Greenpeace has launched a new campaign film, There’s a Monster in My Kitchen, created by regular collaborators Mother London. The spot underlines the knock-on effect of industrial meat production, which is the biggest cause of deforestation worldwide according to the organisation.

The campaign film opens with an ominous scene of a jaguar (Jag-wah) lurking behind a young boy who’s frightened of the monster in his kitchen. However, when Jag-wah steps out from the shadows and the narrative voice shifts, it transpires that it isn’t a fearsome enemy but a creature displaced as a result of deforestation.

While the film spotlights the impact of deforestation on animals – particularly in South America – Greenpeace has also reiterated the implications for indigenous communities who risk losing land to clear space for cattle and feed plantations, as well as the role of deforestation in the climate crisis. The animation draws inspiration from street and indigenous art from the Amazon region, which has long been the epicentre of deforestation activity.

Co-directed by Tomm Moore and Fabian Erlinghäuser at Oscar-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon, the film has a suitably childlike feel to match the character at the heart of the story. In keeping with Rang-tan – Greenpeace’s first film of this nature, which famously went on to be repurposed by Iceland for its Christmas ad in 2018 – the story unfolds in nursery rhyme fashion, this time voiced by Brazilian actor Wagner Moura who starred as Pablo Escobar in Narcos. The campaign has also found support from long-time animal rights activist Paul McCartney, who has a brief cameo in the animation.

Speaking of the project, Mother partner Ana Balarin said: “The impact of industrial meat production in South America is so vast and challenging to visualise that we chose to bring it to life through a human story, which makes the issue more relevant to our audience’s lives and offers them tangible action for positive change.”

Credits:
Creative agency: Mother
Creatives: Maria Pareja, Federico Pirovano
Animation: Cartoon Saloon
Directors: Tomm Moore, Fabian Erlinghäuser
Animation: Emmanuel Asquier Brassart, Laurent Kircher and Fabian Erlinghauser, Herbie Cans, Darragh Herlihy, Marie Post Riggelsen, Alice Guzzo, Fraser Thomson and Gaia Ruggenini