Walt’s bad habits

Today, Walt Disney became the first major Hollywood studio to cave to the forces of mollycoddling do-gooderism and officially banned smoking in its films. Having seen about every kids’ flick released the past three years, I don’t remember much Disney-land smoking to begin with, but I suppose there can be some rationalization behind the move. (Walt, pictured to the right, though, did enjoy his Camels.) Yet, it’s company’s intention to “discourage” smoking in adult films distributed by its Touchstone and Miramax labels and run PSAs before films that caught my attention.  

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.  

He said the company would encourage theater owners to show screen anti-smoking public service announcements, or PSAs, before such films. 

Didn’t we learn just last week that kids were less likely to see smoking as harmful after viewing of television ads browbeating them not to light up? Why would Disney contribute to the 400,000 yearly casulties of tobacco by buying into this counterproductive effort?

How is this going to work? Will Miramax edit out smoking from, say, Reservoir Dogs in future DVD releases but keep the violent ear-carving scene? It’s gonna be a tough edit as Mr. Blonde, I believe, is puffing on a Marlboro when he pours gasoline on that doomed police office.