“We are very grateful to Cannes Lions for this high-profile opportunity to keep the issue in the global spotlight and we hope that it adds momentum to our efforts to end this unnecessary cruelty.”

Save Ralph – a short animated film – recently won the Grand Prix for Good, a prestigious award at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival. The non-profit movie exposes the horrors of cosmetic animal testing.

It was also awarded Gold in the non-profit film category.

The Cannes Lions Awards are considered as one of the most prestigious global awards in creative excellence, and the Grand Prix for Good award is given in recognition of using creativity in a way that positively impacts the world at large.

Save Ralph is written and directed by Spencer Susser. It is produced by animal charity Humane Society International (HSI) and Australian collective Blue Tongue Films, along with Arch Model Studio.

The three-minute stop motion short features a star-studded cast including Oscar-winner Taika Waititi as Ralph, along with Ricky Gervais, Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, Pom Klementieff and Tricia Helfer.

The film has also been subtitled in several languages to support HSI’s efforts to influence lawmakers in Canada, Brazil, Chile, Europe, Mexico, Southeast Asia, South Korea and beyond.

Save Ralph follows HSI’s spokesbunny Ralph, as he goes about his day as a “tester” in a lab.

Ralph —who has lost hearing in one ear and sight in one eye due to his experience of extensive animal testing recounts to comedian Ricky Gervais  in an interview setting about his plight  and that of countless rabbits and other animals suffering in laboratories around the world.

Although most major beauty brands haven’t animal-tested in years and the practice is now banned in more than 40 nations, these cruel, archaic and unproductive testing methods are still perfectly legal in most countries.

Furthermore, chemical laws are increasingly bringing in new animal testing recommendations—even in places like Europe where animal testing is supposed to be banned.

‘One giant leap forward’

Speaking about the Cannes Lions win, Save Ralph’s puppet maker and set designer Andy Gent said: “A few small stop motion frames in camera and one giant leap forward for animal testing kind.”

Donna Gadomski is HSI’s senior director of external affairs and Save Ralph executive producer. Whilst accepting the Grand Prix for Good award in Cannes, he said: “We are absolutely ecstatic that Save Ralph was awarded the Grand Prix for Good.

“This prestigious recognition by the Cannes Lions jury is an honor and a testament to Ralph’s powerful message that testing cosmetics on animals is cruel and needs to stop.

“It was truly a privilege to accept this award on behalf of the extraordinary Save Ralph filmmakers and the brilliant HSI team working tirelessly around the world to end cosmetics animal testing for good.

“We are very grateful to Cannes Lions for this high-profile opportunity to keep the issue in the global spotlight and we hope that it adds momentum to our efforts to end this unnecessary cruelty.”

• Read: Global vegan beauty brand Aveda is cruelty-free certified

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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