British farming likes people to imagine green pastures and idyllic barnyard scenes of years gone by. This isn’t real. Today, most British meat comes from animals that are factory-farmed. The vast majority of animals raised for the table and fast-food takeaway live absolutely rotten lives.
There is no such thing as a happy pig farm. Biscuit, Grey London and PETA have come together to create a musical cartoon film called Pig Farm. Its black humour reveals the realities of where British pork comes from. The animated film was directed by Jeff Low and draws inspiration from Cuphead and Ren & Stimpy. By weaving together elements of fantasy and reality, it hopes to spark conversations about the atrocities of pig farming and inspire people to change their eating habits.
The film follows the journey of the pig farmer as he explains to his daughters just what his day at the factory entails. Initially, it looks like an idyllic existence for the pigs, but as the film progresses the truth behind the industry’s practices begins to be uncovered. The film is set to an upbeat song, also written by Jeff Low, that drives memorability and further immerses the audience in what they’re seeing.
To support the campaign and drive further awareness, merchandise is available via the PETA website. Pigs live for 6 months before they’re slaughtered, not having even one year of life is a stat to dramatise. So the merch includes a calendar measured in pig years. It stops after 6 months. Each month displays the suffering pigs endure via our cartoon visuals. There are also several limited edition plates, including the PETA piggy crockery set, that turns boring plates into a wonderfully gory reminder of the suffering behind the bacon butty.
Mimi Bekhechi, vice president of PETA UK, Europe, and Australia, stated, “PETA’s goal is to challenge the status quo and make people think, and the innovative team at Grey has achieved that with this shareable video. By pairing disturbing cartoon imagery with a catchy song, we believe the memorable spot will shift attitudes and remind people that every piece of bacon was once a thinking, feeling being who desperately wanted to live.”
Jeff Low added, “100 years from now people will not understand how we could have done what we do to these animals. I hope you ‘enjoy’ the cartoon we made.”
The campaign will run across PETA-owned channels globally.
Credits:
Client: PETA
Vice President UK, Europe & Australia: Elisa Allen
Celebrity & Creative Projects Lead: Iona Kirby
Creative Agency: Grey London
Managing Director: Jonny Tennant-Price
Executive Creative Director: David Wigglesworth
Creatives: Cameron Sutherland, Mel Shergold, Joanna Simpson-Howe
Chief Strategy Officer: Tarek Sioufi
Head of Production: Maxine Hose
Senior Producer: Ant Borkett
Head of Design: Liam Thomas
Designers: Jo Wahono, Stefan Klasener, Tanmayee Ingale, Felix Townsend, Tyrone Zall
Editing & Titles: Ollie Flux
New Business Director: Katherine Goodale
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Jeff Low
Producer: Kwok Yau
Managing Director & Executive Producer: Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
Executive Producer: Hanna Bayatti
Head of Production: Emily Atterton
Animators: Andrei Sopon & Reuben Sutherland
Sound Studio: Factory Studios
Sound Design & Mix: Jon Clarke
Senior Audio Producer: Ciara Wakley
Music Supervision: Wake the Town
