August 23, 2006

Paul Dini on Smoking Cartoons

pecossmoke.jpg

BATMAN writer Paul Dini shares his thoughts about the Tom & Jerry smoking ban we mentioned yesterday. His ideas on Disney's PECOS BILL are particularly eloquent. Below is Dini's comment on the Warner short ROCKET SQUAD:

A few people have asked me what I thought about this and as you can guess, I think it's pretty stupid. I said as much last year when I did VO commentary on the cartoon "Rocket Squad" on the third Looney Tunes Golden Collection. What's the point of making a cartoon at all if the characters can't have vices and indulge in "bad" behavior? I don't smoke but I don't mind if Daffy and Porky do it in a cartoon that parodies TV police shows of the early 1950s. Besides, any kid who starts smoking because he thinks Porky Pig looks cool when he lights up seriously has the wrong role model.

(Thanks, Ward)


Posted by AMID at August 23, 2006 04:17 PM