As Variety celebrates its 115th anniversary, we peered back into the archives to honor some of Hollywood’s biggest movers and shakers that were chronicled in the pages of Variety Magazine. The Walt Disney Company that many know and love today was originally founded as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio back in 1923, and the company adopted its current name in 1986. The first Disney ad to run in Variety Magazine graced the pages in 1934, bringing Mickey Mouse to color for the very first time.
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was the next Disney smash hit to land a Variety ad, which urged theatergoers and critics to sit tight and enjoy the full-length cartoon. “Dumbo,” “Peter Pan,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Pinocchio” and “Pocahontas” were some of the other classic toons that got the ad treatment throughout the years.
Take a look at some of the best Disney ads featured in Variety.