Animal Farm (1954)

Mr. Jones is abusive towards his animals, causing them to revolt and take over the running of Manor Farm. They agree that they must work together in order to prosper, but deep down not all of them believe in the 'Animalism' ideal.
The political allegory, satire and hard-hitting subtext are easy to pick out, but they each keep their place, allowing Aristotle’s ingredients for persuasion as evoked by some of the animals to really stand out when needed.
The animation and voices are excellent. Also, the music does its job perfectly, upfront and powerful, at times even becoming the primary narrative voice.
All in all, even if it was part-funded by the CIA in the hopes of helping to promote their secret Cold War agenda, the animated adaptation of George Orwell's novella still manages to do its source proud.

5 creatures great and small out of 5