Save Ralph: Hollywood Stars Voice Stop-Motion Short Against Animal Testing

Humane Society International (HSI), a leading global animal protection organization founded in 1991, has released a stop-motion animated short film titled "Save Ralph" to campaign against animal testing. The film, directed by Spencer Susser, features a mockumentary style following a laboratory rabbit named Ralph, voiced by Taika Waititi. Ralph, deaf and blind in one eye, narrates his daily suffering with calm optimism, while his coworkers are voiced by Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, and Ricky Gervais. The production required fifty days of shooting and over four months to create the puppet, with extensive studies of rabbit body language to enhance emotional impact. The campaign, launched in 2021 under the hashtag #SicurezzaSenzaSofferenza, follows a near-unanimous European Parliament resolution urging the European Commission to create an action plan banning animal testing across the EU for experimentation, research, and education. HSI Vice President Troy Seidle warns that cosmetic animal testing bans are at risk due to chemical regulatory authorities still relying on animal data, and that the European Green Deal has been exploited through greenwashing to extend such tests. The film aims to inspire public action, with a petition available on HSI Italia's website. Although banned in 40 countries, animal testing remains legal in most of the world and is resurging in Europe.