Ad of the Day: Taika Waititi voices spokes-bunny Ralph in anti-animal testing short
Anti-animal cruelty charity, Humane Society International (HSI), has unveiled 'Save Ralph', a star-studded short film that aims to shine a spotlight on the issue of animal testing.
Shot in the style of a documentary, 'Save Ralph' follows the routine of the working rabbit Ralph, voiced by Waititi
Voiced by Hollywood stars including Taika Waititi, Zac Efron, Ricky Gervais, Olivia Munn, Tricia Helfer and Pom Klementieff, the stop motion animation was unveiled on Tuesday (6 April) as part of a campaign to ban animal testing for cosmetic products.
Shot in the style of a documentary, 'Save Ralph' follows the routine of the working rabbit Ralph, voiced by Waititi — who is most famous for work such as What We Do in the Shadows and Jojo Rabbit.
Poor old Ralph is blind in one eye, and can only hear a ringing sound in his right ear. His body is also covered by chemical burns that make it painful to move. The script sees Ralph take us through a day in the testing lab as he gives a testimony about the importance of his work, and his pride in coming from a long line of testers.
The self-contempt the fluffy rabbit shows is darkly funny in contrast to the real horrors he faces. Yet Ralph’s situation is so shocking it's difficult to laugh through his insistence that his job is "essential" and "testing is what makes bunnies happy."
Spencer Susser of The Greatest Showman fame wrote and directed the piece with HSI, Jeff Vespa and Andy Gent’s Arch Model Studio co-producing.
HSI aims to promote animal-free testing and research, rescue endangered animals, and to reduce the negative impacts of farming on animal life.
With Ralph as its new 'spokes-bunny', the organisation intends to use the animation as an easy way to reach a wide public via digital channels and encourage support for an ongoing petition to ban cosmetic tests on animals.
Director Susser said, “Animals in cosmetic testing labs don’t have a choice and it’s our responsibility to do something about it. When the opportunity came up to create a new campaign for HSI, I felt that stop motion was the perfect way to deliver the message.
“When you see the horrifying reality of the way animals are treated, you can’t help but look away. What I was hoping to do with this film was create something that delivers a message without being too heavy-handed.
“I hope that audiences fall in love with Ralph and want to fight for him and other animals like him, so we can ban animal testing once and for all.”
Puppetmaster and set designer, Andy Gent asserted that the beauty of using animation for a spot like this is that it allows creatives to tell very complex stories and bring them to life in "a non-threatening and educational way."
He added: “In our miniature world of models and puppets using stop motion filmmaking we hope to bring attention to this mission to stop animal testing for cosmetics. We’re all very passionate about what we do, and it’d be very nice to think that this project to Save Ralph will have a greater, wider effect.”
You can watch 'Save Ralph' in full above, or click on the Creative Works gallery below to vote for it. To get in touch about Ad of the Day, please email: imogen.watson@thedrum.com.
