The highly anticipated animated adaptation of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” world premiering on Monday at the Annecy Animation Festival, has debuted its first footage, Variety can reveal exclusively.
In the clip, we get our first look at Seth Rogen’s Napoleon, Gaten Matarazzo’s Lucky and Kieran Culkin’s Squealer as the trio catch up post-animal rebellion. Other notable Hollywood stars not present in the clip but who lend their voices to the cast include Woody Harrelson, Glenn Close, Steve Buscemi, Laverne Cox, Jim Parsons, Kathleen Turner, Iman Vellani and Serkis himself.
The film’s official synopsis reads: “When a group of farm animals rebel and kick their neglectful farmer off the land, life is good and the dream of a free, equitable future is within sight. But power struggles among some of literature’s most infamous characters ensue, and the realities of living in a world designed for mankind complicate and corrupt the satirical and allegorical, Animal Farm.”
Serkis, known for his groundbreaking work in performance capture, trades mo-cap for stylized CG animation in what he describes as a “cinematic storybook.” “I didn’t want pantomime performances. I wanted internalized emotion, each close-up had to carry weight,” the director explains in the film’s press materials. “It’s a political fairytale that needed to feel both painterly and real.”
The visual style, a blend of traditional storytelling with grounded realism, is immediately apparent in the first clip. Lush, sun-drenched shots at the Golden Hour of the ramshackle farm contrast with dialogue that hints at something more sinister to come.
This adaptation doesn’t shy away from the novella’s chilling themes. “It’s ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ meets ‘Bronx Tale,’ through the eyes of a pig,” Serkis explains. With Nick Stoller adapting Orwell’s classic and an eclectic soundtrack ranging from Carl Cox to Little Richard, “Animal Farm” promises to be a satirical spectacle as entertaining as it is thought-provoking and one of Annecy’s main highlights this year.
