Not since Liquid Death’s campy aluminum cans have inanimate objects seemed so deadly in a Hollywood parody.

Next, we enter the forest, where a chainsaw wielded by a maniac—or a maniacal logger, at any rate—vows to leave no tree standing:

“Through these three films, which illustrate three current tragedies—deforestation, plastic pollution and the impact of fossil fuels on the climate —we want to raise awareness of the urgent need to change the scenario of ecological disaster,” says Greenpeace France communications director Laurence Veyne. “To write a different story, we need to radically change the rules of our system, which is exacerbating climate change, widening inequalities and destroying biodiversity.”

The work invites folks to visit Greenpeace’s website for more information. Although the approach is hardly new, director Alexandre Courtès does a fine job with genre styles and conventions. The over-bright backyard, murky woods and sultry-scary ocean feel torn from real cinema fare.

“The common good deserves big ideas to move forward,” says Charles Flamand, creative director at La Chose, which helped develop the campaign. “We invite you to ‘Change the Scenario’ in the face of the climate emergency. Beneath the humor and cruel irony lies meaning, as well as a positive definition of Greenpeace’s role.”

During production, “‘Plastic Attack’ was the most difficult film to shoot,” he recalls. “We spent a long time with this plastic bag issue to get the perfect shot. The bag was hung on a wire that the technicians were agitating by using a fishing rod and an air blower. Limited means require limitless imagination to bring an idea to life.”

CREDITS

Brand: Greenpeace France
Head of communication: Laurence Veyne
Creative director: Pierre Klipfel
Head of audiovisual production: Myrtille Gibaud

Agency: La Chose
CEO and Executive Creative Director: Eric Tong Cuong
Creative Director: Charles Flamand
Art director: Hugo Morius
Copywriter: Martin Epardaud
Strategic planning: Céline Faure
Account Director: Gloria Amzallag
Head of New Business: Morgane Mathern-Nguyen

Production: Das Ding x Surfacefilms.tv
Director: Alexandre Courtès
Producer: Jeremy Assoun
Head of Production: Thibaut Coiraud
Executive producer: Saint Gingembre / Éclosion
Director of photography: Valentin Vignet

Post production: 42 Post
Editing: Nicolas Larrouquère
Sound: Solal Tong Cuong / Baptiste Studio 48

Guest starring:
Eva Danino
Alexis Fuze
Laetitia Loreni
Stephen Manas
Frédéric Casse aka “Michel Vedette”
Maxime Brechet

To spark conversations around plastics pollution, Greenpeace East Asia and DDB Hong Kong created the “Seabed.” It’s anything but restful.

The duvet conceals a mattress crammed with trash collected from the Sai Kung beach area in Hong Kong. It’s mainly yucky plastic containers, food wrappers, product packets and such.

There’s some pointed irony here. Sai Kung is a considered a “pristine” spot by tourists and locals, home to fishing villages and crisp, cerulean seas. Alas, its shoreline and waters are actually choked with some of the nearly 50,000 pieces of plastic trash flushed into Tolo Harbor each day.

“Once people look beyond the ordinary and see for themselves the realistic state of the seabed, we are hopeful that people will now think twice about disposing of plastic in the ocean,” says DDB creative director Phoebe Chan.

“Seabed” succeeds by making its point without going overboard. It’s not so gross that it’s freakish or unintentionally comical. Instead, the installation unnervingly illustrates a huge problem and invites both thought and action. (Visitors are asked to take a pledge to fight pollution.)

The bed is on display this week as part of a gallery exhibit at PMQ gallery, Central District, Hong Kong.

“This exhibition brings us straight to the seabed environment to witness the pollution in person,” says Greenpeace campaign leader Leanne Tam. “Nobody would want a bed like this in their home, and yet this is what sea creatures are getting in theirs. Plastic doesn’t belong in the ocean, and we must stop producing unnecessary packaging in plastics and expanding the use of reusable and refillable systems.”

Which future should President Joe Biden strive to deliver for America and the rest of humanity? A teaming toxic hellscape, or a thriving tomorrow with pollution on the wane?

