How Goofy is Disney's smoking ban?

Barry Hummel MD Thu, Aug 2, 2007 at 08:03 AM EST

Children are profoundly influenced by smoking in movies, because it normalizes an addictive, aberrent behavior. Parents can counteract that by discussing with their children that nicotine addiction is a true drug addiction.

The problem with Disney's older animated films is that the smoking was not always done by the villain, and frequently the smoking was used as a sight gag, drawing even more attention to it. If you don't believe me, check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjTXThZ7S4U

I would never advocate going back and removing scenes from these old movies, but I certainly applaud Disney's efforts to eliminate unecessary scenes of smoking from its future children's films.

For more information on the impact of onscreen smoking on the onset of teen smoking, visit www.smokescreeners.org

Stephanie T. Sun, Jul 29, 2007 at 05:30 PM EST

Exactly Honeybee. We all had to learn about alcohol prohabition in American History 2 in high school, and media immersion has become a part of the high school curriculum, and these teachers have to show print advertisments like the old Joe Camel, and the Marboro Man because it is history-a bad part of history but still. We can't go around deleting the bad parts simply because they are bad, but we can say oh well this is what happened then and now we know that smoking does kill. Still even if some people do smoke, that is their choice. A very expensive and deadly choice, but a choice.

Martha Sat, Jul 28, 2007 at 05:28 PM EST

Knowing a little something about the corporate mindset, my guess is that Disney voluntarily banned smoking from its kids entertainment (not, as you notice, from the Touchstone or Miramax brands) as a pre-emptive move to avoid having the government or some other regulatory body do it for them. For whatever reason, this American Legacy Foundation that is pressuring Hollywood (and politicians) about smoking in movies has money and power behind it...enough to make the studios sit up and take notice. I'm not saying I agree with the ban - I'm just saying that Disney is likely going along to protect itself. I wouldn't be surprised if other studios follow suit.

Honeybee Sat, Jul 28, 2007 at 12:11 PM EST

I do tend to agree that this is a slippery slope, what behavior will be banned next? What if the movie takes place in a time when people smoked or has a historic character (Groucho Marx, Winston Churchill, FDR) that smoked....it just doesn't feel right.

kcholt68 Sat, Jul 28, 2007 at 02:25 AM EST

Here's what I have to say on the topic:

http://moviedearest.blogspot.com/2007/07/hey-cruella-put-it-out.html

- kch, moviedearest.blogspot.com

Nix Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 11:46 PM EST

People should not expect people to make wise decisions about smoking, raising children, or essentially anything else. We always abuse our freedom if we are given any.

t3hdow Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 05:50 PM EST

Come on Ep Sato...even Joss Whedon expressed his vile distaste over torture porn, so it's a little unfair to only call out Lisa (even though I agree with your rant).

Anyway, this story mirrors Dalton Ross's article about the French trying to remove smoking from Tom and Jerry because it's a bad influence on kids. I'm sorry but no child is going to light a cigarette from a cartoon. Also, like a few of you stated, it was a sign of the times. Censoring the cartoons because of fledging standards is just unnecessary. In that regard, should we blacklist Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness from classic lit, even though the man was a blatant racist? Should we censor questionable dialog towards the Japanese (i.e. shifty eyed Japs) on the old Batman TV show, even though it was made around WWII? Should future generations omit fictional depictions of torture over this decade, even though it represents the psychological after effects of this nation after 9/11? Where will it end?

Stephanie Travitsky Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 03:07 PM EST

A lot of the smoking that was done in cartoons and films in the old times was dones because at the time to have a cigarette meant that the person was sophisticated and wealthy. Now because we finally got the message that smoking kills it's a totally different ballgame. To be fair, kids were already warned about the effects of smoking through cartoons during the mid fourties but kids at the time never took them seriously. One of the most famous cartoons that showed this warning was a Tom and Jerry cartoon. Tom inhaled a cigar and exhaled the smoke into Jerry's mouse hole so that Jerry would be smoked out of his home. Tom eventually turned green from inhaling too much smoke. My mom grew up in the fifities and sixties and she said that when she was a kid she and her other friends saw adults smoke and they thought that smoking was a mildstone to maturity.Disney should not remove smoking because seeing characters smoke would give kids a taste of media history. That was then, this is now.

