'Animal Farm' Interview: Andy Serkis and Iman Vellani

‘Animal Farm’ director Andy Serkis and actor Iman Vellani.

Opening in theaters on May 1st is the new animated adaptation of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, which was directed by Andy Serkis (‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’).

The film features an all-star voice cast that includes Seth Rogen (‘Sausage Party’), Gaten Matarazzo (‘Stranger Things’), Kieran Culkin (‘Succession’), Glenn Close (‘101 Dalmatians’), Laverne Cox (‘Promising Young Woman’), Steve Buscemi (‘Hotel Transylvania’), Woody Harrelson (‘War for the Planet of the Apes’), Jim Parsons (‘The Big Bang Theory’),Kathleen Turner (‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’), and Iman Vellani (‘The Marvels’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Andy Serkis and Iman Vellani about their work on ‘Animal Farm’, adapting George Orwell’s story and the changes they made, Vellani’s dual role, and putting together the all-star voice cast.

‘Animal Farm’, directed by Andy Serkis. Photo: Angel Studios.

Moviefone: To begin with, Andy, can you talk about why you wanted to adapt George Orwell’s story and the changes you made to the source material?

Andy Serkis: It always entranced me, the book did from when I first read it on the bus going to school when I was about 12, and I knew, here was this book that was speaking about dark themes, and yet it was couched in this sort of innocence. That was one of the things that stuck with me and through the years, I realized I wanted to make a movie about it. When we were making the ‘Apes’ movies, I suddenly thought, there hasn’t been an adaptation of ‘Animal Farm’ for such a long time. So, it was originally going to be a motion capture and live action version. But animation retained its innocence and allowed us to go into the story for a much wider audience. When we were writing a script that really defined it, you know, in the book, the pigs are offstage characters, and the story is told objectively. So, we needed a protagonist, and I wanted to have it start with a young, innocent piglet who considered himself just one of the other animals, and then gradually, as the story progresses, he realizes that he’s being pulled in another direction that he thinks is right for everybody, but he’s been manipulated. So, the invention of that character, Lucky is new, but there are young piglets in the book from later, which become part of the story, but that was a choice. Then the other thing was, having a third act where there was some hope in a very otherwise bleak story, because this is really for a young audience to sit with their parents and grandparents and engage and actually just say, “Look, it may be difficult and there’s probably no answer because we always seem to get it wrong no matter how long we live on this planet, but we’ve got to keep trying.”

‘Animal Farm’, directed by Andy Serkis. Photo: Angel Studios.

MF: Iman, were you familiar with the novella and what was it like voicing two different characters?

Iman Vellani: I was familiar with the book, but that was about it. I didn’t have to read it in school, so it wasn’t until they said they set up this meeting with Andy and they told me it was ‘Animal Farm’. I was like, “I haven’t read it,” and I was so glad it was a novella. I skimmed through it, and I was like, “Oh my god, this is really intense”. Then that final image was so haunting, and it really stuck with me. Then you are wondering how this is going to be a children’s book or adaptation? So, I came in with so many questions, but Andy was so generous with his time and made it so accessible for me to also insert myself in because we are reorienting it to a young person’s perspective. I think there’s so much power in a coming-of-age story because you get personal stakes. You’re following these characters, making decisions, calling out injustices, and having these moments of rebellion and that’s exactly what kids are dealing with today. They just need the impetus to do it and something to inspire them. If all you’re getting is negativity in the news, in school and through your parents, you don’t feel like you’re growing up in a world that’s going to have anything left to offer to you, right? So, then with Puff and Tammy, they were just so much fun to play. Puff was really the only character I played initially. We didn’t know about Tammy until a bit later. She just felt like a great addition because you could show that extreme version of her, someone who doesn’t question authorities, someone who just goes with the flow of whatever’s attractive and speaking the loudest. So, that was fun for me to play. I learned so much from Andy because this was my first-time doing voice work. So, I didn’t realize how much play and looseness would be involved.

‘Animal Farm’, directed by Andy Serkis. Photo: Angel Studios.

MF: Finally, Andy, you cast some of the most recognizable voices in the industry in this movie including Seth Rogen, Woody Harrelson, and Kathleen Turner. Can you talk about putting together the voice cast?

AS: Well, obviously they had to quintessentially hit those characters immediately. With every member of the cast, from Woody Harrison to Jim Parsons, we were so blessed because everyone was so passionate about the source material and the book. We started talking to people many years ago and they stuck with it. They really wanted to tell this story because they were passionate about what it had. I think everyone just crystallized and each of the actors were perfect for their roles. We were so blessed and particularly with Iman having to do two characters, one of them thrown in much later. But it was wonderful to observe. So, we were very lucky, but it came from a lot of passion for the book and wanting to tell this story for a young modern audience.

‘Animal Farm’, directed by Andy Serkis. Photo: Angel Studios.

What is the plot of ‘Animal Farm’?

A satirical allegory of revolution and power that traces how a movement for equality is systematically corrupted. As the pigs consolidate control, truth is erased, dissent is crushed, and the farm descends into a ruthless dictatorship.