Disney to Ban Depiction of Smoking in its Movies

Apparently nervous that the public didn't realize how family-friendly they were, Walt Disney Co. has just announced that it will entirely remove depictions of smoking from its movies and will encourage their removal from films by its Touchstone Pictures and Miramax. Onscreen smoking has not been considered glamorous for a very long time (the only Disney character who was a known smoker was the villainous Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians), but politicians and advocacy groups are thrilled that children will no longer be seeing onscreen smoking in Disney films. Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger said, "It's clear that cigarette smoking has its hazards and that we should avoid doing anything that could, in effect, encourage people, particularly young people, to smoke. And while we don't believe that people necessarily copy everything they see in movies, we also know that people who appear in these films and TV shows can become role models and kids can at times try to copy the behavior of role models."