Disney Resorts - Did Childhood-Obesity Worries Kill Disney-McDonald's Pact?

Wednesday, May 24 2006 at 14:53

Are overweight Americans to blame for the fact that McDonald's Happy Meals might stop offering Disney action figures after this year? Maybe, maybe not.

The dissolution of a 10-year promotional partnership between the Walt Disney Co., the parent company of ABC News, and McDonald's made waves today when a newspaper report said Disney might have concerns about marketing fast food to children, which it might not believe is in keeping with its family-friendly image.

Disney and McDonald's are not renewing an agreement that saw the fast-food chain promote Disney movies exclusively for the past 10 years, often with tie-ins to the restaurant chain's Happy Meals for children. A report in today's Los Angeles Times suggested that Disney chose to end the relationship because it did not want to be linked to childhood obesity, which is often associated with fast-food menu items.

Find out more at http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=1937651&page=1.