Animal Farm is a 1945 allegorical novella by George Orwell that plays with ideas like propaganda, corruption, and power displayed through farm animals. The novella is meant to shine light on the corruption of the Russian Revolution and the rise in Stalinism that came with it, and have it be a reminder of the dangers of totalitarianism. It takes place on Manor Farm, where the animals overthrow the farmer and create their own society. This society, like most, is unbalanced. Some animals become more powerful than others, which leads to a corrupted society. On May 1, Animal Farm is set to come out as a fantasy/adventure movie that kids can watch.
The Animal Farm novella is a masterpiece, famously known for its dark satire and political allegory. Orwell writes in a very straight forward manner, not leaving out any details about the brutal events that occur on Manor Farm. Making a book with serious themes into a family friendly movie introduces the risk that key themes will be lost or completely removed for the enjoyment of families. If the themes, like totalitarianism and stalinism, are still incorporated into the movie, the likelihood of the intended audience understanding them is low. This is a common occurrence with famous books being adapted into movies, and the movies completely losing the plot for better entertainment features and a bigger appeal.
One of the biggest concerns about this movie is that it will offer a different plot line from the novella. One of the concerns is that the ending will be different and almost become “happy,” which could not be further from the true ending. In the novella ending, the pigs become as oppressive and cruel as the human farmers they escaped from in the beginning of the book. Another worry about plot changes is that Napoleon’s corruption will be watered down because it’s too dark for the targeted audience. In the novella, Napoleon is the main antagonist and an allegorical figure, as he is representing Joseph Stalin. Napoleon’s rise to power at Manor Farm mirrors Stalin’s rise to power by using propaganda, via Squealer, and fear to install a dictatorship identical to Stalin’s. To water this down would be to de-intensify all the cruel acts Stalin performed. Additionally, the movie is adding a character that was not originally in novella. Lucky was added to the movie, as the novella was lacking a protagonist. Due to it being a dark book without a happy ending, a protagonist was not needed. This is just another way that the movie is accommodating for its audience.
To summarize the viewpoint many people have expressed, the Animal Farm Movie, more likely than not, will misrepresent the famous dark satire novella that it originates from. Therefore, many people that have read the novella will probably be disappointed due to changes for a broader appeal and larger audience.
