The stop motion mockumentary “Save Ralph” stars Taika Waititi as an acquiescent, physically abused ‘tester’ rabbit named Ralph. The short film documents Ralph’s interview with the Humane Society International to convince businesses to stop the practice of animal testing and to encourage consumers to buy cruelty-free cosmetic products. Throughout this disturbing spectacle, there are several instances where Ralph implicitly attempts to draw sympathy from the audience while maintaining a compliant demeanor. These include casually displaying moments of physical pain inflicted upon him from frequent chemical testing. One of the most hard-hitting scenes is when the creature’s severely scarred back is revealed to the audience after his vision is drastically obscured due to a chemical being injected into his one working eye.

The film proactively captures the naivety of its titular character to accentuate the grotesqueness of cosmetic companies practicing chemical procedures that victimize animals. The clever use of stop motion, a style traditionally used for family-friendly content, depicts Ralph’s innocence towards his mistreatment. Furthermore, this stylistic method highlights an element of shock to the viewers that intentionally disgusts and digresses them from ever buying beauty items that harm innocent creatures.

“Save Ralph” is a well-intentioned, visceral, passion project produced by The Humane Society of the United States to inform consumers of alternative methods for beauty enhancement such as purchasing products of companies that avoid practicing testing on animals. The recurring theme of physical torture and guilelessness of the titular character vividly displays our current harrowing reality where humans are willing to compromise or eradicate the well-being of animals merely for the sake of their own personal vanity.

The film’s concluding message is written in a plain, direct manner to allegorize how it is basic, common knowledge that humans should proactively stop businesses from doing animal testing by buying beauty products concocted with chemicals tested on animals. The film attempts to combat the desensitization of mass audiences towards this heinous act toward innocent creatures.

For more information:
https://www.hsi.org/saveralphmovie/