Spoiler: Greenpeace and designer Shepard Fairey prefer the latter, and they urge our newly minted leader to combat the scourge of climate change in a campaign rolling out this week.

The project’s central image riffs on Fairey’s iconic Barack Obama “Hope” poster from 2008. This time, however, POTUS 46 becomes the focus, as he faces two possible tomorrows. One blazes with fossil-fuel horrors, the other appears vibrant and inviting:

Notably, shades of green replace the blue tones of the original. These represent the more palatable future and suggest Biden will choose the environmentally enlightened route. (Indeed, that seems like a safe bet. Today, he is expected to direct federal agencies to establish the parameters of an oil and gas drilling ban on public lands.)

“This campaign is about people like you and me versus corporate polluters who have poisoned our climate, our bodies and our democracy for their profit,” Fairey says in a statement. “It’s time for these companies and their executives to be held accountable, and for our country to begin the transition toward a renewable energy economy that puts people’s health and well-being first. There’s no more time for middle-of-the-road solutions from President Biden.”

“We built this campaign so that anyone can get involved in the way that makes sense for them, whether you’ve been active on climate change for years or you’re new to the issues,” adds Greenpeace rep Ryan Schleeter tells Muse.

At a dedicated website, “folks can sign up for weekly actions—including signing petitions, calling representatives, joining webinars and sharing explainers about climate and environmental justice,” he says. “This week, we’re focusing on protections for public lands. Over the next 100 days, we’ll cover everything from plastics and petrochemical pollution to fossil fuel subsidies and tax breaks.”

Fairy’s Studio Number One contributed a design around environmental justice to last year’s “Creatives FOR Biden” project, which asked artists to submit pieces representing 40 policy plans.

Now, by tweaking the “Hope” poster, Greenpeace hopes to generate instant buzz and leverage the public’s desire for a new direction after four years of the Trump administration. (The fact that Biden spent eight years as Obama’s vice president helps the approach resonate.)

“It can be difficult to envision a world in which our planet and its people aren’t under constant attack,” Schleeter says. “That’s what art allows us to do—it helps us imagine what the future can look like when we use the tools and power of government to solve problems, not exacerbate them.”

Greenpeace began sharing its Biden design across the world in recent days. Here’s a 20-by-15-foot banner outside the White House:

Below, the organization delivers its message in Berlin:

The story begins from the child’s point of view:

“There’s a monster in my kitchen,
and I don’t know what to do.
It has wicked glowing eyes,
and a snake-like tail, too.
…There’s a monster in my kitchen
and it’s filling me with fear.
Oh, monster in the shadows,
please tell me why you’re here.”

The creature flips the script with its reply:

“There’s a monster in my forest,
and I don’t know what to do.
It turned my home to ash
to instead grow something new.
Feed for chickens, meat and cows—
to sell more meat to you.
Our forests disappeared,
and their evil empire grew.”

On screen, a lush South American jungle wilts beneath a fiery, mechanized invasion.

The Jag-wah continues:

“They think they are unstoppable
but we pray this isn’t true.
The real cost of what they’re doing —
if only the whole world knew.
There’s a monster in my forest,
and it’s filling me with fear.
It’s putting us all in danger.
To warn you is why I’m here.”

“We wanted to give a glimpse of the mesmerizing, colorful and full-of-life forest, contrasted with the dark, mechanical and symmetric man-made soya fields,” Mother partner Ana Balarin tells Muse.

The narrative ends on a note of enlightenment and hope:

“Oh Jag-wah in my kitchen,
now I do know what to do.
We’ll eat more plants and veggies
and we’ll swap meat for bean stew —
or barbecue tofu!
…I’ll assemble every warrior
from here to Timbuktu.
Oh Jag-wah in our kitchen,
now we do know what to do!”

Emotionally engrossing from start to finish, this sequel delivers a heartfelt message that’s hard to ignore.

Balarin says “the pressure was obviously immense” as Mother set about following up “Rang-tan.” The experience of making the first film, however, provided a creative map to follow. The team knew which levers to pull to elicit maximum viewer response, while keeping the story simple and relatable.

