London, UK – Oscar-winners Olivia Colman and Dame Helen Mirren, along with Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey and Stranger Things’ David Harbour, star in a new animation that highlights the plight of the oceans, released globally today by Aardman Animations and Greenpeace UK.
Award-winning studio Aardman, makers of Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep, have teamed up with Greenpeace UK to create a powerful short film showing the threats our oceans are facing, and the importance of protecting them. The film, Turtle Journey, tells the heartbreaking story of a turtle family attempting to get home, in an ocean that is under increasing threat from climate change, plastic pollution, oil drilling and overfishing.
Oscar winning actor Olivia
Colman, voicing the turtle family’s mother, said:“Home is the most important thing we have. A safe space for us and our
family to live. But we’re taking that away from turtles, whales, penguins and
so many other incredible animals. Most of us instinctively love the oceans and
care about the amazing marine life that lives there, but far fewer people know
how much pressure they are under. If we don’t act now we risk causing
irreversible harm to our oceans and losing species for good.
“I’m thrilled to have worked
on this heartbreaking film with Greenpeace and Aardman – it’s so important. Our
oceans face so many threats, some I wasn’t even aware of before this, and sadly
the story of this turtle family trying to get home in a damaged and changing
ocean is a reality for so many marine creatures that are having their habitats
destroyed by human activities. I hope this film inspires more people to take
action to protect our oceans.”
Aardman’s distinctive blend
of dry humour and painstakingly crafted stop-motion animation are seen in a new
light in this short film, as they tackle the crisis facing the planet’s oceans.
The film ends with an urgent call for global action to protect the oceans.
Will McCallum, Head of Oceans
at Greenpeace UK, said:
“Governments have talked for too long, without delivering the level of
protection our oceans need to regain health after decades of destructive human
activity. The time for talk is over. We now need urgent global action to fully
protect 30% of the world’s oceans, a target agreed by scientists as the minimum
that marine life needs to recover.
“Governments have a chance to
turn rhetoric and empty words into action at the United Nations this year when
they meet to agree on a new Global Ocean Treaty. A strong treaty would provide
a framework for the fully protected marine sanctuaries our oceans need. A weak
treaty will maintain the status quo: a broken, fragmented system of ocean
governance that’s already caused untold harm to our oceans. History will judge
our governments for their actions this year – they must protect our
oceans.”
Aardman’s film was produced
for Greenpeace’s global Protect the Oceans campaign. Greenpeace is calling for
30% of the world’s oceans to be fully protected in a network of ocean
sanctuaries by 2030. A strong Global Ocean Treaty, currently under discussion
at the United Nations, is a vital first step towards achieving this
target.
ENDS.
Photo & video
collections: Animation stills and behind
the scenes gallery are available here;
Pole to Pole expedition gallery is available here.
Headshots are available on request.
The full animated film,
Turtle Journey, is available to watch under embargo here. It will be
made available to the public here after the embargo lifts.
Notes:
Greenpeace is currently
sailing from the North Pole to the South Pole to highlight the threats facing
the ocean, reaching the Antarctic this month, as part of a campaign for a
Global Ocean Treaty covering international waters.
Greenpeace International
oceans report: 30×30: A Blueprint for protection
Contact:
James Hanson, Press Officer,
Greenpeace UK: +44 7801 212 994, [email protected]
Greenpeace International Press
Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)
