The live-action adaption of the
George Orwell satire of the same name. It follows the book's plot of the animals of Manor Farm rising up against humans, only to end up under a new tyrant. It promotes the dog Jessie to the main POV character and gives a new ending to the story.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Alternate Ending: The book ends with animals looking into the House and being unable to distinguish between pigs and humans. The film takes it further as some animals escape and wait for years for Napoleon's regime to collapse, subsequently deciding to work together with the human family that moves in.
- Adaptational Karma: Animal Farm collapses after years of the tyranny and Napoleon and the other pigs are implied to have died during the collapse.
- Adaptational Context Change: In the book, animals see "four legs good, two legs better" written before looking into a house and being unable to distinguish pigs and humans. The movie changes it to only Jessie watching the meeting in the house, before she, Benjamin and Muriel see the writing and decide to escape.
- Adapted Out:
- Jessie's mate Bluebell is absent from this adaptation.
- Mr. Whymper is nowhere to be seen, with his role taken by Mr. Pilkington.
- Animal Species Accent: The sheep are given a "baaa" and "meh" accent.
- Ascended Extra:
- Jessie was a secondary character in the book. The movie promotes her to the main character and the Narrator.
- Mr. Pilkington was a minor character in the book. The movie makes him a man whom Farmer Jones is indebted to and a facilitator of trade between humans and the animal farm.
- Big Bad: Napoleon, pig stand-in for Joseph Stalin who takes over as the dictator of the farm.
- Covers Always Lie: The cover makes the movie seem like any other nice,
kid-friendly movie about talking animals. The plot summary on the back even uses words like "delightful" and "charming" in its description... - Dies Differently in Adaptation: Old Mayor is accidentally killed by Farmer Jones on the night of the first meeting. In the book, he dies peacefully after several meetings.
- Leitmotif upon Death: Old Major sings the song "Beasts of the World," which came to him in a dream. When he is killed soon after, a sad, choral version of the song is heard as the animals look over his dead body.
- Merry in Minor Key: Downplayed. Old Major's song "Beasts of the World
" is in D Minor. The song is about how animals will rise up and be free from the humans who are oppressing them. The song's tone is bittersweet yet hopeful. - Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Led by Jessie, Benjamin and Muriel, some animals escape the Farm and wait until Napoleon's regime collapses.
- Trailers Always Spoil: This trailer may be more respectful to the film than the rest of the promotion, but it also spoils the corruption of the pigs by the end of the movie.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Just like in the 1954 film and the novel, once Boxer can no longer work, Napoleon sends him to his death in the slaughterhouse.
