Disney dumps storytelling and historical accuracy in favor of political correctness.
This is just out on Yahoo News (via reuters) – Disney to ban smoking in ti’s films because this somehow protects us?
Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday became the first major Hollywood studio to ban depictions of smoking, saying there would be no smoking in its family-oriented, Disney-branded films and it would “discourage” it in films distributed by its Touchstone and Miramax labels.
Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger also said in a letter to U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, whose committee last month held hearings on the effects of movie images on children, that the studio would place anti-smoking public service announcements on DVDs of any future films that feature cigarette smoking.
Read all of this nonsense here.
So, if Miramax does a film where - in the literature or the person it’s based on – one of the character’s traits happens to involve smoking, it’s going to be re-written? In a film about Churchill, he’s now going to chew doublemint, instead of having a cigar in his mouth?
Rubbish. Pure politically correct rubbish. Yes, smoking is not healthy for you. But now we’re so boobish and inept we can’t think and decide for ourselves? I weep for our future.
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Comments
“So, if Miramax does film where in the literature or the person it’s based on happens to involve smoking it’s going to be re-written?”
My “name” says it all with regards to this sentence.
pp — we’re old enough to decide for ourselves if we want to smoke or not — little kids aren’t.
If I recall, Disney made its’ fortune on kids, and family films…so what’s so wrong about a film company doing something right for a change? Would you rather they decided to start making more smut? Just what we need.
You have got to chill out (or did one of the kids take over for the day?).
This is hardly politically correct. I think it would be stupid to ban all depiction of smoking in movies, but to try to be responsible in movies targeted towards children seems fine with me.
Two other things. First, what children’s movie is going to feature Churchill? Second, where does it say they are going to change someone’s habits? If someone is a smoker, they probably just wouldn’t show them smoking. I don’t think Disney is talking about replacing cigarettes in old movies like in the movie “Thank You For Smoking.”
In short: Settle down.
PP
I am in full agreement that the GOVERNMENT should not be involved in telling us what is good for us and what isn’t–BUT–I think that it is a good thing when PRIVATE COMPANIES choose to encourage positive things–esp. for the next generation.
Disney promotes many BAD concepts—(Like the “Spirit” movie about the horse in the wild west, which was treated so badly by the cowboys, then was captured by the Indians. Who just wanted to BE FREE. The westward movemnet and settling the land was such a BAD thing) this just balances things a tiny bit.
Face it Disney will always be promoting something–and usually it is whatever sells movies.
9. Woops, sorry, make that the Caterpiller.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Alice_05a-1116×1492.jpg
Actually, Bob Iger only claimed that ‘Disney’ branded films would try to exclude smoking going forward. ‘Miramax’ sits outside the Disney brand and won’t be subject to the ban. Those films, however, will get a ’smoking is bad for your health’ warning either before or after the film.
-John
http://www.thedisneyblog.com