One of PETA’s missions is to get great apes out of the zoo by calling a ban on the import and breeding of such primates in captivity. Sadly, these animals are still kept in zoos for the entertainment of the visitors. Primates such as gorillas, chimpanzees, or orangutans only know the world as much as their cages allow. To stop their suffering, PETA Germany joined hands with animation studio FABLEfx, launching together a PSA featuring a highly realistic computer-generated gorilla.

During this week’s #ThrowBrandThursday, we’d like you to meet Cozy the Gorilla, a lifelike primate made using modern technology. Directed by Jesper Ohlsson with production handled by The Chapel Films, the video’s protagonist is a gorilla trapped in a zoo cage.

Outside its cage, a group of kids tries to annoy the ape. Yet, one boy stands still analyzing the gorilla closely. As a form of escape from the world in which it currently lives, the animal listens to music on a Walkman, standing with his back to the audience. But when it turns its face to them, it decides to make some loud noises, scaring the kids off. Terrified, the group breaks up and runs away. But the sensitive boy we mentioned earlier decides to stay, probably curious about the gorilla’s story. Much to the child’s surprise, the primate throws the Walkman to the boy, hoping that at least one person can hear its thoughts. When the kid puts the headphones on, we find out what the gorilla wants most.

There’s something with Queen’s “I want to break free” song that makes us, humans, experience powerful emotions. As we listen to the hit, a strong feeling of escaping from our daily routine embraces us. And these feelings are justified: Soon after the release, the song became highly popular in Europe and South America and became an anthem to fans living under repressive regimes around the globe. The same “break free” emotions spin around our protagonist, whose emotions are perfectly captured in the one-minute-long video.

PETA fights for animals’ freedom and encourages others to use modern technology to generate animals in their productions. “This stunning PSA proves once again that creative people can tell compelling, emotional stories using special effects and without exploiting any real animals,” says PETA. The organization mentions some movies that used CGI in bringing some characters to life. Many film productions and advertising agencies rely on this technique as the represented animals borrow a look similar to the real ones.

For those who wonder how things went behind the scenes check out the video below. See how Cozy the Gorilla was born through the VFX breakdown.

Credits:

Client: PETA

Director: Jesper Ohlsson

VFX: FABLEfx

Production: The Chapel Films

DOP: Mattias Rudh

Grade & Online: Tomas Wall @ Cinegrace

Sound: Red Pipe