The Walt Disney Company said it would ban cigarettes in its family films and discourage it in others, a pioneering but largely symbolic move that comes as pressure mounts on Hollywood to kick its smoking habit.
The company’s decision to prohibit smoking in Disney-branded films breaks ground in Hollywood, even if there was not much tobacco use depicted in its filmed entertainment to begin with. Until now, the other big studios have chosen to pressure filmmakers behind the scenes, or include antismoking public service announcements before films that depict tobacco use.
“This is good for the perception of Disney, but the primary reason is that cigarette smoking is a hazard and we should avoid depicting it in movies and on television,” said Disney’s chief executive, Robert A. Iger, in an interview.
Disney’s action comes amid increasing pressure from advocacy groups and regulators for media companies to purge movies of cigarettes. In May, the Motion Picture Association of America announced that portrayals of smoking would be considered alongside sex and violence in assessing the suitability of movies for young viewers. Films that appear to glamorize smoking will risk a more restrictive rating.
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