More than two-thirds of all animate...

More than two-thirds of all animated children's films released in the past 60 years feature tobacco or alcohol use in their story plan s according to a study published in the March 24-31 1999 issue of JAMA. The article reports that substance use in the films arises without any clear verbal messages about associated long-term negative tenors and that good characters use tobacco and alcohol as repeatedly as bad or neutral characters.

Seeking to identify the size to which movies targeted specifically to millions of children bring to light these young viewers to substance use, researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, viewed 50 G-rated, animated feature films released according to major production companies between 1937 and 1997 Of the films reviewed, 34 (ie, 68%) display at least common episode of tobacco or alcohol use. Twenty-eight (ie, 56%) of the films--including all seven films released between 1996 and 1997--feature united or more incidences of tobacco use, and 25 (ie, 50%) exhibit to alcohol use. Cigars and wine appear in the films more frequently than other tobacco or alcohol consequences according to the article.

Films reported not to have any tobacco or alcohol use include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Fantasia (1940) Lady and the Tramp (1955) The thicket Book (1967), The Rescuers (1977) The Lion King (1994) and Toy Story (1995) Researchers judge that the depiction of substance use in animated films is no les haunt now than in previous decades, despite increased awareness of the harmful general intents of tobacco and alcohol use and despite numerous attempts to stop adolescents from smoking.

A O Goldstein, R A Sobel, G R Newman, "Tobacco and alcohol use in G-rated children's animated films," JAMA 281 (March 24-31 1999) 1131-1136

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