Lightning McQueen Just Got a Lot Less Cute; “Cars” Manufacturer Linked To Death, Illness, Child Labor AbusesWe were one of the few people who loved "Cars 2," and postulated that many of those who didn't were doing so for the wrong reasons. But even we had to admit that the only reason the movie existed -- the only reason Pixar keeps making "Cars" movies -- is because the franchise sells toys. Little boys love Lightning McQueen. "Cars" moves product. Hey, this isn't an art project.
Of course, art projects usually don't involve the alleged exploitation of child labor. You might have guessed the "Cars" toys were made that way, but it's a lot worse than you may have thought, as The Guardian found out: (
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/aug/27/disney-factory-sweatshop-Self Delete-claims)
Disney's best-selling "Cars" toys are being made in a factory in China that uses child labour and forces staff to do three times the amount of overtime allowed by law, according to an investigation.The Guardian conducted an undercover investigation alongside the human rights group Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior, and, yeah, what they unearthed was pretty discouraging. Including:
• The factory, Sturdy Products, employed a 14-year-old, and "the presence of other child workers" was also reported.
• There were reports that three workers had become ill due to a combination of the chemicals in use and poor ventilation. Employees claimed "they had to hide pots of adhesive and thinners during audits of the factory by its client companies."
By the way, this investigation happened after a Sturdy Products employee jumped to her death in May "after she was allegedly shouted at by [a] manager."
Disney says they're launching an investigation. "We take these matters impacting our licensees and business partners very seriously and will continue to evaluate this situation based upon the information available to us," Disney said in a statement yesterday (
http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/disney-investigating-cars-merchandise-factory-in-china/).
Walmart, which sells Sturdy Products toys made for their suppliers, said:
"As soon as we learned of the allegations of human rights abuses at the Sturdy Products factory, we immediately launched an investigation. We are also in contact with the International Council of Toy Industries, a worldwide toy industry organization that is also investigating this issue. We take reports like this very seriously and we will implement a corrective action plan if our investigations confirm any of the findings.
"We remain committed to sourcing merchandise that is produced responsibly by suppliers that adhere to Walmart's rigorous Standards for Suppliers code of conduct."Thus far, "Cars 2" has made nearly $522 million worldwide. The first film made $462 million.
Disney factory faces probe into sweatshop Self Delete claims [The Guardian]
Link at:
http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/the-projector/lightning-mcqueen-just-got-lot-less-cute-153056832.html
