Andy Serkis’ animated take on George Orwell’s Animal Farm is now complete, and Serkis has been opening up about the project.
Andy Serkis has been chatting about his upcoming take on Animal Farm, an animated version of George Orwell’s novella that charts the fate of simple barnyard animals who seize control of their own destiny. Orwell’s novel is an allegory for the Russian revolution, and feels depressingly pertinent today.
Serkis’ adaptation feels like it’s been in development for an eternity, and to some degree, that’s the nature of animation. However, with the film making its global premiere at the Annecy Animation Festival yesterday and early reviews rolling in, the production is finally beginning to appear in front of audiences.
Serkis has been speaking to Variety about the film, not least the rather difficult trick of juggling a searing political allegory with the creation of a film designed to appeal to young audiences. We’ve heard that there’s plenty of fart jokes in the film, so that’s certainly one way to please the little ones (and lots of us bigger ones too) but we imagine there’s a bit more to it than that, surely?
“Family films tend to either be patronising to children or feel like they have to satisfy the adults, and it feels like it’s just doing a job of ticking boxes,” says Serkis. “We did not make this film for any algorithm. We made it because we feel that this is the right way to tell a story.”
That humour apparently even extends to the character of Napoleon, a character who is normally thought to be the ‘villain’ of the story. However, while naming no names Serkis argues that in our current political climes, figures that we laugh at sometimes embrace this as it cloaks their darker intentions.
“When we started writing Napoleon many years ago, there was already a sense that the world was changing and that the pillars of our society we took for granted were already being undermined and destroyed,” says Serkis. “Having a charismatic leader who leans on funny at the same time seemed to work for us. I’ve said it many times, but the book is 80 years old, and it still feels as fresh and relevant today as it ever was.”
While a UK release date hasn’t been confirmed yet, it is believed that Animal Farm is headed for general release in the UK at some point this year. When we do get these final details confirmed, we’ll let you know right here.