Klapaucius Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 01:38 PM EST

I don't think the cigarette should be removed from Cruella DeVil's hand.
When children see smoking on television it does not mean they are going to be smokers in the future. My father smoked when I was growing up and I have NEVER had the urge to light up a cigarette and start smoking for the rest of my life.
People think cigarettes are the cause of lung cancer, yes, but not totally. How about the cars that we drive, the Space Shuttle, planes, trains, buses and the list goes on. They give out the same carcinogens as smoking does but in a much larger amount.
I don't want to start a fight here but It was just something for everyone to think about.
And finally, cigarettes don't kill as much as alcohol either. More people die each year from getting killed in a car accident by a drunk driver than a person smoking around them causing cancer. I don't like smoking either, but I also don't like alcohol.
I don't want to come on as being rude but It was just something I wanted to say.

ronaldo Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 01:32 PM EST

Clem - I was thinking the same thing. Pretend with candy cigs growing up didn't lead to the real thing. Agree with some others that the ultimate burden, as usual, is with parents. If kids don't see smoking in Disney films, there are still many influences out there in other forms. What a joke.

Bob G Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 12:56 PM EST

Actually, Disney has already drastically edited one of it's classic cartoons. In the American edition of Pecos Bill, Bill's ever present cigarette has been digitally removed and a line about smoking has been removed (rather jarringly from a song). If you want the cartoon as it originally appeared in theaters, you have to buy a foreign edition.

PR Stunt Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 12:43 PM EST

I take the most issue with having to sit through an anti-smoking ad before a DVD. Does Disney or any other corporation think that because smoking is in a movie that the public feels the company endorses it? This is a huge case of CYA, and we have only ourselves to blame as the general public wants to skirt responsibility and blame any negative behavior on external influences instead of free will. This policy is incredibly idiotic.

GeeMoney Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 11:39 AM EST

I was a smoker for 10 years, and trust me, I didn't start because I saw Cruella DeVille lighting up.

K Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 10:55 AM EST

This is one of the most asinine things I have ever heard. Ep hit it right on the head.

junior Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 09:35 AM EST

This whole post is kind of dumb in my opinion. Disney is not going to feature smoking, which is an addictive behavior (a habit is something you can stop willingly, nicotine is addictive) that most people including smokers think young people shouldn't do because of its proven negative health effects, in its films marketed to young people and children. They never said they would alter past work, instead they would put anti-smoking ads in front of all new DVDs of old movies, which is fine, and we have a problem with this! Young people don't have a frame of reference for the world like adults, of course seeing a character they like smoke in a movie could make a child want to smoke too. It may not happen for every child but it happens. This is excellent news because smoking is not good, plain and simple and is in movies way too much. I don't even know that many people who smoke regularly, but watching movies, you would think everyone did.

Lily Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 08:57 AM EST

You know that when they re-released ET, they decided that it was too violent to have the police (or FBI or whoever they were) holding guns, so they edited the film so that they were holding walkee talkees instead. It looks completely stupid. I can definitely see them editing cigarettes out of old Disney movies.

Mozz Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 08:52 AM EST

it frankly doesn't matter to me. I hate smoking, i find it a vile habit, and if you smoke chances are we're not going to be friends, hang out, date or even spend much time in the same room together (i hate smoker smell.)I censor smokers out of my life, but could care less what Hollywood does about it.

Jessica Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 08:50 AM EST

I would not at all be surprised if Disney went back and edited some of their movies and shorts. There are some Warner Brothers Cartoons that have been edited to remove content: there is one cartoon about a flea who is trying to set up camp on a dog (he keeps sing "Food around the corner for me") and at the end of the short the flea is walking away with the dog on a platter and the cat says "Well, now I've seen everything". In the new version, the cartoon jumps to black. In the old version, the cat then took out a gun and shot himself in the head. I can't think of any more examples off the top of my head, but they are out there, and I'm sure the Disney films are next.

Ep Sato Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 08:27 AM EST

Shee-it, if Lisa Schwarzbaum had her way, torture porn would have already been banned...

My point's that there is always someone who'll take issue with a particular element of pop culture and will claim it's somehow corrupting children. Not THEIR children mind you (because we all believe our kids to be saints and child protoges, even when the facts speak otherwise), but "the" children.

I say F that noise jack. The more parents seem to rely on everyone else to raise their kids, the less prepared kids seem when they grow up and hit the real world. Teaching responsibility and discussing the risks associated with bad activity is the responsibility of individual parents NOT the creators of popular culture.

Clem Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 08:15 AM EST

This is ridiculous. When I was a little girl, I actually used to eat candy cigarettes and pretend I was smoking them. But when I grew up, I never had a single urge to try a puff of a real cigarette. My father smoked, I saw smoking in movies including Disney movies, and have never had a cigarette.

