To develop better and less expensive electrocatalysts for the oxidation of ethanol in direct ethanol fuel cells, several combinations of a conductive polymer polyaniline (PANI), dispersed Pt particles and pre-dispersed metal particles, such as Sn and Fe, were examined. The anodic current for the ethanol oxidation (i_EtOH) was gained in larger quantities using the glassy carbon electrode covered with the Pt-dispersed PANI film than using the naked glassy carbon electrode. The enhancement of i_EtOH strongly depended on the morphology and the electrical conductivity of the five PANI films with different dopant anions: SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻ and Cl⁻. The highest activity was achieved for the SO₄²⁻-doped PANI film. To reduce the amount of the expensive Pt particles, inexpensive base metal particles were pre-dispersed on the PANI film, and the Pt particles were then dispersed on the film. Among the investigated pre-dispersed metal particles (Sn, Cu, Zn and Fe), the highest activity was obtained with Sn particles for the ethanol oxidation. When the ratio of the dispersed Pt to Sn particles ranged from 10:90 to 100:0, i_EtOH was higher than that measured with the dispersed Pt particle PANI films without the Sn particles. This meant that utilizing dispersed Sn particles could reduce the amount of the dispersed Pt particles needed.