Save Ralph - A short film with Taika Waititi (2022 Webby Award)

2022 Webby Winner and People’s Voice Winner – Public Service and Activism (Branded) Introducing Ralph, the spokes-bunny of Humane Society International’s global campaign to ban animal testing for cosmetics. #SaveRalph is a powerful stop-motion animation short film featuring an all-star multinational cast including Taika Waititi, Ricky Gervais, Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, Pom Klementieff, Tricia Helfer and more. SAVE RALPH is a powerful stop-motion animation short film featuring Oscar winner Taika Waititi as the voice of Ralph, who is being interviewed for a documentary as he goes through his daily routine as a “tester” in a lab. HSI’s #SaveRalph campaign tackles the cruelty of animal testing in an original and unexpected way—using the story of one bunny to shine a light on the plight of countless rabbits and other animals in laboratories around the world. While Ralph is animated, the miseries he endures in the short film are far from made up. As Spencer Susser, the director of Save Ralph, says, “It’s so important that Ralph feels real because he represents countless real animals who suffer every day.” Susser, known for his film Hesher, is among a slate of powerhouse celebrities and influencers who collaborated with Humane Society International on the making of Save Ralph. In addition to Waititi as Ralph and Gervais as the interviewer, the film has Zac Efron as Bobby, Olivia Munn as Marshmallow, Pom Klementieff as Cinnamon and Tricia Helfer as Cottonballs. Producer Jeff Vespa (Voices of Parkland) teamed up with the Arch Model studio of puppet maker supreme Andy Gent (Isle of Dogs, The Grand Budapest Hotel) and Executive Producers Donna Gadomski, Troy Seidle and Peter Kline on the production. Since its April 2021 premiere, Save Ralph has raised global awareness of the cruelty of cosmetic animal testing and motivated millions of people around the world to sign HSI’s petition to ban this unnecessary practice. As a result, the film has already helped propel Mexico to become the first North American country to ban cosmetic animal testing and is helping advance legislation in several countries that make up the world’s most influential beauty markets.