiskey.
- Allegorical Character: Represents the Orthodox Church in Russia and religious presence, which disappears after the revolution but is eventually brought back.
- As the Good Book Says...: The 1999 film has him spouting Bible verses occasionally.
- Creepy Crows: He plays this role, as, more often than not, he shows up when someone is killed.
- Death by Adaptation: In the 1999 film, Napoleon keeps his word of sticking him on the flagpole.
- Everyone Has Standards: In the 1954 adaption, he didn't mind seeing Snowball get mauled by dogs but he's horrified when he sees Napoleon order a public execution of innocent animals.
- Good Shepherd: Tries to fill this role on the farm, as he preaches to the other animals the virtues of living a good life so that you will be welcomed into the paradise of Sugarcandy Mountain after death.
- Meaningful Name: The character acting as an allegory for religious presence in Russia and known to preach about working towards a paradisal afterlife is named "Moses."
- Rule of Symbolism: His showing up when animals die and reciting things about Sugar Candy Mountain is supposed to represent how there was a religious presence in Russia before the time Stalin took over and his following Mr. Jones was how Stalin got rid of (or stifled) religious influence after he took over. His return in chapter 9 is to represent how Stalin brought back the Russian Orthodox Church for his own purposes.
The Sheep
1954 film
1999 film
A flock of sheep that live on the farm. Represents the people that mindlessly obey the rule of the government.- Allegorical Character: Characterizes the people that obey despotic rule and messages rising from a Full-Circle Revolution, even if said messages are conflicting with each other.
- Animal Motifs: They serve as this for blind conformity.
- Animal Species Accent: In the 1954 animated film and 1999 live-action film, they talk in a bleating accent.
- Blind Obedience: Being an animal that would serve as a motif for blind conformity, they personify this the most, as they don't question anything about the goings-on around the farm, while the other animals have at least something of a clue.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: This is more emphasized in the 1999 film, where Jessie is the only one who's actually nice to them (complete with not talking down to them), while the other animals, at best, put up with them.
- Gullible Lemmings: They believe and go along with everything the Pigs have to say.
- Hive Mind: Essentially, they're this, as they don't think or act separately.
- Large Ham: Being an stand-in for gullibe people who obey despotic rule, they act extremely hammy.
- Sweet Sheep: Subverted, the sheep are portrayed in a very negative light. Especially in the 1954 animated film where they are creepily animated as they're singing a Soviet-style song once Old Major finishes his speech. Not to mention during the climax, the entire flock look zombie-ish as they appear alongside the other animals are marching towards the house where the pigs reside during the animated film's ending. The 1999 live-action movie also has the sheep acting creepy during certain scenes. Notably the ending where a group of sheep are marching in a USSR style propaganda film before the other animals (alongside a couple of sheep) leave the farm to escape.
- Too Dumb to Live: While they don't die (from what we can guess, anyway), their limited understanding isn't doing wonders for their potential well-being.
- Undying Loyalty: A deconstruction, as their undying loyalty is blind loyalty, which isn't productive or helpful to them nor the other animals. When the other animals bring up how things are inherently wrong, they just say "Four legs good, two legs bad." or, when the pigs start walking on two legs, they say, ' "Four legs good, two legs better"''.
The Chickens
1954 film
1999 film
A group of chickens that join the revolution so they could raise their chicks. Represents the peasant farmers.- Allegorical Character: They represent peasant farmers that believed that they would no longer be exploited under the new order brought by the revolution. They try to resist Napoleon's plans but are eventually forced to obey, their refusal to give up their eggs reflect the opposition to collectivization.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: In an act of defiance against Napoleon's nascent tyranny, they fly up to the rafters of the barn to lay their eggs (destroying them upon impact) so they can't be used as farm income.
- Make an Example of Them: Their leaders are among the animals that get publicly executed for defying Napoleon's rule.
