Heartwarming / Animal Farm

WARNING: Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies to Heartwarming Moments pages.

The Book

• When the animals are gathering for Old Major's speech, Clover puts a leg around a clutch of orphaned goslings to keep them from being frightened or stepped on. She does this in a way that suggests she's probably done it many, many times before; she's like a mother to many on the farm.
• Benjamin's utter and complete devotion to Boxer. He's cynical and biting and doesn't stretch his neck out for anyone else; if you get yourself into trouble, you can damn well get yourself out. But because Boxer is straightforward, innocent, and has the biggest heart (literally and figuratively) of anyone on the farm, Benjamin loves him. Yeah, he might not be the brightest animal on the farm; but that likely just makes Benjamin more protective. Boxer needs someone clever, like Benjamin, to look after him. He's too honest and loyal for the old donkey to do anything but love him.
  • While it crosses into Tear Jerker territory, Benjamin's reaction when he sees that Boxer is being sold to a knacker. The book explicitly states that nobody on the farm has ever seen him show that level of emotion, for anything.
• Four of the pigs refuse to go along with Napoleon and loudly protest his expulsion of Snowball and decision to abolish the Sunday meetings. This gets them purged but it shows not all the pigs are corrupt.
• Boxer defending Snowball from Squealer’s accusations of being a traitor in the Battle of the Cowshed. Even though he backs down this still makes enough of an impression that Napoleon and Squealer doubt his loyalty to them.
• Mollie leaving. While it seems to just be a Ditzy, vain showpony abandoning her friends, at the end you're just happy that SOMEBODY got out before it was too late. For that matter, she is briefly shown to be happy at her new home, and her new owner seems nice enough from what little is shown of him.

The Animated Adaptation

• Old Major referring to the animals as his dear friends.
  • In a way, Old Major’s death counts in this version, as he dies listening to the animals singing their song. He goes out content that he’s sparked a revolution, and won’t have to live to see what Napoleon turns it into.
• Even though Snowball is made less sympathetic than he was in the book, he does sound genuinely regretful when he says that the animals will have to work more and eat less for the new plan he has for Animal Farm.
  • When he convinces the animals to support his windmill plan, the normally-unenthusiastic Benjamin is one of those cheering him on.
• During the first attack on the farm Benjamin backs Snowball up when he's knocked down, being the second to charge and taking down two of the humans, which inspires the rest of the animals to join the battle.
• The scene of all the animals working together to bring in the harvest.
• When the doves spread the word of Animal Farm to other animals in other farms, one of them, a lamb, doesn't like the idea, and goes to jump in the lap of a farmer who, unlike Jones, genuinely cares for his animals.
• When Napoleon claims that the hens are traitors working with Jones and Snowball to destroy the farm, Boxer indignantly whinnies in protest. Napoleon and Squealer seem genuinely worried for a moment that they're not in control, and when the dogs growl at Boxer, he goes quiet but maintains a Death Glare to show he's not intimidated.
• Boxer and Benjamin’s friendship is emphasized in this version, and unlike in the book, Boxer’s death motivates Benjamin to lead a rebellion against Napoleon. It’s also cute how they share the same stall.
  • The scenes of them working together to build the windmill. Despite his earlier laziness, Benjamin does his best to ease Boxer's workload, staying out with him night after night long after their shift has ended.
  • They also fight together during the second attack on the farm, and when Boxer is shot in the leg Benjamin is pissed and kicks the men responsible. He's also shown tending Boxer's wound after the battle.
• While in the book, Squealer’s lies about Boxer’s death are believed, here the animals respond with a mass Death Glare, showing that none of them are buying it. It’s also a reminder of how much they all cared for Boxer.

The Live-Action Adaptation

• Jessie takes Clover's place as the universal caretaker of the farm. Even while pregnant—she gives birth shortly after the revolution—she's constantly running around trying to take care of everyone. This includes chasing down Jones' truck in an attempt to force him to come back and feed her friends.
  • Jessie makes her big introduction (after greeting Mollie to inform her of the meeting that night) by tackling Jones when he was abusing Boxer, blaming the poor big-hearted carthorse for the catastrophic plowing job that had resulted when he tried to plow a field while raging drunk. Moses is appalled by this, and when he confronts her she has this gorgeous line:
    Moses: What have you done?!
    Jessie: He was hurting Boxer.
    Moses: No animal must ever attack a human!
    Jessie: No human should ever hurt an animal!
  • She's also one of the few who seems to genuinely like the sheep—as opposed to the others, who for the most part just tolerate them. She clearly thinks of them as kind of like big, fuzzy kids, but she's always friendly and upbeat with the "girls" and never talks down to them.
    • It's blink-and-you'll-miss-it, but at the Battle of the Cowshed Napoleon mentions that she's leading the sheep into battle. True, she's a sheepdog so it's not as if anyone else would have the job, but it's cute all the same. You can just picture her encouraging them and helping them along.
• When Old Major dies and they have his funeral, Mollie brings one of her ribbons and lays it on the grave. She might never have believed in Animalism, but she respected Major just as much as anyone else.
• Muriel the Goat, when all of the others have broken out of the farmyard to feed themselves, is left tethered outside in the rain. She tugs at the rope in an attempt to free herself, but fails. Later on, when she sees Jones and a group of farmers coming to chase the animals back in, she pulls the stake out of the ground and runs to warn them. It wasn't enough for her to just want to help herself; to get free, she had to want to help everyone.
• When Jones first abandons the hungry animals to go drinking, Mollie whimpers quietly that she's "very hungry". There's a brief shot in which Boxer nuzzles her comfortingly.
  • Boxer, it should be mentioned, has been working hard in the field all day while Mollie was only driving a light cart—he's likely starving. The fact that he doesn't point this out, when snapping at Mollie would be both understandable and easily forgivable, is heartwarming in and of itself and says a lot about Boxer's character.
• Boxer is clearly worried about Jessie when she goes into labor. He fusses over her like a mother hen, asking very sweetly if she's sure she'll be okay. She has to smile and tell him everything will be fine, and to go help the others, before he reluctantly leaves.
• Again with Boxer: his first words when they discover the slaughterhouse and its contents are a very quiet "We must bury them all." Simple, understated—and immensely goodhearted.
• At the end of the movie, Jessie reuniting with one of her puppies. Doubly sweet in that it's implied that he was the only attack dog left and the only animal to remain on the farm, but he's absolutely done with being a secret policeman and is more than content to live with his mum again, despite everything Napoleon had done to turn him into a killing machine.
  • Not too long after, we see Jessie lying in the grass in the company of other puppies, implying that either she found more of her estranged children, or her only pup had puppies with another dog and made her a grandmother. Either way, she's happier for it.
  • All the while, Jessie sees that there's new, kindly-looking owners coming to the farm. This is a lovely Book Ends to the opening where Mr. Frederick and his awful wife and children came to visit Manor Farm. In contrast, Jessie sees the new owners and has hope that they treat the animals better than any previous humans. Despite all the bad experiences humans have put her through, she hasn't lost hope that there are good humans.
• Jessie in this film is cute. Like just so cute. Helps that she's also a very kind soul.
• Speaking of Jessie: her puppies are just even more cute than their mom. So it's only made worse when we see what Napoleon turned them into..