Adapting George Orwell's allegorical fable (or, as he had, it "fairy story") about the rise and fall of the Soviet revolution as Britain's first full-length animated feature may have seemed like a good idea at the time but, like the majority of Orwell screen adaptations, something - most obviously the peerless prose - has got lost in the mix.
While Orwell used anthropomorphism to coruscating effect, famous Brit-animation duo Halas and Batchelor opt for an approach that borders on the vapidly cute, and matters aren't helped by a tacked-on ending that brutally, and inexplicably, undercuts Orwell's satirical intentions. Gordon Heath's cheerful over-narration also gets in the way.