Disney To Ban Smoking In Its Films

Smoking has had its day at Disney, with news that the studio is to ban it in all of its films.

There will be no cigarettes in Disney, Marvel, LucasFilm or Pixar movies, for new characters at least.

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Disney boss Bob Iger told shareholders at the studio’s general meeting: “We are extending our policy to prohibit smoking in movies across the board.

“For instance, we’ve been doing a movie on Abraham Lincoln, he was a smoker, and we would consider that acceptable.

“But in terms of any new characters that are created for any of those films, under any of those labels, we will absolutely prohibit smoking in any of those films.”

Iger was then asked by shareholder Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine at the University of California, whether he’d support the introduction of a compulsory R rating – like the UK’s 18 certificate – for any film featuring smoking.

“I think it would be a little bit presumptuous of me to commit to doing that today without getting a little bit more of a flavor or perspective on the dynamic that exists at the MPAA on the subject.

“I’m just not well versed in that. I don’t know what positions the other studios have even taken about this.”

Though it’s not been seen for some time, a handful of classic Disney characters have been smokers, including Creulla de Vil in 1961’s ‘101 Dalmatians’, known for her long cigarette holder as much as her furs.

Glenn Close also busted out the cigarette holder in the 1996 live-action version, while the caterpillar in ‘Alice In Wonderland’ from 1951 also smokes a hookah pipe.

The announcement follows news last week that PETA, the animal rights group, has appealed to director Tim Burton to change the ending of a planned remake of ‘Dumbo’ for the Mouse House.

In an open letter, vice president Lisa Lange said: “We’re hopeful that in your adaptation of Dumbo, the young elephant and his mother can have a truly happy ending by living out their lives at a sanctuary instead of continuing to be imprisoned and abused in the entertainment industry.”

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Image credits: Rex Features/Disney