It doesn’t matter what you are doing right now, you should stop and watch Save Ralph, a star-studded animated short that is part of a campaign to ban animal testing for cosmetic products. The short was released today, right after Easter, and features a bunny whose job is to make sure all the products you find in your toilet are safe for human use, even if it means putting himself at risk.
Using a fake-documentary format, Save Ralph follows the routine of the working rabbit Ralph, voiced by Taika Waititi. Ralph is blind from one eye, can only hear a ringing sound on his right year, and his body is covered by chemical burns that make it painful to move. The script gets Ralph’s testimony about the importance of his work, and the self-contempt the rabbit shows should be amusing in contrast to the real horrors he faces. However, Ralph’s situation is so shocking that’s hard to laugh at the irony, even when the rabbit constantly repeats his work is essential to human life, and he would be unemployed if animal testing were banned.
A lot of big names in the movie industry lent their voices to the project, as secondary rabbits, in order to show their support for the cause and increase awareness of the issue. Besides Waititi, Save Ralph also features the voice talents of Ricky Gervais, Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, Pom Klementieff, Rodrigo Santoro, and Tricia Helfer.
Save Ralph was produced by the Humane Society International, an organization that works to promote animal-free testing and research, rescue endangered animals, and try to reduce the negative impacts of farming on animal life. With Ralph as their new “spokes-bunny”, the organization intends to use the animation as an easy way to reach a wide public.
You can watch Save Ralph right below. After that, you can also sign the petition to ban cosmetic tests in animals.