Animal Farm

Home Vision's 50th anniversary edition of the 1954 British animated adaptation of George Orwell's classic “fairytale” (as he called it) benefits from a meticulously restored digital transfer. Even though the Cold War ended more than a decade ago, Orwell's anti-communist fable--in which brutalized animals drive off a drunken farmer and attempt self-governance with disastrous results--remains just as trenchant today. In the principal supplement, a half-hour BBC documentary from 1995 entitled “Down on Animal Farm,” viewers will learn that producers John Halas and Joy Batchelor received moral support from Britain's Ministry of Information (for whom they made propaganda films during World War II) and covert financial support from the CIA. Actor Maurice Denham, who supplied all the animal voices, reveals that the original idea was to use actual animal sounds and present Orwell's dialogue in subtitles, while animators Bob Godfrey and Harold Whitaker not only relate anecdotes but display pencil drawings and completed cels from the production (another bonus feature presents the original storyboards with the film's soundtrack). The DVD also includes an articulate and cogent commentary track by film animation historian Brian Sibley. Animal Farm continues to resonate in these intensely political times, and Home Vision deserves kudos for the wonderful job on this sparkling release. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (E. Hulse)