TEXT OF STORY

Lisa Napoli: The Mouse House is nixing smoking — here’s Ashley Milne-Tyte with details:

Ashley Milne-Tyte: Disney is responding to pressure from politicians to cut depictions of smoking in movies. Also, the Motion Picture Association of America said recently that it would consider smoking a factor when it comes to rating movies.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Brooks Boliek says that worries studios like Disney. He says if a movie aimed at kids is rated R because it includes smoking, the studio misses out on a big block of its target audience. But, he says, business isn’t Disney’s only motive.

Brooks Boliek: You know, I don’t want to say that they’re just money-grubbing pigs, period. I think they do have a concern that maybe they are contributing to teenage smoking and that they don’t want to do that. And they’ve made a determination that, frankly, they can take this step without damaging their bottom line.

Parents may welcome the news, but some actors might not. Boliek says a cigarette is many actors’ prop of choice when they’re not the focus of a scene.

I’m Ashley Milne-Tyte for Marketplace.