{"id":8826,"date":"2020-01-15T08:13:44","date_gmt":"2020-01-15T08:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/?p=8826"},"modified":"2020-01-15T08:13:46","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T08:13:46","slug":"oscar-winners-wallace-and-gromit-creators-and-greenpeace-launch-heartbreaking-new-animated-film-about-the-plight-of-the-oceans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/press\/8826\/oscar-winners-wallace-and-gromit-creators-and-greenpeace-launch-heartbreaking-new-animated-film-about-the-plight-of-the-oceans\/","title":{"rendered":"Oscar winners, Wallace and Gromit creators, and Greenpeace launch heartbreaking new animated film about the plight of the oceans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

London, 15 January 2020<\/em> \u2013 Oscar-winners Olivia Colman and Dame Helen Mirren, along with Game of Thrones\u2019 Bella Ramsey and Stranger Things\u2019 David Harbour, star in a new animation that highlights the plight of the oceans, released globally today by Aardman Animations and Greenpeace UK. <\/p>\n\n

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<\/em>, 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. <\/p>\n\n

Oscar winning actor Olivia Colman, voicing the turtle family\u2019s mother, said:<\/strong>
<\/strong>\u201cHome is the most important thing we have. A safe space for us and our family to live. But we\u2019re 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\u2019t act now we risk causing irreversible harm to our oceans and losing species for good.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to have worked on this heartbreaking film with Greenpeace and Aardman \u2013 it\u2019s so important. Our oceans face so many threats, some I wasn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Aardman\u2019s 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\u2019s oceans. The film ends with an urgent call for global action to protect the oceans.<\/p>\n\n

Bukelwa Nzimande, Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa, said:<\/strong>
<\/strong>“Our leaders have talked and deliberated enough. Real change will emanate from real action that will see 30% of our oceans fully protected through the creation of ocean sanctuaries. South Africa’s own fisherfolks in the Western Cape depend on healthy oceans and marine ecosystems for their livelihoods so protecting our oceans also means protecting each other.<\/p>\n\n

“Greenpeace Africa has found through engaging with these fishing communities that existing laws and regulations have been ineffective, allowing for the destruction and dire state our oceans are in. This is why a strong, binding and scalable treaty is critical if any effective change is to be effected and seen in our lifetime and beyond.<\/p>\n\n

“The time for urgent action for the protection of our oceans is now, and governments have the opportunity to be on the right side of history,” ended Nzimande.<\/p>\n\n

Aardman\u2019s film was produced for Greenpeace\u2019s global Protect the Oceans campaign. Greenpeace is calling for 30% of the world\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Photo & video collections:<\/strong> Animation stills and behind the scenes gallery are available here<\/a>; Pole to Pole expedition gallery is available here<\/a>. Headshots are available on request.<\/p>\n\n

The full animated film<\/strong>, Turtle Journey, <\/em>is available to watch under embargo here<\/a>. It will be made available to the public here after the embargo lifts.<\/p>\n\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n

Interviews with Bella Ramsey, the film\u2019s director Gavin Strange and Greenpeace campaigners are available upon request.<\/p>\n\n

Further supporting quotes from participating actors and the film\u2019s director:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Bella Ramsey of Game of Thrones, and voice of the turtle family\u2019s daughter, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m older, what will the oceans look like? I want my generation and every future generation to experience healthy, thriving oceans that are full of life and are a safe home for beautiful and important creatures like turtles. But I\u2019m worried this won\u2019t be possible. In my short lifetime, our ocean has already been damaged on a scale many people didn\u2019t think possible when I was born.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe need to act, or it will be too late. Future generations will be living out the consequences of what we do, or don\u2019t do, right now. Will governments sit idly by while our oceans are destroyed, or will they leave a legacy of healthy, protected oceans that can be admired by all, now and in the future? The eyes of the world and of all our descendants are on our governments. We, individually, need to play our part but they, collectively, must act now to create positive, lasting and dramatic change. Don\u2019t just listen, do something about it\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Oscar winning actor Dame Helen Mirren, the voice of the turtle family\u2019s grandmother, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cDuring my lifetime, I\u2019ve seen nature being destroyed on an unimaginable scale by human activity. I\u2019m saddened that our generation will leave to future generations a damaged planet, which has already lost so much of the biodiversity that makes it special. However, we have a chance to do something now and leave a legacy of properly protected oceans to all the people who come after us.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t bring back what we\u2019ve already lost, but we can protect what we still have. I hope this film will help to make more people realise the ocean is worth protecting, and inspires us to act before it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Gavin Strange, the film\u2019s director, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cI wanted to tell a personal yet universal story of family, loss and hope to best connect with audiences around the world. It was an absolute dream to work with such a talented crew of animators, artists and creators here at Aardman, manipulating clay and pixels to make such a nuanced and delicate piece of animation. Brought to life by a stellar cast of world-class voice talent and then topped off by a simply sublime score from Arthur Jeffe\u2019s Penguin Cafe, I am immensely proud of what we\u2019ve all made together.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Jim Carter of Downton Abbey and the turtle family\u2019s grandfather said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis heartbreaking story of a turtle family trying to get home through an ocean in crisis should resonate with anyone watching it. We all live in a world that has been changed enormously by human activity, and this reality is as true for marine animals like the turtles in Turtle Journey<\/em> as it is for us humans on land.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace International oceans report<\/strong>: 30×30: A Blueprint for protection<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

James Hanson, Press Officer, Greenpeace UK: +44 7801 212 994, james.hanson@greenpeace.org<\/a>Greenpeace International Press Desk: pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org<\/a>, +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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