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The Humane Society of the United States recently uploaded a short film on its YouTube channel titled Save Ralph. The film is part of the organization's global campaign to ban cruel animal testing for cosmetics.

The beautifully made stop-motion animation stars the voice of Oscar award-winning screenwriter and director Taika Waititi. He plays Ralph, a rabbit that works as a “tester” in a lab.

The film starts in a house with Ralph, dressed in a brown business suit, sitting on a couch introducing himself to the camera and interviewer, voiced by comedian and host Ricky Gervais. Ralph then points out some of his injuries during the interview including his blind right eye.

The interview follows Ralph to the bathroom where he starts to brush his teeth while explaining his back injuries.

After brushing he says, “At the end of the day we do it for the humans, right? They're far superior to us animals, they've even been to space.”

Source: The Humane Society of the United States YouTube channel

The interview continues at the dining table where Ralph eats his cereal. His suit now completely gone, he explains that he comes from a family of “testers” and says, “They all died doing their job.”

A knock is then heard and Ralph says, “Gotta get to work.” A hand in a blue rubber glove breaks through the ceiling and grabs Ralph.

Now in a lab, he is then placed in an acrylic box with his neck restrained. The camera pans and reveals the other rabbits (voiced by Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, Pom Klementieff, and Tricia Helfer) in a similar situation.

One of the rabbits, voiced by Efron, then asks Ralph what's a camera crew doing with him and asks if they can save them, explaining “I don't want to die.”

Then a hand holds Ralph's head while the other rabbits scream. A liquid is squirted into his left eye using a syringe.

Source: The Humane Society of the United States YouTube channel

In the next scene, in a locker room, Ralph is seen wearing a neck brace and now appears to be completely blind.

“I'd just like to say to everyone out there still buying animal-tested cosmetics like eyeliner, shampoo, sunscreen--pretty much everything in your bathroom. Well without you and countries that allow animal testing I'd be out of a job, I'd be on the streets. Well, not the streets, more like a field, I guess. More like a normal rabbit,” Ralph says and ends his speech with a thumbs up.

The film ends with this message: “No animal should suffer and die in the name of beauty.”

The film is a caricature of a reality that is happening all over the world. Rabbits and other animals are used by cosmetics and other companies to test products if they are safe to be used by humans. According to Humane Society International (HSI), “more than 115 million animals are used in laboratory experiments every year.”

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In the description box, it explains that the film attempts to tackle the issue in an “original and unexpected way.”

“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,” it says.

According to the short film's director, Spencer Susser, “It's so important that Ralph feels real because he represents countless real animals who suffer every day.”

Arch Model Studio (Isle of Dogs, The Grand Budapest Hotel) also worked on the production of the short film.

Watch the short film here:

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