DISNEY SUED OVER SCENES THAT SHOW TOBACCO, ALCOHOL IN CHILDREN'S FILMS

BURBANK - Walt Disney Co. is being sued by a Los Angeles resident for
showing tobacco and alcohol in the studio's animated children's films.

Disney, the world's second-largest media company, is accused of
including tobacco in 17 of 33 animated films released from 1937 to
1997, and alcohol in 19 of those films. Films featuring alcohol and
tobacco together are ``Pinocchio,'' ``101 Dalmatians,'' ``The
Hunchback of Notre Dame,'' and ``James and the Giant Peach,''
according to the suit.

The suit is the first in a series of court actions lawyers for Yoon
Soo Ha say they will take against Hollywood studios and producers who
feature alcohol and tobacco in television shows, movies, and cartoons
aimed at children.

``The gravity of the harm to young children caused by being exposed to
(Disney's) animated children's films without being provided with clear
verbal messages of any negative long-term health effects associated
with use of either tobacco or alcohol is substantial,'' Ha, the father
of a 10-year-old boy, claims in the suit.

Disney, based in Burbank, was unaware of the suit and wouldn't
comment, said Christine Castro, a company spokeswoman.

The suit was filed July 12 in state court in Burbank, and seeks a
court order requiring Disney to warn children and their parents about
the dangers of tobacco and alcohol products.