Stephen Fri, Jul 27, 2007 at 06:37 AM EST

orwell would be spinning in his grave if they have the b***s to edit all cigs out of classic Disney pics. Gotta love censorship! It reminds me of R-rated movies, when they're on regular TV and edited, but it's so obvious what they're really saying. (I.E. 'Shut the f*** up!' magically morphs to 'Shut your face up!').

Matthew Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 11:22 PM EST

"is freedom of expression in Hollywood going up in... you know?"

HELLYES.

to Todd Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 11:03 PM EST

ok, I guess I know what I'll be renting again this weekend, thanks

Todd Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 10:12 PM EST

It also says the same thing on IMDB.com

Todd Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 10:10 PM EST

Like I said, for what the source is worth....

to Todd Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 10:06 PM EST

haha sry 4 my dbl 'sure' there

to Todd Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 10:06 PM EST

Um, can't ppl change Wikipedia? I swear I'm not looking for a fight. I just want to be sure to make sure I'm not going nuts by remembering things differently.

Todd Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 10:01 PM EST

for what the source is worth, Wikipedia confirms my statement. There was no smoking in the movie.

Todd Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 09:59 PM EST

I don't think so.

to Todd Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 09:53 PM EST

In "T.Y.F.S." wasn't Maria Bello smoking in the restauant?

Todd Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 09:51 PM EST

Thank the wacko extremists from the left for this one. Olivia, funny you should mention Thank You For Smoking. There wasn't a single lit cig in the entire movie.

Olivia Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 09:01 PM EST

Yes, I agree that smoking in children's movies might influence a kid to take a puff, but seriously these people should go and watch Thank You for Smoking. It just shows how ridiculous and carried away people get. Sure stop putting smoking in new and upcoming kids flix, but don't go back and ruin the originals. Can you imagine Basil without a pipe, Cruella without a ridiculously long cigarette holder,the Little Mermaid without the pipe or snarfblatter gag? Next thing you know they'll be editing out all the alcohol, which would be disastrous in Be Our Guest.

Stephen Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 08:37 PM EST

Also, i think Cruella Devil is a bad example for pro-smoking, as she was so easy to hate and made it look bad. Smoking actually looks kinda good in adult movies, like when smoke is being exhaled sensually from Scarlett Jo's luscious (sp?) lips in 'Match Point.'

Stephen Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 08:33 PM EST

I'm on the fence, because I work at a summer camp, and kids are actually influenced by what they see. many pretend crayons are cigarettes if they want to. But, movies aren't the only thing. I think this is when parents need to step in and take responsibility to make sure their kids make the right decision. I chose never to do that crap by watching every family member I have make the wrong decision.

Lene Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 07:55 PM EST

Partly, I think it's just a publicity thing - when's the last time you saw a character in a (modern) children's movie smoking, Disney or otherwise? However, I also think it sets a precedent and could lead to censorship of past movies and that would be a horrible thing.

Ceballos Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 07:41 PM EST

Attacking cartoons and children's programming for depicting smoking is ill-advised to say the least. Like people on here have said, it's overly simplistic to assume kids will start smoking just because they see a cartoon character do it.

Then again, I'm pretty much against censorship in anyway. And the idea that they would go back and censor out something like Cruella's cigarette holder is ridiculous, but not too far-fetched.

These works are a sign of their times. So I suppose it's fitting. In something like 101 Dalmatians, it was perfectly ok for a prominent villain to be smoking it up (and it was a big part of her character). Meanwhile, these days with everyone being overly sensitive and PC, it makes sense that we would produce such ridiculously over-sanitized cartoons.

Court Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 07:30 PM EST

I think it's pretty lame. Sorry, I've been a Sherlock Holmes fan since before I could talk, and that man is the poster-child for chain-smoking, but I've never smoked in my life. (GASP! does this mean that Disney will go back and take the smoking out of the Great Mouse Detective, too! NOOO) I just don't buy this. It just seems silly and another place to place blame and point fingers. Not that I think we should advocate smoking and go out of our way to have characters who do. But I do think the old films should be left alone.

dma69 Thu, Jul 26, 2007 at 07:14 PM EST

Honestly, do people REALLY think that youngsters learn smoking from watching films? I watched plenty of films as a kid, I had many family members on both sides of my family that smoked, but I never, ever had the urge to smoke. Young people are going to smoke whether they see it on film or not. Banning smoking is not the way to get kids not to smoke. The only way to keep kids from smoking is to ban cigarettes for EVERYONE, adults as well as kids. Only then will kids not smoke.

If Disney want to ban something, they should ban making crappy films like Underdog: The Movie and unnessary sequels to classics like Cinderella II.