Disney stubs out smoking from its films

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FT.com / Companies / Media & internet - Disney stubs out smoking from its films

By Matthew Garrahan in Los Angeles

Published: July 25 2007 18:17 | Last updated: July 25 2007 22:25

Walt Disney on Wednesday became the first Hollywood studio to phase out cigarette smoking in its films, in a move that could herald the end of the industry’s longlasting love-affair with tobacco.

The decision comes just weeks after the Motion Picture Association of America, responsible for the film ratings system, said it would consider smoking alongside other factors, such as violence or sexual content, when rating a film.

In a letter to Edward Markey, chairman of the House subcommittee on telecommunications and the internet, Bob Iger, Disney’s chief executive, said smoking in Disney-branded films would be “non-existent”. The company would also “discourage” depictions of smoking in films made by its other studio labels, which make films for older audiences, such as Miramax and Touchstone, he said.

“It’s going to be a little more complicated because Miramax sometimes distributes movies that are produced independent of us,” Mr Iger told the FT.

He acknowledged that some filmmakers would want to include smoking scenes to reflect adult themes but said Disney would seek to discourage them. “It’s a confrontation we are certainly willing to have.”

The phasing out of smoking scenes was “appropriate for Disney and appropriate for the people who consume our products”, he added.

Disney plans to add public service announcements to DVDs of any future films with smoking scenes and said it would work with cinema owners to show anti-smoking announcements.

Mr Markey, who has called for tougher action to stop children from smoking, said it was “time for other media companies to similarly kick the habit and follow Disney’s lead”.

“We know that the presence of smoking in a movie significantly influences a child’s decision to start,” he said. “This is troubling given the fact that a vast majority of smokers begin smoking before their 18th birthday. I am pleased that Disney is embracing a policy that is consistent with the long-term public health of the nation.”

Meanwhile, the new MPAA guidelines have already provoked debate because “historic or other mitigating context” will also be considered when setting a film’s rating. Hairspray, the new musical comedy starring John Travolta, features some smoking scenes but was given a parental guidance rating because it was set in the 1960s.

This has angered anti-smoking groups, which want a mandatory ‘R’ rating – the most stringent the MPAA can issue – for films that feature smoking. Classic films where smoking features prominently, such as Casablanca or The Maltese Falcon, will not be re-rated by the MPAA.

Disney’s new policy on smoking is part of a broader move by the company towards promotion of healthier living. It aims by 2008 to have eliminated trans-fats from foods sold at its theme parks and recently decided not to renew a 10-year promotional contract with McDonald’s.The group has also drawn up guidelines which will see it use its name and characters only on products that meet limits on calories, fat, saturated fat and sugar.