The popular studio Walt Disney Co. has announced that it is to eliminate smoking from all the movies that it will release under its own label and that it is also to discourage this noxious habit in the movies released under its Miramax and Touchstone brands.

Walt Disney Co.’s decision has come after the chairman of the House Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee has held a hearing in Washington D.C. on this topic some time ago. The studio has announced its plans through a letter addressed directly to the chairman Edward J. Markey.

Through this plan Walt Disney Co. has showed its position related to the public concern regarding an important number of deaths caused by smoking. However, that has not been all, as Disney has added that its decision will be applied also to any DVD movie. The company will as well give a piece of advice to all the theater owners, encouraging them to show anti-smoking messages before screening the movies that features people smoking.

Walt Disney Co. has expressed its hope that its decision is to inspire other important companies to take similar decision for kick the extremely noxious habit of smocking. Edward J. Markey has, however, praised Walt Disney Co.’s decision and expressed the same hopes.

The Motion Picture Association of America’s members have been also talking about such initiative from May 2007, when they have begun considering smoking as a factor in rating the movies. But it seems that Disney has been the first that has really taken a practical decision related to the subject.

Universal Pictures seems to have also taken into consideration the problem and has publicly announced on Wednesday that it instituted since a policy to reduce the smoking habit in youth-oriented movies. The studio is to include a health warning along with the movies that include the habit.