Andy Serkis’ Animal Farm Gets A Slightly Better Trailer

Fingers crossed this new Animal Farm traumatises an entire generation, but it’s not looking likely.

I was not a fan of the first trailer for Animal Farm, but a couple things give me hope in the new one. The most important is easy to miss – the ratings advisory notes that while it’s rated G, it’s recommended for kids aged 11 and up, which seems to be self-imposed. The other is that, at the very least, we seem to be getting the Boxer the workhorse plotline, which will certainly extract a few tears from the target audience if they commit to the bit.

But will they commit? The tone here suggests not, and I smell a whiff of a happy ending that may scupper the whole deal, thematically speaking – Animal Farm is, let’s not forget, grim AF in the final analysis. But honestly, I can’t tell what tack they’re taking.

Animal Farm Trailer

What’s the plot?

Adapted from George Orwell‘s 1945 novella of the same title by screenwriter Nicholas Stoller (Get Him To The Greek, Sex Tape, and literally nothing to make you think he should be adapting Orwell) and directed by Andy Serkis (he was Gollum), Animal Farm takes place at the titular agrarian production hub, where the animals have decided they should be running the joint for the betterment of all. It works, for a bit, but corruption and cronyism quickly take their toll. Orwell, a socialist, intended the work as a satire of Stalinism and a caution against authoritarianism disguised as progressivism. Here, it’s… probably not that.

Who’s in it?

A whole buncha people who oughhta know better, that’s who, including:

• Seth Rogen as Napoleon, a Saddleback boar who rises to power at Animal Farm.
• Gaten Matarazzo as Lucky, a piglet torn between Napoleon and Snowball’s teachings.
• Kieran Culkin as Squealer, a small boar and Napoleon’s aide.
• Laverne Cox as Snowball, a sow and Napoleon’s rival.
• Glenn Close as Freida Pilkington, a billionaire scheming to take over Animal Farm. So, we’ve definitely missed the point entirely here. Unless she’s supposed to be Putin, which would be bold.
• Steve Buscemi as Mr. Whymper, Pilkington’s right hand man.
• Woody Harrelson as Boxer, a horse.
• Jim Parsons as Carl, a sheep, and sundry other sheep.
• Kathleen Turner as Benjamin, a donkey.
• Iman Vellani as Puff and Tammy, two piglets and Lucky’s friends.
• Andy Serkis as Mr. Jones, the original owner of the farm, Randolph the Rooster, and Old Major the Boar (he’s Lenin in this analogy).

When’s it out?

Animal Farm is getting a US release via evangelical Christian outfit Angel Studios on May 1, 2026. May Day – that’s pretty funny. If it gets a theatrical release here, it feels like a Dendy pick up to me.

What’s the vibe?

Bafflement, for the most part. I don’t much like the phrase “Who is this for?” but it’s a question without an answer right now. Eh, maybe it’ll be amazing. But I doubt it.