Eccleston film bids to alter dementia views
THE makers of Wallace and Gromit have produced a short film to address people’s misconceptions about dementia.
The online video from Aardman Animations features former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston, whose father Ronnie died after having the illness for 14 years,.
The 90-second film for Alzheimer’s Research UK uses stop motion techniques to show an orange being stripped away to demonstrate how diseases that cause dementia physically attack the brain.
The brain of an Alzheimer’s sufferer can weigh around 140 grams less than a healthy brain – about the weight of an orange.
Eccleston, 51, said he hoped the film would “fight the misunderstanding and fatalism that surrounds dementia in our society”.
He said: “We have to think differently about dementia. We have to stop believing dementia is an inevitability – something that simply happens to us all as we grow older. If we don’t, we’re never going to truly fight it.
“Dementia is caused by diseases and diseases can be beaten. We have tamed diseases like cancer and heart disease and a diagnosis of either is no longer a certain death sentence.
“People with dementia deserve this same hope. This film aims to show dementia is caused by physical processes that scientists can put a stop to.”
Hilary Evans, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Major breakthroughs have been made in the battle against Aids and cancer, and research will bring these same life-changing advancements in the field of dementia.”
Aardman developed the film with Alzheimer’s Research UK and creative agency ais London.