For Instant Launch:
December 8, 2023

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Los Angeles – For utilizing spectacular and stunningly well-crafted CGI animals to encourage tens of thousands and thousands of moviegoers—who flocked to theaters to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3—to have compassion for the thousands and thousands of animals killed by experimenters in laboratories, director James Gunn is PETA’s 2023 Individual of the 12 months.

The movie, this yr’s fourth highest–grossing theatrical launch, confirmed audiences that Rocket Raccoon’s heartbreaking origin story wasn’t out of Knowhere—merciless, callous, and cold-blooded experiments on animals are actual and go on on daily basis. As PETA’s science workers level out, a staggering 90% of all fundamental analysis—most of which entails animals—fails to result in remedies for people, which is why the group pushes laboratories to pivot to stylish, state-of-the-art, human-relevant analysis strategies. Gunn additionally helps fight the companion animal overpopulation disaster, wherein canine and cats fill the nation’s animal shelters, by encouraging his fan base to be true to the PETA slogan “Undertake. By no means store.”

“By telling the story of the thousands and thousands of weak animals abused in experiments, James Gunn has proven himself to be a real animal guardian,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is delighted to honor him for encouraging precisely what the world wants: empathy for all dwelling beings.”

After adopting his canine, Ozu, in Could 2022, he stored his almost 3 million Instagram followers up to date on Ozu’s journey, tagging every submit with “#AdoptDontShop.” “Lower than 2 months in the past, Ozu, after spending his entire life outdoors in a horde of fifty canine, would cover from me, wouldn’t let me contact him, & wouldn’t eat, drink, or pee in entrance of me,” Gunn wrote in July 2022. “Right this moment that is his face when he sees me & he doesn’t go away my aspect.”

Round 70 million canine and cats are homeless within the U.S. at any given time. Many find yourself deserted on the streets, the place they might be hit by vehicles, contaminated with ailments, or damage by merciless folks—and leaving them to breed makes the companion animal overpopulation disaster worse.

Previous winners of PETA’s Individual of the 12 months Award embody James Cromwell, Billie Eilish, Joaquin Phoenix, Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey, and Anjelica Huston.

PETA—whose motto reads, “Animals should not ours to experiment on, eat, put on, use for leisure, or abuse in some other approach”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For extra info, please go to PETA.org, take heed to The PETA Podcast, or comply with the group on X (previously Twitter), Fb, or Instagram.