Animal rights organisation Peta aims to encourage people to leave meat out of their Christmas meal with an emotional short film.
“Girl and the cow”, created by Atomic London, tells the story of an unlikely friendship, prompting people to consider the lives of animals and the realities of the Christmas food industry.
This is Peta’s first live action Christmas ad, following a series of animations from the previous years.
The ad was directed by Andrew Poole through Atomic and created by Sam Isaacs and Walaa Ellabib.
The 90-second film starts off with a young girl called Alice walking by the fields on her way home from school, with a trumpet in her hand. She stops by a fence and starts playing it, which grabs the attention of a cow grazing nearby.
As time goes by, Alice’s friendship with the cow deepens as she keeps coming back to practise. She becomes better and better at playing the tune, which we start to recognise as Jingle Bells.
Then one day she returns together with her mum, her hair decorated with tinsel. She starts playing the trumpet. However, this time the cow doesn’t show up.
Worried, she looks at her mum and keeps playing the familiar song, but her friend never comes back.
The scene cuts to the cow being led up a trailer ramp, suggesting a sad ending to the story. The same Christmas jingle reappears chillingly as the man loading up the van whistles it.
As the van’s door closes, the screen goes black, displaying the message: “Everyone deserves a merry Christmas. Please leave animals off your plate.”
Elisa Allen, vice president of programmes at Peta, said: “Children naturally empathise with animals, but many young people (and adults, too) may not think about how their holiday roast came from the same curious, loving cows who are so easily befriended.”
Atomic London collaborated with Hillside Animal Sanctuary, which rescues cows and other animals from the farming industry.
The campaign will be running across cinema and social channels both in the UK and globally.
John Cherry, executive creative director at Atomic London, said: “We wanted to tell an unforgettable story that feels like your typical, heartwarming Christmas ad – until it takes a sharp turn and shows the harsh reality behind the Christmas food industry.”
Poole added: “This campaign gives people a chance to see things from a different perspective and maybe rethink their choices this Christmas.”