- Rule of Symbolism: The hens smashing up their eggs represents the kulaks resisting giving up their land and livestock to Stalin during collectivization. Napoleon responds by cutting their rations until they comply, causing many of them to starve to death.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: They originally joined the revolution for the express purpose of saving their progeny (eggs) from being exploited for profit, so when events occur that demand the hens give up their eggs for sale, they stage a protest. But despite their short-lived act of defiance (smashing their own eggs), it ends with them capitulating and having to surrender their eggs anyway.
Muriel
1954 film
1999 film
Voiced by: Jean Beith (1999 film)
An old goat and one of the few animals who can read or spell. Represents those that were intelligent enough to know that something wrong was going on in Animal Farm's new rule, but either didn't know enough or did not have enough influence to do anything about it.- Allegorical Character: Represents those that were intelligent enough to know that something wrong was going on in Animal Farm's new rule, but either didn't know enough or did not have enough influence to do anything about it.
- Blind Mistake: Downplayed. Her eyesight isn't great, however, in spite of it, she does notice something off with the board of Animalism Commandments, it's just that she can't read what it is.
- Extreme Omnigoat: Like all goats, she is not a picky eater. She is shown eating the pages right out of a book in the 1954 film.
- Greater Need Than Mine: In the 1999 film, she wouldn't free herself to get food, however, when she sees her friends almost getting attacked, she breaks free to warn them.
The Cat
A cat who lived on the farm. Represents the upper class who are able to survive the revolution. Or possibly the intelligence community.
- Adapted Out: She's not seen in the 1999 film.
- Allegorical Character: Represents the intelligence/spy community. Spends most of the time outside the farm, spying on other farms and is always high in the rafters, listening to conversations of other animals and rarely joining in. It either leaves the farm forever or is quietly killed and the pigs said she left the farm after Napoleon's attack dogs grow up and economic relations with other farms are established. So there is no need for spying on them. Also catches rats, sparrows and pigeons on the farm, which can be seen as counter-espionage.
- Cats Are Lazy: Unlike the other animals, she doesn't seem to do any actual work and spends a lot of time doing whatever, which usually involves being away from the farm. Likewise, she doesn't participate in the politics of the farm and the one time she did vote she voted on both sides.
- Death by Adaptation: In the 1954 animated film, she's executed alongside some other animals.
- Easily Forgiven: For her laziness, as she, quote, "purred so affectionately that it was impossible not to believe in her good intentions".
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: She quietly vanishes from the farm right before the first executions start. It's never revealed what exactly happened to her, but one possible explanation is that she could see where things were headed and didn't want to stick around for that. Even before this, she spent much of her time away from the farm post-revolution.
- Uncertain Doom: The book leaves it ambiguous whether it was killed offscreen by pigs or simply left and defected to another farm. Or was killed during one of her spying missions to another farm.
The Gander
A gander that lived on the farm. Represents those that know of the inner plots of the new ruling party but are too loyal to fight it or are silenced before they can.
- Allegorical Character: Characterizes those that know of the inner plots of the new ruling party but are too loyal to fight it or are silenced before they can.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Why he ate the nightshade berries, as he was faced with painful execution otherwise.
- Cyanide Pill: He eats nightshade berries, which are highly poisonous, especially to geese.
- He Knows Too Much: Done to himself. After realizing that the pigs are forging the results of the harvest to make Animal Farm look better than how they are really doing, he confesses to Squealer before eating the poisonous berries.
Humans
Farmer Jones
1954 film
1999 film
Portrayed by: Pete Postlethwaite (1999 film)
The original owner of Manor Farm. His incompetence, inebriation, and cruelty spur his animals to drive him off the farm, setting off the events of the story. Represents Tsar Nicholas II.- Adaptational Nice Guy: His abuse is seriously downplayed in the live-action movie.
- Adaptational Villainy: In both films he's the one who destroys the animals' windmill. In the book it was knocked down in a storm and the rebuilt windmill was destroyed by Frederick's men.
- Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: The animated movie implies that he accidentally kills himself by staying in the exploding windmill in a drunken stupor.
- The Alcoholic: One of the reasons the animals turned against him. In the last chapter, we're told he has died in an "inebriates' home". In the 1999 film, he's shown abusing Boxer while drunk.
