Animal rights organization PETA is hoping to inspire families to set a cruelty-free table this holiday season with a new CG-animated seasonal short, which will introduce moviegoers at Moana 2 and Wicked to Toby the Turkey. The family-friendly film will run in theaters in Indiana, Minnesota and Kansas — home to some of the top turkey-producing operations in the country.
The video opens with Toby — a beloved member of a human family — watching TV in a cozy home, only to be confronted by a horrifying ad for a turkey dinner. Panicked, he races around the house, right into the arms of his adoptive human mother. As a few of his feathers fall to the floor, no one knows what happens to Toby — until the final scene, which, to the viewer’s relief, shows him at the table (not on it), tucking into a savory vegan roast with his loving human family.
“Turkeys are feeling individuals who love their families and value their lives, and they don’t want to be carved up and stuffed any more than we do,. PETA is encouraging everyone to give birds and other animals a break this Thanksgiving and beyond, and leave the Tobys, Heiheis, and Puas of the world in peace,” said PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien, referencing Moana’s companion rooster and piglet.
In the wild, turkeys live like many other birds, foraging for food, roosting in trees, building nests for their young and enjoying dust baths. According to 2017 numbers from the National Turkey Federation, approximately 45 to 46 million turkeys are killed each year in the U.S. for the Thanksgiving holiday alone. Christmas dinners account for an additional estimated 20-plus million birds. A turkey can naturally live up to 10 years, but farmed birds are usually slaughtered at just 14 to 18 weeks old, having been genetically engineered for unnaturally rapid and expansive muscular growth. (This article from Boston University details the practices of turkey farming and slaughter.)
Offering a gentler message aimed at kids and parents, PETA’s Toby the Turkey spot will run before Moana 2, Wicked, and other movies at theaters in Evansville, Jasper, Newburgh, Henderson, Rockport and Princeton, Indiana; Eden Prairie, Saint Paul, Mounds View, Inver Grove Heights, and Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Wichita, Kansas.
For viewers who are inspired to try a plant-based menu this year, PETA offers a free vegan starter kit and “ThanksVegan” guide.
