George Orwell’s 1945 novel Animal Farm is a satirical allegory meant to illustrate Soviet Communism’s flaws, with its unrestrained powerholders pursuing selfish ends. The 2026 animated Animal Farm movie does that, but also takes shots at power-hungry capitalists, sparking criticism. What’s going on here?
First, some context for my opinion.
In 1991, I guested on a popular national TV talk show in Sophia, Bulgaria, a country which had, of course, recently emerged from years of communist control as the Iron Curtain fell. The program was a cross between Oprah and MTV. Magdalena Maleeva, the Bulgarian tennis star, was also a guest that day.
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After the program, the producers and staff mentioned in an informal conversation a British book spoofing communism’s flaws, which they’d not been able to get in communist Bulgaria but which they very much wanted to read. They wondered what I thought of it. So, we had an enlightening conversation about the lessons of Animal Farm.
Consider the story and Orwell’s intended lessons.
Farmer Jones ran his farm to his benefit. He and his wife gained from the sale of crops, milk, eggs, and meat, which many of his animals, notably the pigs, eventually became. Led by some clever pigs, the animals decide they have been exploited enough and rebel. Jones and his wife escape, and the animals organize themselves to collectively continue operations.
The Seven Commandments of “Animalism,” their new philosophy’s name, govern their mission. “Four legs good, two legs bad” encapsulates Animalism’s antihuman doctrine. When birds express concern for the maxim, a pig assures them that wings count as legs. “All animals are equal” becomes an essential motto. Narratives include coded clues reminiscent of Karl Marx’s famous declaration that “Religion … is the opium of the people.”
The pig Napoleon becomes the de facto leader. He methodically grabs power to benefit himself and distorts the truth to fool the “Comrades” into trusting him. Eventually, Animal Farm devolves into a propaganda-driven enterprise to reward Napoleon.
The film’s voice cast includes Seth Rogen, Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close, Woody Harrelson, Kathleen Turner, and Jim Parsons.
Orwell was a socialist who fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War and believed that socialism held remedies for poverty. But Josef Stalin’s Russia became for Orwell a travesty of power-hungry leaders exploiting the masses for their own gain, and he wrote to expose it.
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” becomes Napoleon’s trope to gaslight his flock into accepting his and his colleagues’ rule. Orwell was right. Soviet leaders used power, propaganda, and control to deceive, stifle opposition, and protect themselves.
Some friends of mine served clandestinely as Christian missionaries in Soviet Russia when the government suppressed faith. After the Soviet Union crumbled, they saw firsthand how eager people were to learn about faith and connect with God. My Bulgaria visit was to speak at universities and in the media about how faith makes a positive difference. Bulgarians emerging from communist control expressed similar enthusiasm.
So, yes, many communist leaders were selfish power abusers. But such behavior is not limited to communism. Got any powerholics in your local city government, workplace, neighborhood, or church? Could they glean valuable lessons on power moderation from Animal Farm? Could any wealthy or powerful capitalists? Don’t we have laws limiting monopolies for such reasons?
Human self-interest is a universal concern. Of course, a biblical view of human nature describes us as divinely loved but deeply flawed, in need of supernatural strength and guidance: “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s … standard.”
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I can appreciate capitalists’ concern that a classic anticommunist allegory be turned to spoof capitalists. In the film, modern super-wealthy capitalist humans (non-Orwellian characters, added for this film) befriend the pigs and become the really bad guys. So, perhaps point well taken.
Nevertheless, the book’s corrupted pigs fraternize with local farmers in the end. I’d encourage all sides not to miss the larger lesson that no one is immune to inappropriate self-interest or greed. What’s good for the goose…
Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com