VIDEO: Emma Thompson Tells Story of RANG-TAN in Greenpeace Film

Greenpeace has partnered with actor Emma Thompson to release "Rang-tan," an animated short film about a little girl and her orangutan friend forced from her forest home. This is just the latest collaboration between the global campaigning organization and the actress who joined Greenpeace on a voyage to the Arctic in 2014.

Thompson lends her talents to "Rang-tan" for Greenpeace's campaign to save Indonesian forests from dirty palm oil. The palm oil industry is a major driver of deforestation and habitat loss for wildlife which has had a devastating effect on Indonesia's orangutan populations, the country's people, and the global climate.

"When Greenpeace asked me to narrate Rang-tan, I didn't hesitate. For too long big brands have been getting away with murder," Emma Thompson said. "And for too long our response to orangutans has been 'ohhh, poor thing' as we're shown photographs of them orphaned and at death's door. But change is possible - we can make it so. By making a noise, demanding answers and forcing change, we can stop feeling sorry. Instead, we can feel exhilarated as we witness these iconic beasts living truly wild once more. If we accomplish that, believe me, we will all be much better off."

Indonesia has more threatened and endangered species than any other country. The Bornean orangutan population has more than halved in the past 16 years, and Indonesia has lost an area nearly the size of the United Kingdom in the past twenty years. This habitat and species loss is directly linked to the RISE of the palm oil industry and its expansion into rainforests and peatlands.

"Palm oil is a key ingredient found in products used daily. And this will continue. However at what cost? Massive deforestation, species extinction, human rights abuses and labor rights violations are all taking place to grow this commodity," said Greenpeace USA Palm Oil Campaign Diana Ruiz. "Big companies committed to eliminate deforestation from the palm oil they buy by 2020. No one is on track in meeting these commitments and deforestation is not slowing down. Companies need to fix the problem they created and ensure that the palm oil they use in sweets and snacks we eat aren't made at the greatest cost of our forests, wildlife and our climate."

Greenpeace is calling on viewers of "Rang-tan" to pressure some of the world's top brands, including Nestle, Unilever and Mondelez, to stop using palm oil from rainforest destroyers. Rainforest destruction in Indonesia is a disaster for wildlife, people and our climate. The orangutan populations have plummeted in that last 16 years and are now on the brink of extinction.

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