Disney Completely Bans Smoking in their Films

[Pasta67]

Wow, this is, like, the third thread I've ever made since joining the forum back in 2005. It's like an anniversary or somethin'. Sorry in advance if this has already been posted; I didn't see it anywhere.

Yahoo has just put out an article saying that Disney has completely banned depictions of smoking in their family-oriented films. It doesn't go into too much detail, but it raises quite a few questions. Take a look.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/2007 ... 94400.html

Now, that's all fine and dandy, but how will this affect past films like 101 Dalmatians? Surely Disney isn't so serious about this that they'll go back and edit their past films. I realise that they say in the article that they'll out public service announcements on DVDs of any films that already feature smoking, but their animated films are kinda special in the sense that they're what the company is best known for, and I'm afraid of what Disney might do to uphold the "family-friendly" status that those films currently have.

And.... discuss.

[Disneykid]

I can understand if it's the hero who's doing it, but to prevent even the villains from smoking is rather silly. Kids aren't going to think smoking's cool if a sleazy creep in a film is doing it, so I don't understand the need to remove it, period. Removing smoking from Touchstone and Miramax is even more ludicrous as those branches are aimed towards adults, anyway. Having swearing in those films is fine but smoking isn't? Give me a break. Oh, and I'll be seriously ticked if Disney goes back and removes all smoking from previous films the way they did with Saludos Amigos and Melody Time.

[memnv]

I just read this and think its awesome

[jennydumas]

I just read this and think its awesome

Me too.

[akhenaten]

im all for it despite being socially active. but do not mess with the classics.

[Simba3]

I'm a little baffled by this as well. I can see Disney not wanting to promote smoking through their hero and heroine characters, but to ban smoking from Disney films completely seems a little extreme. Some of Disney's best villains have been smokers, which is part of what makes them who they are. I feel that Disney has always presented smoking in a negative manner.

[musicradio77]

Shame on Disney for removing the smoking references in films. I have the movie "Pinocchio" on VHS that had smoking intact, I was going through one of my Disney VHS tapes, "The Three Caballeros" was one of the Disney films that has Jose Carioca smoking a cigar. I have this one on VHS also with cigar smoking intact.

Thankfully Disney eliminating all of the smoking references used in films. I can't stand it. "The Three Caballeros" that has a lot of smoking references which is someday to be become a banned animated feature. I'll have to go through one of the scenes.

I found this clip here.

[SpringHeelJack]

As long as they don't screw up anything previously released, I don't care one way or the other.

[Siren]

As long as they don't screw up anything previously released, I don't care one way or the other.

Agreed

[Simba3]

As long as they don't screw up anything previously released, I don't care one way or the other.

Agreed

Can you imagine Cruella DeVil without her cigarettes? That would completely change her character.

[musicradio77]

I can understand if it's the hero who's doing it, but to prevent even the villains from smoking is rather silly. Kids aren't going to think smoking's cool if a sleazy creep in a film is doing it, so I don't understand the need to remove it, period. Removing smoking from Touchstone and Miramax is even more ludicrous as those branches are aimed towards adults, anyway. Having swearing in those films is fine but smoking isn't? Give me a break. Oh, and I'll be seriously ticked if Disney goes back and removes all smoking from previous films the way they did with Saludos Amigos and Melody Time.

Don't forget "The Three Caballeros", Jose has a cigar in his hand.

[bennyb98]

Agreed

Can you imagine Cruella DeVil without her cigarettes? That would completely change her character.

Thats just what I was thinking, I really hope they don't try and change it for the PE release.

[akhenaten]

maybe they'll change cruella's fagstick into a straw or a pen.

and the caterpillar blowing bubbles.

[SpringHeelJack]

maybe they'll change cruella's fagstick into a straw or a pen.

and the caterpillar blowing bubbles.

Haha, Cruella now toting around her bubble pipe...I love it.

Or maybe they'll turn it into a carrot stick, to promote healthy eating habits. They can also insert a new song into the Platinum DVD for her to sing entitles "I May Skin Helpless Puppies (But I Always Eat My Veggies)".

[JiminyCrick91]

Haha, Cruella now toting around her bubble pipe...I love it.

Or maybe they'll turn it into a carrot stick, to promote healthy eating habits. They can also insert a new song into the Platinum DVD for her to sing entitles "I May Skin Helpless Puppies (But I Always Eat My Veggies)".

I have the feeling you have seen (or read) Thank You For Smoking.

[Disney's Divinity]

I don't think saying "Oh, if the villain does it, then it shouldn't matter" totally avoids the issue that might come up with 101 Dalmatians. If I remember correctly, Roger smokes a pipe himself. I, personally, think it's ridiculus to ban smoking altogether considering children are bound to have met a smoker at one point in their life, what with it being a legal drug and all. And not all smokers are evil, speeding fetishists, so...

[xxhplinkxx]

This is ridiculous. Earlier today I hear Bush outlaws war protesting, and now this.

When will it end?

[Princess Stitch]

I also dont' care what they do with their future films, but I want unedited versions of the stuff they already have out.

I will say though, and maybe it's because I don't have kids, but I don't see what the fuss is about. By the time a kid is old enough to start smoking (lets say at least 12) their thought process probably isn't "Well Donald was doing it in my cartoon movie!". Most tweens/teens probably start smoking because that's what their peers are doing, not because they saw a cartoon character doing it. If that IS the reason then they probably need help beyond just quitting smoking...

[Disney Duster]

But what if in the future Disney makes films about people who would normally smoke? Like a certain time in history when most people smoked, or maybe they want to do a villain who smokes to indicate their careless and wreckless nature?

Anyway, I want smoking to remain in films, despite having never smoked or wanted to smoke myself. Smoking is a choice, and as long as there's enough evidence to show that it is a bad choice, I think it's taken care of.

Smoking should remain in films because it can be used to show connections to habit, addiction, nervousness, weakness, and rebliousness (in adolescents). It is especially helpful in strong characters as it shows they have a fault, something that calms their nerves that they might otherwise let get the best of them without smoking. It can indicate a character's personality in that they choose to do something that makes them feel good but is very bad for them, showing they don't care for their health or perhaps that don't care for a society that frowns upon smoking, and thus they are markedly different. It can even indicate that the smoker doesn't care to live very long. Smoking really does give a sense of who a person is, think of what kind of people (especially college kids) smoke these days.

And finally, another example. The Caterpillar Alice meets. He was smoking a Hookah, and he didn't seem to care for anything and was lazy and out of it. A sense of the character through his smoking, and not painted in a positive light, I'd say. I suppose some children could see the colorful things he makes and think it's cool, become obsessed, and one day try to find a hookah to smoke. When the kid can't find the hookah, maybe he'll try a cigarette, but won't he give up when he can't make shapes like the Caterpillar?

And that scenario is as likely as someone seeing Prince Phillip chuck the sword into a dragon and some kid steals a sword from a medieval museum to throw at someone he doesn't like.

[Big Disney Fan]

It's a good thing they released that Goofy DVD set when they did, then. But I'm really concerned for the Disney movies of the past. What will happen? Oh, how I fear for the future.