- Allegorical Character: Represents Tsar Nicholas II's rule of Russia, and in general, the turmoil resulting from the neglectful and oppressive reign of elitist ruling classes.
- Awful Wedded Life: While his relationship with his wife was left vague in the book, the live-action film portrays Jones as a Henpecked Husband at the mercy of his abrasive wife who can't stand what a pathetic drunk he is.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: He frequently subjects his animals to whippings for little or no reason.
- Character Death:
- In the book, he dies at a rehab center years after being driven off the farm.
- In the animated film, it is strongly suggested that he blows himself up along with the windmill while drunk.
- Death by Adaptation: In the animated movie, he's all but stated to die in the windmill's explosion. While he does die in the book, it doesn't happen until years later, when he passes away in a rehab facility.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: He passes away in a rehab facility in the book. In the animated movie, he blows himself up when destroying the windmill. His fate is unknown in the 1999 film.
- The Dreaded: Years after his departure, Squealer is able to cow the other animals into submission and compliance just by invoking Jones' name.
- Fascist, but Inefficient: He used to be a capable, albeit harsh, farmer, but now he has become an alcoholic and is bad at his job; this is an allegory with Tsar Nicholas II's incompetent rule of Russia, contrasted with his equally autocratic but more able predecessors.
- Freudian Excuse: He was once a prosperous farmer until a bad lawsuit drove him to the bottle. The live-action film has him facing foreclosure and he's been borrowing money from Mr. Pilkington to stay afloat —- the stress of it all is what drives him to drink.
- Heavy Sleeper: Dozes off and lets his animals starve.
- Humans Are Cthulhu: While his MO is pretty normal for a farmer (killing pigs, sending old horses to the knacker, selling his chickens' eggs), for the animals, it makes him into a beast.
- Lighter and Softer: He's considerably less violent and abrasive (though the same can't be said about his alcoholism) in the 1999 film.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He is an allegory for Tsar Nicholas II.
- Obi-Wan Moment: Heavily implied in the animated movie, where he sets off explosives in the windmill, and just stoically watches and drinks as the fuse slowly sets.
- Repressive, but Efficient: Before he started hitting the bottle, he was still a harsh taskmaster but far more competent as a farmer.
- Riches to Rags: Again he was a much better farmer in earlier times.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: He doesn't pull this until after the animals boot him off the farm the second time; however, his wife, when seeing the start of the revolution, leaves immediately.
- Too Dumb to Live: In the animated movie; instead of fleeing the scene after lighting the dynamite inside the mill, he starts hitting the bottle again moments before the mill is completely destroyed.
Mr. Frederick
1999 film
Portrayed by: Gerard Walsh (1999 film)
The tough, shrewd operator of Pinchfield Farm, a neighboring farm. Represents Adolf Hitler and his farm Nazi Germany.- Adaptational Heroism: The 1999 film portrays him in a more sympathetic light.
- Allegorical Character: Represents Hitler and Nazi Germany.
- While Jones' management was more neglectful, Frederick is rumored to be torturing his livestock. He also usually prospers by making bargains and suing others, reaping the benefits from both.
- He first makes deals with Napoleon that are later revealed to be the groundwork for betrayal. He then leads an army to claim Animal Farm, ending with failure and his death. This represents the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact but Nazi betrayal and invasion. He is also said to torture his animals, representing the Holocaust.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: Others believe that he tortures the animals under his ownership.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He's mean, abrasive and a willing participant in the human farmers' attack on Animal Farm, but even he is disgusted by the deplorable conditions the animals are reduced to under Napoleon's rule and is appalled at how eagerly his fellow farmer Pilkington's taking advantage of the situation.
- Jerkass: He's described as driving hard bargains and is always suing people.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Represents Adolf Hitler. The 1999 film has him even resemble Hitler, though oddly enough his nastier qualities are toned down making the resemblance look odd.
