Angel Studios And Andy Serkis Face Criticism For ‘Animal Farm’ Cast And Comedic Tone
The Batman actor Andy Serkis has been relentless for years in getting his adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm off the ground. It finally has and is ready for release in the coming year, but it’s not smooth sailing. There is upheaval in the fields well ahead of the film’s debut.
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It was picked up by Angel Studios, the ones who backed this year’s animated scriptural tales David and King of Kings as well as Sound of Freedom. The latter was highly controversial for the mainstream media, but became a breakthrough for Angel as a box office presence that chugs along with character-driven indie movies.
However, they are sparking controversy with Animal Farm in circles that might typically go to bat for them. There are a few issues at play, but the best one to start with is the film itself. From the glimpses in the trailer, film and pop culture critics such as The Critical Drinker feel as if Serkis missed the point of the story.
You see, Serkis’s Animal Farm is not a straight, faithful adaptation of the book. It’s a kitschy animated comedy featuring the voice talents of Seth Rogen, among others. As The Drinker says, this version takes a timeless, biting political satire of Joseph Stalin and Communism and turns it into another tone-deaf kids movie about bad tech bros.
Orwell is regarded as a brilliant author ahead of his time with his bleak, dystopian critiques of Stalinist tyranny, paranoia, and cults of personality in Animal Farm and 1984. He also thoroughly explained during his life that he was directly criticizing Stalin, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the ideals that spawned them.
Gone in Serkis’s comedy, it appears, are allusions to any of that as, in Critical Drinker’s, you can tell such a story in modern Hollywood without revisions or tainting the source material. This is made easier for screenwriters who channel theorist Roland Barthes’s “Death of The Author” concept, knowingly or not.
Barthes’s theory, which is more of a law of writing at this point, boils down to the readers shaping the interpretation of a work once it’s out in the world, regardless of the author’s intentions. This applies to books and movies; just look at all the strange theories about Stanley Kubrick films, especially The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut.
Animal Farm should universally come across as clear cut in its meaning, but like Ian Malcolm famously said, “Life finds a way.” And it’s certainly finding ways of making Serkis’s project more unpopular.
If reimagining classic literature beyond recognition wasn’t bad enough, people are finding fault with the cast, which includes a noteworthy gay TV actor married to another man, Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory), and a self-identified transwoman, Laverne Cox (Inventing Anna). Ms. Marvel actress Iman Vellani supplies her voice as well.
Cox plays Snowball, the first would-be leader of the farm after humans are deposed, who is a pivotal character in the book and based on Leon Trotsky. Parsons plays a new character not in the original text named Carl, and described as a “free-thinking sheep.”
Their addition has led to some resistance from devotees of Angel’s faith-based reputation. The studio has had to push back with damage control explaining their role in the pecking order of this production.
“As social and mainstream media respond to incomplete or erroneous information, it’s important to get the facts straight. There are four,” Angel reps said in a statement. “Angel is the distributor of this film, not its producer, nor with creative control. Angel Guild members viewed the film and voted heavily to support it.”
“While the title is the same as the classic book, updates were made to make it relevant to a broad-based, values-centric, family-friendly audience,” the statement continued, “This is an anti-communism film, and the Angel Guild will ensure that it stands by the principles of our members.”
Serkis stood by his film in a statement to Variety. “Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ has never felt more relevant,” he said. “In an age where power, propaganda, and inequality shape our societies, it’s vital that we remember his cautionary tale.”
He added, “This adaptation isn’t just a story for entertainment – it’s a reminder that democracy, freedom, and integrity are fragile, and must be watched over. My hope is that audiences walk away moved, thoughtful, and inspired to stand up for the values that matter. I’m honored that Angel and the Angel Guild are willing to bring this film to big screens around the world.”
Brandon Purdie, executive vice president of theatrical and brand development at Angel, added in his own statement, “This is a project of tremendous heart.”
Purdie continued, “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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