MovieWeb has ranked the 10 best Far Side comics that make fun of Disney, showcasing cartoonist Gary Larson’s irreverent take on the entertainment giant’s beloved characters and franchises. The list, published on August 28, 2026, highlights how Larson’s surreal humor spared no target—not even the House of Mouse.
Gary Larson’s The Far Side is a single-panel comic strip that ran from January 1, 1980 to January 1, 1995, becoming one of the most widely syndicated comics in history. At its peak, the strip appeared in approximately 1,900 newspapers across the United States and was translated into 17 languages, according to Britannica. The strip’s reach and cultural impact made it a fixture in American popular culture throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
Larson’s distinctive approach to humor centered on the absurd and the unexpected. His comics often featured anthropomorphic animals, mad scientists, and surreal scenarios that defied conventional joke structures. Unlike traditional comic strips with recurring characters and ongoing storylines, The Far Side presented each panel as a standalone gag, allowing Larson to explore an almost unlimited range of subjects and targets.
The MovieWeb list demonstrates how Larson fearlessly parodied entertainment icons. Disney characters—including Mickey Mouse, Pinocchio, and references to Toy Story—became subjects of his dark, irreverent humor. According to Screen Rant, Mickey Mouse, Pinocchio, and even Toy Story were “skewered in ten hilarious comics from Gary Larson’s The Far Side that have stood the test of time.” This willingness to mock even the most family-friendly brands set The Far Side apart from safer, more mainstream humor.
Larson’s humor was never gratuitously mean-spirited; rather, it struck a balance between homage and mockery. He understood the cultural weight of his targets and used that knowledge to craft jokes that worked on multiple levels. His willingness to poke fun at Disney—a company known for protecting its brand fiercely—underscored just how significant The Far Side had become by the mid-1980s. The strip’s cultural authority was such that Larson could take on any subject and readers would engage with it.
The ranking of Disney-focused comics reflects a broader trend in recent years: outlets have increasingly mined The Far Side’s 15-year archive to create thematic lists. Collider recently published “The 10 Greatest Far Side Comics of All Time,” while Screen Rant, CBR, and other entertainment outlets have released similar ranked lists focusing on specific subjects—from horror parodies to sci-fi strips to wordless comics. This sustained interest underscores the strip’s enduring appeal and its status as a cultural touchstone.
Larson stepped away from The Far Side in 1995, citing fatigue. However, he returned to creating new comics in 2020 after a 25-year hiatus, demonstrating that the appetite for his unique brand of humor remained strong. The MovieWeb list is part of a broader resurgence of interest in The Far Side, driven by both longtime fans and new audiences discovering Larson’s work through digital archives and retrospectives.
Sources
- MovieWeb — published “10 Best Far Side Comics That Make Fun of Disney” on August 28, 2026
- Screen Rant — confirmed Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Pinocchio, and Toy Story were subjects of Far Side parodies
- Britannica — documented The Far Side’s syndication in approximately 1,900 newspapers and translation into 17 languages
- Wikipedia — confirmed The Far Side ran from January 1, 1980 to January 1, 1995
- Collider — published “The 10 Greatest Far Side Comics of All Time” on August 29, 2026
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