If you weren't already aware that Andy Serkis, star of the Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes franchises, was making a new animated adaptation of George Orwell's classic allegory Animal Farm, you may have been surprised to run across the new trailer for the film. Released Monday, it showcases a version of the story that looks a lot like Orwell's, except with modern kid-movie pacing, chase sequences, goofy gags, and a celebrity cast, including Seth Rogen and Glenn Close.

That's a bizarre choice: Orwell's 1945 novel is an allegorical retelling of the 1917 Russian Revolution and the schisms that followed. In Orwell's view, idealism and a "government by the people, for the people" movement gave way to propaganda, betrayal, and the rise of an oppressive oligarchy that reversed the revolution's ideals. In the book, the basic historical events take place on a farm, among animals who rise up against their human oppressors, but soon see new animal oppressors taking humanity's place. Animal Farm's horrifying story has been held up for decades as a smart, nuanced, but kid-accessible illustration of how fascism rises in........

© Polygon