Greenpeace has launched a new campaign film to shed light on the global consequences of industrial meat production. Narrated by Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (Pablo Escobar in NARCOS) in a nursery rhyme style, the film highlights the role of industrial meat production in rainforest destruction. Long-time animal rights activist Paul McCartney also has a brief cameo.
The video, titled There’s a Monster in my Kitchen, tells the story of a young boy who sneaks downstairs for a midnight snack only to find a terrifying monster in the shadows. But the beast turns out to be Jag-wah, a jaguar, who says to the boy, “There’s a monster in my forest, and I don’t know what to do.”
The film highlights the horrors of deforestation on climate crisis, animals, as well as the implications for indigenous communities who risk losing land to clear space for cattle and feed plantations.
Jag-wah shows the young boy how the humans taking over his forest home to produce meat are fueling the clearance of precious forests – both for feed for animals reared for meat, and for space to graze the herds themselves. It suggests switching to plant-based alternatives and encouraging collective activism to help influence companies and governments to save the forests.
“There are few more incredible and precious places on earth than rainforests like the Amazon. Yet many don’t know that the meat and dairy products sitting in our refrigerators could be responsible for the fires and chainsaws devastating the Amazon and other vital forests. Monster meat companies continue to clear forests at an astonishing rate, all to produce the meat in our kitchens. We need to take action before it’s too late,” said Moura. “I’m so pleased to be working on this crucially important film with Greenpeace. This fight has never been more urgent. Together we can stand against the industrial meat companies razing our precious forests. I hope this film inspires many more to join our mission to protect forests.”
The animated film is in collaboration with Mother London, having previously teamed up for the hit video Rang-tan in 2018 (narrated by Emma Thompson and animated by Passion Pictures), and is produced by Oscar-nominated Irish studio Cartoon Saloon (Wolfwalkers).