In response to the recent announcement that Turtle Journey, an animated film created by Aardman in collaboration with Greenpeace, has won the Jury Award for a Commissioned Film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Will McCallum, head of oceans at Greenpeace UK, said:
“Many of us in the team here at Greenpeace grew up watching Aardman animations, so it was a bit of a dream come true to work with them. Seeing them convey the serious plight of our oceans in such a touching, personal story has brought more than a few tears. But as the family in Turtle Journey resolve: we must turn our emotion into action.
“Industrial fishing, plastic pollution and climate change are devastating our oceans and harming marine life. We urgently need a Global Ocean Treaty to help protect at least a third of the world’s oceans. And this film has contributed more than a drop in the ocean on that ambitious journey.”
Aardman is the Academy Award® winning studio behind Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run and much more. Gavin Strange of Aardman, director of Turtle Journey, said:
“Every single part of this project was like a dream, starting with the brief: make a powerful, impactful yet charming film, for Greenpeace, an incredibly important organisation with a very critical and urgent message – protect the oceans. Couple that with assembling a dream team of Aardman animators, designers, model makers and specialists and you’ve got a recipe for something really special, something I am immensely proud to have been a part of.
“For Turtle Journey to be recognised and awarded the Jury Award for Commissioned Film really is the icing on the cake. It means so, so much to all of us: Aardman, Greenpeace and everyone involved. The Annecy Festival is animation royalty, so to be a part of that feels very, very special. Thank you Annecy, from the bottom of my heart and behalf of everyone I have the honour of representing.”
Turtle Journey tells the story of a family of sea turtles, trying to find their way home through an ocean in crisis. The short film stars Academy Award® winning actors, including Helen Mirren and Olivia Colman, as well as Stranger Things star David Harbour, and was created to raise awareness about the importance of securing ocean protection through a strong new Global Ocean Treaty at the United Nations in 2021.
You can watch the film here
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Contact:
Greenpeace UK press office – press.uk@greenpeace.org – 020 7865 8255
