Actors Ricky Gervais and Zac Efron are among the cast to star in a new animated film created to end global animal testing, titled Save Ralph.
The stop motion short is written and directed by Spencer Susser and produced by charity The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) international division.
Save Ralph
The film will follow the story of a rabbit named Ralph, who is blind in one eye and deaf in one ear as a result of enduring animal testing.
In a documentary-style production, Ralph is interviewed in his home by Ricky Gervais, the trailer reveals.
The preview has already garnered more than 30,000 views on YouTube since its release two days ago.
‘So proud’
Gervais took to Twitter to announce he is ‘so proud’ to be part of the film, ‘to help end animal testing’.
The actor has long been a proponent of animal rights. This has involved urging the UK government to stop the sale of fur, and end factory farming.
Among the cast is Oscar award winner Taika Waititi, who plays Ralph. The star told his Twitter followers: “If you don’t watch it and love it then you hate animals and we can’t be friends anymore.”
Zac Efron also features in the film, as well as Olivia Munn, Tricia Helfer, Pom Klementieff, and Rodrigo Santoro.
Animal testing
The non-profit organization teaming up with the filmmakers, Humane Society International, fights against animal cruelty. Each year, it rescues thousands of animals and campaigns against animal testing.
However, millions of animals are still subjected to animal testing around the world.
Despite this, advances have been made to curb animal testing this year, which is partly due to campaign action calling for change.
For example, China this month announced the end of mandatory animal testing on general imported cosmetics. The ‘milestone’ move allows companies to sell certain products without subjecting animals to painful tests.
Save Ralph is released on April 6
You can find out more about HSUS here