Smoking with Mickey

By: Danielle | in: General, Movies |

Mickey Mouse
Arguably the forerunners of perpetuating a fantastic world of make believe in film – where fairies roam the night’s sky, curses on dead pirates run amok, and candlesticks come alive (and sing, no less), and countless other instances of suspending reality is none other than the one and only Disney. (Insert thunderous applause and awe). So, recently when I read an article proclaiming that said company will no longer be depicting smoking in any of their family-oriented films it wasn’t exactly a shocker. Disney has been known for setting precedents and they certainly have the power to do what they want without taking that big of a hit. At least not as bad of a loss as your favorite, local bar that suddenly turns (or is required to turn) smoke-free and loses patrons left and right.

This move prompted a few questions on the devil’s advocate side. Does Disney deserve as much credit as they’re giving themselves – is it really an issue for them to take on? Does it really make the “problem” go away, or just sweeping it under the rug? Is this a way of avoiding future stereotyping? After all, Cruella De Vil must be a smoker since she is utterly bad, and evil.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to pass any sort of moral judgment here, or take sides. Nowadays, I don’t know exactly what the research studies are saying about influences, perceptions, and the overall effects of smoke-ridden images on the big screen. I’m assuming that there is a correlation, thus the existence of the whole rating system in general. But I know that if I go see a movie depicting mass murder it doesn’t make me want to go out and actually commit mass murder. If you do then I’m guessing there are bigger issues at play going on within you. But the movie isn’t to blame. Or maybe shouldn’t be to blame. Granted mass murder isn’t necessarily glamorized (minus Natural Born Killers, hmm…), but if so, it is rated accordingly.

Cruela De Vil

I guess it’s just a big ole catch-22 in my head. Next, will Disney (and Touchstone & Miramax both Disney subsidiaries) ban actors who smoke from acting in their smoke-free films? Or not hire smokers to work on a production whatsoever? If we see a picture of Jennifer Aniston in People magazine with a cigarette does that shatter her good girl image (no pun intended)? Maybe there are bigger issues to consider. I hear stories from friends going to work for Walt Disney World who have to shave, cut their hair, take out body piercings, cover up tattoos, etc. to portray a clean- cut image. So, are we to assume that they are perfect beings with no problems, faults of any kind?

I can see Disney’s point of view. I suppose when your target audience is between the ages of three to 17 then maybe there is a responsibility there to tread lightly on certain issues and images. But if our education stems from other mediums, besides the world of make believe then I have to believe that our foundation would, in turn be equipped to deem for ourselves what is appropriate, or not. What do you all think?

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Posted on August 9, 2007

Comments

17 Responses to “Smoking with Mickey”

Kendall on August 9th, 2007 8:38 am

There is a lot of pressure from certain groups to make that ban happen. I’m not suprised disney was the first to give.

DThompson on August 9th, 2007 11:22 am

As long as they don’t hire George Lucas to erase the smoking from all their old films.

Charbarred on August 9th, 2007 11:30 am

You may be kidding D, but this sort of thing is very likely to happen.
Although I hate double standards, I must admit that every time someone lights up in a movie I have a cigarette as well.

Kendall on August 9th, 2007 12:23 pm

Does that mean that if I see Bruce Willis smoking I”m going to start back on it?

Charbarred on August 9th, 2007 12:26 pm

Yup that’s exactly it…but come to think of it, when is the last time you went to the movies and saw someone smoking unless they were either British, evil or a combination of both?

Kendall on August 9th, 2007 1:45 pm

Thank You For Smoking

Danielle on August 9th, 2007 1:48 pm

Hmm, good question? I’m on a mission now! I’m not sure if TV counts but it may be more prevalent in that medium? - there’s a new show on AMC - Mad Men - about the competitive world of advertising set in 1960 NYC. I have yet to see it but from what I’ve heard & seen in previews - you can’t not include characters that smoke since that’s just the way it was. This is just one example, of course…

Kendall on August 9th, 2007 2:00 pm

Hairspray, The Simpsons, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, I Know Who Killed Me, Who’s Your Caddy, The Number 23, Premonition, Shooter, Black Snake Moan, Ghost Rider

There’s a few I found.

Charbarred on August 9th, 2007 4:23 pm

Who smoked on Ghost Rider and Premonition?
Mad Men is a really unique show. Yeah it’s amazing how much the characters smoke in it. In fact they smoke just about anywhere…reminds me of simpler times when no one would interefere with your right to slowly suffocate yourself and others around you

Kendall on August 9th, 2007 5:14 pm

In Ghost Rider it was Nicholas Cages Dad. I suppose that was more of an anti-smoking message. They guy was about to die from lung cancer. In premonition Sandra Bullocks character is seen smoking, drinking, and taking tranquilizers.

HMTKSteve on August 10th, 2007 6:05 am

I do not understand the deal here. Has everyone forgotten that the hero of any story is only as great as the evil they overcome?

As for Lucas… Han shot first cough, cough…

What’s next? Will they rewrite all those old World War Two movies to make the Nazis into nice people who never did anything evil? Where the concentration camps really health spas?

When you rewrite movies (which is a part of history) you only succeed in screwing things up and making people forget things they should not forget.

Charbarred on August 10th, 2007 7:26 am

Speaking of Nazis, here’s an interesting thing I learned in University when I was researching censorship.
Apparently in the 30’s one of the censorship rules in England was that you are not allowed to portray another country in a negative way. Film makers were not allowed to show what’s going on in Germany because that would portray the Germans in a negative way.
Once England joined the war that rule was scrapped.

Emon on August 10th, 2007 8:07 am

Huh…didn’t know that about censorship in England, Char.

Disney is trying to be the nanny that convinced herself she could be a better mother. Come on, I’ve watched people smoke all my life, on TV, movies, even…er…radio plays. And yet I’ve never smoked in my life. Bad parenting is where the core of the problem is. What do you think?

Charbarred on August 10th, 2007 10:11 am

When I was 15 I waiting for my mom to pick me up from a guitar lesson at my high school. I was standing outside in the cold and my mom was running late. Next to me there was another kid who was waiting for someone. He was smoking, and to me it seemed like the right thing to do. At that moment I decided to take up smoking. Maybe if my mom weren’t late that day it wouldn’t have come up…but then again it probably would. Pointless story I know, but it’s not Walt Disney who made me start smoking, although he has lots of iconic photographs holding a cigarette.

HMTKSteve on August 10th, 2007 2:56 pm

I smoked while I was in the Army for one reason. The Army did not give you “health” breaks but they did give you “smoke” breaks.