Mr. Pilkington
1999 film
Portrayed by: Alan Stanford (1999 film)
Another neighboring farmer — a gentleman farmer, his farm Foxwood Farm is large, but not well looked after. His personality and role are considerably expanded in the 1999 live-action film, where he is much more ruthless. Represents Franklin D. Roosevelt and the capitalist West.- Adaptational Villainy: He's a much more overtly manipulative and diabolical character in the 1999 live-action film, as he revels in holding Jones' monumental debt over his head, spearheads the attempt to retake the Manor Farm, is the one who brokers the deal with Napoleon to sell Boxer to the knackers and is just a nasty, abrasive person overall. As if that wasn't bad enough, he takes advantage of Napoleon's inexperience of how to financially manage a farm and sells him cheap farm equipment like rusty old silos that eventually break apart when his reign collapses.
- Allegorical Character:
- Generally represents nations that are either oblivious to what goes on in the Soviet Union or are aware but don't address them for various reasons. In this case the United Kingdom and United States
- The 1999 version can be seen as allegorical for capitalist powers that manipulated/saboutaged communist nations into becoming more oppressive.
- Ascended Extra: As relates to his presence in the 1999 film. He has a much more adversarial relationship with Mr. Jones, takes on Mr. Whymper's role from the book as the facilitator of trade between humans and Animal Farm, and is the mastermind behind the betrayal of Boxer.
- Cuckold: His wife sleeps with Jones behind his back.
- Deadpan Snarker: Quick with a quip in response to the dumb things people around him say and/or do. Even his wife isn't safe from his biting tongue.
- Faux Affably Evil: Is friendly and jovial with just about everyone, but shows his scheming, cutthroat side when he's crossed.
- Lazy Bum: He prefers to spend most of time hunting and fishing rather than farming.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Represents FDR and the rather cynical relationship between the West and the USSR.
- Pragmatic Villainy: After his attempt to retake Manor Farm from the animals, he realizes that it might be easier (and more profitable) to strike up an alliance with Animal Farm's leader.
- Smug Snake: Openly and loudly brags about how deeply indebted Mr. Jones is to him, and revels in how much money he's making off of the labor of a bunch of "poor, dumb animals".
- Verbal Tic: Tends to call his male colleagues "dear boy". Even Napoleon picks up on it, and ultimately runs with it as well.
- Villainous Friendship: Strikes up at least the semblance of one with Napoleon, Animal Farm's de facto dictator.Mr. Pilkington: To Manor Farm, then. And our continued prosperity.
Napoleon: Absolutely, dear boy! (both he and Mr. Pilkington laugh heartily)
Mr. Whymper
1954 film
A solicitor who acts as the go-between for Animal Farm and the outside world. Represents westerners that worked with the Soviet Union for their own ends- Adaptational Job Change: A solicitor in the book, a trader in the animated movie.
- Adaptational Villainy: In the 1954 film, he is shown more explicitly profiting from Animal Farm's misery. He is the owner of the glue factory where Boxer is slaughtered.
- Allegorical Character: He characterizes westerners that worked with the Soviet Union for their own ends. He's also part of the reason why a Full-Circle Revolution occurs, helping the new rulers stay in power by providing the means for their establishment to survive.
- Amoral Attorney: Zig-zagged. He only takes Napoleon as a client for the money, but he's completely oblivious to the horrors of Napoleon's rule.
- A Lighter Shade of Black: While he is a greedy Opportunistic Bastard who makes money off the suffering of Animal Farm and is indirectly responsible for the Pigs staying in power, he isn't fully aware of Napoleon's atrocities and is fooled into thinking that Animal Farm is generally prosperous.
- Meaningful Name: "Whymper" to emphasize his subservient nature.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Represents those Westerners who had visited the USSR and were tricked into thinking it was better than it actually was, with George Bernard Shaw and Paul Robeson being some of the more famous examples.
- Opportunistic Bastard: He knew that Animal Farm would need a broker before anyone else and the commission would be worth having. The animated film takes this up to eleven by making him a shrewd trader instead, who decides to start trading with Animal Farm after he overhears the local farmers discussing how they'll be all be dead by winter since they have no money to buy supplies.
- Rags to Riches: At first, his practice isn't extensive. By the end, he can upgrade from a bicycle to a dogcart.