Greenpeace suggested using the jaguar—a species facing catastrophe, as its homes are cleared for feed plantations. Many folks love cats, after all, so the choice fairly bristles with empathy.

Moreover, the Jag-wah provides an intriguing contrast with the Rang-tan. In the earlier campaign, the uber-endangered ape appeared defenseless from the start. Here, the jaguar’s mildly threatening nature gives the opening scenes an urgent vibe. Yet, the creature’s fangs and claws provide no protection from its worst enemy—encroaching humans. Now, it must humbly appeal to humans in order to survive.

Sir Paul shows up near the end, as a “warrior” in a protest scene. While McCartney’s inclusion may seem peripheral, the eco-minded Beatle adds some extra star power and potential search-engine appeal.

“The world’s forests are truly irreplaceable,” the iconic musician says in a statement. “They’re home to indigenous peoples, amazing wildlife and are vital in our fight against the climate crisis. But … these forests are being cleared at a shocking rate to farm more industrial meat and dairy. This is why reducing our meat is so important. But that alone isn’t enough. To solve this problem, we need supermarkets and fast-food restaurants to clean up their supply chains and make the switch to less destructive, plant-based alternatives. Our forests—and all our futures—depend on it.”

Moura succeeds “Rang-tan” narrator Emma Thompson, and the actor’s breathy, measured tones—adding shades of emphasis at key points—really suit the story.

“He felt like the obvious choice because he’s one of the most famous Brazilian actors, and he’s a UN Goodwill ambassador, so we knew he would not only be a really powerful voice but he also cares about deforestation,” says Balarin.

“The target is every meat eater on the planet. We want to go far beyond the converted and reach audiences that have never engaged in environmental causes before, like with ‘Rang-tan,’ ” she says. “We want to generate conversations, change habits and ultimately galvanize as many people as possible to achieve real and lasting change.”

CREDITS

Client: Greenpeace UK
Creative: Mother
Strategy: Mother
Animation: Cartoon Saloon
Directors: Tomm Moore and Fabian Erlinghäuser
Coordination: Nicole Storck
Art Direction: Maria Pareja
Storyboards: Iker Madigan
Design: Maria Pareja and Federico Pirovano
Backgrounds: Maria Pareja and Ludo Gavillet
Animation: Emmanuel Asquier Brassart, Laurent Kircher and Fabian Erlinghauser

Clean Animation: Herbie Cans, Darragh Herlihy, Marie Post Riggelsen, Alice Guzzo, Fraser Thomson and Gaia Ruggenini

Ink & Paint: Cal Mcloughlin and Helena Melin
Compositing: Serge Ume, Morgan Fontana and Benjamin Zurstassen
Edit: Alan Slattery at Cartoon Saloon
Post: Coffee & TV
Sound: 750mph
Score composer: Bruno Coulais
Score performed by: Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra
VO: Wagner Moura

An impressive set of A-listers provided the voices for the characters, including Oscar winners Olivia Colman and Helen Mirren, as well as Bella Ramsey (the 16-year-old who played Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones), David Harbour of Stranger Things, Jim Carter of Downton Abbey, and comedian Ahir Shah. 

“I’m thrilled to have worked on this heartbreaking film with Greenpeace and Aardman,” Colman said in a statement. “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.” 

“During my lifetime, I’ve seen nature being destroyed on an unimaginable scale by human activity,” added Mirren. “I’m 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. We can’t bring back what we’ve already lost, but we can protect what we still have.”

“Future generations will be living out the consequences of what we do, or don’t do, right now,” said Ramsey. “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?” 

Gavin Strange, who directed the film, called it “a personal yet universal story of family, loss and hope.” He added: “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, topped off by a simply sublime score from Arthur Jeffe’s Penguin Cafe and with Greenpeace’s hard-hitting call to action, I am immensely proud of what we’ve all made together.”

At the end, the piece urges U.K. viewers to sign Greenpeace’s petition calling for a Global Ocean Treaty. (U.S. readers can sign here.)