WWF and Uncommon Demand We ‘Adopt a Better Future’
A powerful new advertising campaign has been launched today by WWF, bringing to life the global challenges facing precious wildlife as a result of mass deforestation. With it comes the hopeful message that collectively we can – and must – end the destruction of nature in our fight against climate change.
The advert has been created using the meticulous art of stop-motion – a first for WWF. The filmmaking technique pieces together individual frames to create fluid animation portraying this important truth. Led by award-winning director Noah Harris through Agile Films, the production comprised over six weeks of intricate model-making and set-building, followed by a painstaking two-week shoot to create the film. The work was also crafted in collaboration with an experienced team behind stop-motion masterpieces such as Wes Anderson’s ‘Isle of Dogs’.
In the film, we see the story of a young girl unfold – a symbol of people power – rallying a crowd to protect a threatened wild jaguar as it flees the faceless threat of deforestation amongst the chaos of the burning rainforest.
The film concludes in the girl’s bedroom, where we see a charcoal drawing of the endangered jaguar, however this drawing echoes something far more significant; it was created using charcoal from trees destroyed in a recent rainforest fire. The very rainforests donations go towards protecting. Ending in this familiar environment also emphasises how you at home can make a difference with a single monthly donation, and how collectively, these donations can be world-changing.
Nils Leonard, co-founder at Uncommon, adds: “The idea of animal adoption is one people are familiar with, but this is about understanding that you are adopting far more than just a jaguar or a panda, you are adopting a different future. For all of us. Because it’s all connected. Saving our wildlife is saving ourselves.”
Fanny Calder, director of campaigns at WWF, says: “We often feel that, as individuals, we are helpless to stop the destruction of nature. But when we think of ourselves as a collective, we have real power. In order to end deforestation – one of the biggest threats currently facing the future of our planet – it is essential that people and nature work with one another, not against. An area of forest the size of South America has already been cleared to grow the world’s crops, and this destruction is putting treasured wildlife species such as the jaguar in extreme danger.”
Forested habitats are home to over half of the world’s land-based species, and more than a billion people depend on them for their livelihoods. WWF helps to protect the valuable habitat of jaguars and other wildlife species in the Amazon by working to restore nature, improve sustainable farming practices and tackle illegal deforestation.
Between January and September this year, almost 60,000km2 of land was burnt in the Amazon region, 96% higher than the same period last year. During this time, deforestation alerts were up 86% on last year, and over 365 endangered species were put at an even greater risk.
Fanny explains: “We have worked in the Amazon for over 40 years to establish protected landscapes and habitat corridors for wildlife, and to support green economies. By adopting a jaguar, you’re not only protecting that single species, but also the rainforest and everything in it. You’re helping to tackle deforestation – from its root causes, such as the broken food system, to its impacts on the ground.”
“The generous donations we receive through adoptions enable us to deliver positive environmental change across the globe. One adoption is powerful, but one million adoptions can be world-changing.”
Launching ahead of Christmas, the new advert will make its debut on national broadcast television on 13 November, kicking off during Coronation Street with other prime-time slots across ITV, Channel 4 and on-demand channels throughout the festive period. It will also screen in cinemas across the UK from 22 November.
