Heath Ledger's Green Video For Modest Mouse

The much-awaited Modest Mouse video for "King Rat" directed by Heath Ledger has been released today. And the video is an incredible look at what would happen if whales hunted humans.

All the proceeds from the iTunes downloads in the first month of release will go to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which works towards protecting and conserving marine life.

Directed by Ledger, with Daniel Auber and Norris Houk in charge of the animation, the video is a "visual plea against the legal commercial whale hunts taking place off the coast of Australia," according to the press release.

Unfortunately, Ledger died before he could ever see the finished product.

WATCH:

Comments

[humaneismyth]

09:46 PM on 08/06/2009

reminded me of plague dogs.That animated movie was done in the same dark style.I will never forget the ending."..almost there..."

[AngieMom57]

02:06 PM on 08/06/2009

"Meat-eating is the small print; war is the blown-up picture."

--Sri Chitrabhanu

[CapitalistTool]

11:17 PM on 08/05/2009

I feel sorry for whales as much as the next guy but this video was not very good.

[iamfinch]

04:11 PM on 08/05/2009

Many eviromental peace groups such as Greenpeace don't support Sea Shepherds and their tactics. The fight is noble but they need to seriously rethink their plan of approach, throwing stink bombs at people will not stop the illegal whaling.

http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/12/18/greenpeace-further-distances-itself-from-paul-watson-and-sea-shepherd/

[sportwarrior]

04:14 AM on 08/06/2009

I don't personally have a problem with their tactics... stink bombs aren't deadly and they hinder the whalers' efforts to do their jobs...

But I cannot believe how inept those guys on the Steve Irwin are... All Whale Wars does is show how close those people are to disaster day in and day out due to poor planning, terrible decision making and inexperience.

[iamfinch]

09:35 AM on 08/06/2009

Thats what I mean though, stink bombs can be an inconvenience if that, and using that as a tactic shows how inexperienced the crew really is. They need to be more trained and use tactics that will actually hurt (metaphorically) the whaling industry.

Personally I think they could use the funds they have to lobby to the australian or japanese governement to do something, not as dramatic as sending a fleet of ships but in reality probably more effective.

[DouginCT]

02:13 PM on 08/05/2009

Even in sketchbook animation style, the message is stark enough to rattle your soul.

[AngieMom57]

12:27 PM on 08/05/2009

If only more young people were aware of what the corporations uses for whale fat are!

Be aware, be very aware.

[personalpolitical]

12:16 PM on 08/05/2009

it would be great if Sony didn't have the sound removed...

[larry278]

11:27 AM on 08/05/2009

Often irony serves art. Modest Mouse serves ecology, preservation & conservation, that's a 20th century concept & word.

[racetoinfinity]

02:22 PM on 08/07/2009

I don't know which "word" you're consigning to the 20th century, but they're all very much 21st century words.

[wetdentist]

11:12 AM on 08/05/2009

long live Modest Mouse!!! (oh and did anybody else score any of those 3 limited release 7"ers they just put out? very cool)

[vorpalmusic]

10:41 AM on 08/05/2009

Really cool video. I have to say despite the obvious talent of the musicians I find their style a bit obnoxious.

[jon-e]

10:21 AM on 08/05/2009

Cool concept, but crap animation. I'm all for the in-progress sketched look, but this seems like it got stuck in the conceptual stage and never worked its way out.

Oh, but since it's was directed by someone who died I'm obligated to say it's brilliant... in the same way that Michael Jackson's music is also, evidently, no longer amusingly ironic.

[audeo03]

11:01 AM on 08/05/2009

It's called style, and you don't have to like it or believe in such things...

[HoolaHoop]

10:15 AM on 08/05/2009

YIKES! Om mane padma hum.......

[WhatMemoryHole]

09:58 AM on 08/05/2009

Strangely powerful video. Fantastic creative ideas going on here. Didnt know Health Ledger was into this kind of thing.

[MNTom]

11:00 AM on 08/05/2009

Yes we was. He was planning on directing a feature film in the fall of 2008, the year he died.

[HalfBakedSushi]

08:58 AM on 08/05/2009

Wow. Powerful.

[HalfBakedSushi]

08:57 AM on 08/05/2009

Wow. Powerful.