- Alternative Character Interpretation:
- Why did Mr. Jones not flee the windmill after setting the fuse? Was he too drunk to get away in time or did he want to die, seeing as though he'd lost his farm but not his will to spite the animals and had been written off by his fellow farmers?
- When Napoleon demands that any traitors confess their crimes, a sheep and a duck come forward to join the hens in their fate, and unlike in the book they remain silent and don't actually claim to have done anything wrong. Were they actually working against Napoleon, or did they simply not support him and came forward to show solidarity with the hens' cause? Or were they truly innocent but were sacrificing themselves to protect any other animals from being blamed?
- Animation Age Ghetto: The animated film contains the same political allegories and violence present in the novel. It was marketed as an adult film when it was first released, and the BBFC classified it as Universal, meaning that they considered it to be appropriate for children.
- Broken Base: The ending of the movie being changed from the book, specifically with Napoleon and the pigs being overthrown and killed, has been considered controversial since the movie's release. Some find it better, as it's a more cathartic ending than what originally happened in the book. Others, however, dislike the change, as it goes against the tone the book's ending was going for: that the animals had ended up in a way worse than before, and they had done nothing to change it.
- The change is also considered controversial on a historical standard. "Animal Farm" was an allegory of the Russian Revolution. Changing the ending felt like some to be an attempt to rewrite history; Stalin was never overthrown.
- Catharsis Factor: After everything they had done, and getting away with it in the book, the movie ending with the pigs being overthrown and likely all killed by the other animals is very satisfying. First, Squealer, who was enjoying power despite his cowardice and covered up Boxer's death in the book, is able to do nothing but hide in futility, then the dog enforcers prove to be too drunk to stop anything, and finally Napoleon himself, after ruling the animals through fear, is increasingly horrified as he realizes no one is going to save him, before he and all his pigs get overthrown.
- Common Knowledge: Contrary to popular belief, the film was not rated X upon release, as the BBFC website shows it was always rated U. It may have been confused with an underground bootleg film by the same name
that was rated X. - Complete Monster: Napoleon is a cunning, hedonistic, gluttonous, and power-hungry British Saddleback boar who—following Mister Jones' expulsion from Manor Farm—begins plotting to seize power for himself. Raising a group of orphaned puppies into vicious attack dogs and using them to assassinate his well-intentioned rival Snowball, Napoleon names himself the supreme leader of Animal Farm. Gaslighting and intimidating the other animals into accepting the increasingly authoritarian changes he has his sycophant Squealer make to Animal Farm's laws, Napoleon quickly proves to be far worse than Mister Jones ever was—hoarding the food produced for himself and the other pigs; working the other animals to exhaustion and starvation; stealing the hens' eggs; selling Boxer the draught horse to a glue factory in exchange for human foods and alcohol; and using his attack dogs to terrorize or execute anyone who challenges his autocratic regime. By the time the other animals rise up and overthrow him, they can no longer tell the difference between Napoleon and Mister Jones.
- Hilarious in Hindsight: A human villain character with black hair who wears red in an animated film featuring talking animals? Hmmm...
- Ho Yay: Boxer and Benjamin, far more so than in the original book. Much of the film is centered around their relationship with them doing almost everything together, and they even share the same stall.
- Moment of Awesome: Unlike in the book, the animals do overthrow Napoleon, led by Benjamin who in the book was aware of what was wrong but still didn't do anything. But in the adaptation, he becomes the hero who avenges Boxer.
- Narm Charm: Many of the film's most emotional scenes rely on Boxer and Benjamin, who have no spoken lines and are characterized only through animal sounds and facial expressions, but it still works, with Benjamin's reaction when Boxer is sent to his death being an absolute Tear Jerker.
- Obvious Judas: The design of Napoleon makes it far too evident that he is or will become the bad guy, especially if you compare him with the other pigs. Part of it is that he's black and white, which his breed (saddleback) is in real life, and he's stated to be the only one on the farm. Just in case that is too subtle, he also wears a perpetual nasty grimace. His pre-coup actions are also more overtly shady than they were ever depicted as in the book.
- Tear Jerker: Old Major's death. Unlike in the book where he dies in his sleep well after giving his final speech to the other animals, here his heart abruptly gives out mere moments afterward, right as he tries to join them in singing with a proud smile on his face. Even Napoleon is left aghast.
- Ugly Cute: Old Major. While he can look intimidating when he has an angry expression
◊, he still has a chubby physique, long jowls, and fluffy ears that make him look like a nice old hog
when his expression is more relaxed.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/AnimalFarm1954
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