I love the book by George Orwell and this adaption played out just as I imagined when I read the novella. Brilliant use of lighting, music and visuals. It follows the book closely and really stays true to the dark and serious subject matter. Some scenes were dramatically effective wether it was because of the camera angle, the ominous and foreboding music or a mix of all. The voice work of the animals is spectacular and is done masterfully by one single man. That's admirable and worth praising. I loved the take on Napoleon, his grim appearance and thundering voice was terrifying. His guard dogs were scary and menacing and how they came to be was really sad. Animal Farm is a brilliant take on the novella and is more than servicable for every mind of interest. Good animation that shows the power of the medium.

George Orwell's novel ANIMAL FARM has long been a favourite of mine, ever since I was forced to read it for English class in school. I admired its depth and simplicity, two things that don't necessarily combine very often. This 1954 animated film came out soon after the novel was released, and it has its moments but is a bit of a disappointment if you've read the book.The animation is probably the best thing about it; ANIMAL FARM has a distinct look to it and the animals are all well drawn and complement each other nicely. I admire the viciousness of the production; the darkness of the book is well retained here with lots of gory mayhem. It's also an ultimately depressing production, which is as it should be. One thing I didn't like was the ponderous narration, constantly telling us what to think and feel; films which show instead of tell are always better.The main problem with ANIMAL FARM is that the CIA co-financed the production and, unfortunately, interfered with the material. Thus the portrayal of Snowball is different to in the book; he's less sympathetic here. Also, for whatever reason, that ending is just wrong. It's not enough to spoil the movie, but it's no classic because of these changes.

for a viewer from East Europe, it is not exactly only a good adaptation. it is not just a cartoon. but support for memories. and a warning. the book of George Orwell is always a must re-read. but the movie - piece from the Cold War is little more important than only animation film. convincing, in clothes of children movie, it represents in large measure a bitter parable who has new nuances, special force, more perspectives about the dark frame of dictatorship. in its case, the message is more important than artistic virtues. because it remains a powerful warning. not a decent/admirable adaptation, not an old film. but an useful tool for discover and understand the past and, maybe, for transform the future as better script.

"Animal Farm" is a story about how the animals in Manor Farm revolt against Mr. Jones- their owner. The animals have had enough of him and decided that they didn't want to serve humans anymore. The pigs of the farm leads the others barnyards animals a revolt against Mr. Jones. Together, all the animals fight against humans, in hopes for a better future. However, an unexpected tyranny occurs, led by one of their own kind.First of, this is NOT a children's movie. It is very dark and touches upon some sticky topics. To be honest, this movie freaked me out. Well, the book did. Thinking about it, the movie felt very lacking for me. I don't think I would have understood the movie if I hadn't read the book first. If you really want to watch this film, I suggest maybe reading the book first.I must say though, the movie was a very good summary of all the important parts in the book. However, I found that I missed the little details. I had wanted to see some characters, but was disappointed to see that they weren't included in the movie. For me, there felt to be no character/animal development. How sad. I also did not like the ending. Creative license or not, I still believe that they should have stuck to the book's original ending. The movie would have made more impact that way.Viewed on: July 28, 2011