1979

Shorts

 * June 18 - Lady and the Lamp
 * Cosmic Capers
 * Understanding Alcohol Use and Abuse

Theme park happenings

 * August 14 - Sherrill Anne Hoffman slips into a coma after riding Space Mountain.
 * September 2 - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad opens at Disneyland.
 * October 1 - Groundbreaking begins on EPCOT Center.

Laserdisc releases

 * Kidnapped
 * Kids Is Kids
 * At Home with Donald Duck
 * The Adventures of Chip 'n' Dale
 * May: The Coyote's Lament

Albums

 * Mickey Mouse Disco

Births

 * January 6 - Cristela Alonzo (comedian and actress)
 * January 25 - Christine Lakin (actress)
 * January 26 - Sara Rue (actress)
 * February 8 - Josh Keaton (actor, singer, music producer)
 * February 11 - Brandy Norwood (actress and singer)
 * February 21 -
 * Tituss Burgess (actor and singer)
 * Jennifer Love Hewitt (actress and singer)
 * March 10  - Danny Pudi (actor and comedian)
 * March 19 - Dan Fogelman (screenwriter, producer, director)
 * March 24 - Lake Bell (actress, writer, and director)
 * March 25 - Lee Pace (actor)
 * April 2 - Lindy Booth (actress)
 * April 4 - Natasha Lyonne (actress)
 * April 12 -
 * Claire Danes (actress)
 * Jennifer Morrison (actress, model, and film producer)
 * April 13 - Baron Davis (NBA basketball player and voice actor)
 * April 15 - Luke Evans (actor and singer)
 * April 20 - Ruth Connell (actress and producer)
 * April 21 - James McAvoy (actor)
 * April 23 - Jaime King (actress and model)
 * May 4 - Lance Bass (singer and actor)
 * May 5 - Rosario Dawson (actress, singer, and writer)
 * May 17 - Adam Jacobs (actor and singer)
 * May 26 - Elisabeth Harnois (actress)
 * May 28 - Nonso Anozie (actor)
 * June 5 - Pete Wentz (bassist)
 * June 20 - Julie Fowlis (singer)
 * June 24 - Mindy Kaling (actress, comedian, writer, and producer)
 * June 25 - Busy Philipps (actress)
 * July 15 - Laura Benanti (actress)
 * July 18 - Jason Weaver (voice actor and singer)
 * July 31 - B. J. Novak (actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director)
 * August 3 - Evangeline Lilly (actress and spokesperson)
 * August 10 - Joanna Garcia (actress)
 * August 23 - Clare Grant (actress)
 * September 11 - Ariana Richards (actress)
 * September 23 - Laura Dickinson (actress and singer)
 * September 28 - Anndi McAfee (actress and singer)
 * October 7 - Shawn Ashmore (actor)
 * October 9 - Chris O'Dowd (actor)
 * October 10 - Mýa (singer and actress)
 * October 18 - Ne-Yo (R&B recording artist, record producer, dancer, and actor)
 * October 20 - John Krasinski (actor, director, and writer)
 * November 5 - Romi Dames (actress)
 * December 10 - Keiko Nemoto (voice actress)
 * December 12 - Sandro Corsaro (animator, writer, storyboard artist, and producer)
 * December 28 - André Holland (actor)
 * December 30 - Catherine Taber (actress)

Deaths

 * January 5 - Billy Bletcher (voice actor)
 * January 27 - Dick Wesson (announcer)
 * February 3 - Mildred Gordon (author)
 * March 13 - Tudor Owen (voice actor)
 * April 1 - Barbara Luddy (voice actress)
 * April 6 - Norman Tokar (prolific director)
 * May 29 - Mary Pickford (Canadian-American motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
 * July 2 - Anthony Eustrel  (actor)
 * July 25 - Alexander Key (science fiction writer)
 * September 12 - Les Clark (animator)
 * November 21 - Paul Wexler (actor)
 * November 30 - Dick Huemer (animator)
 * December 30 - Richard Rodgers (composer, songwriter, and playwright)

Artists joined

 * Tim Burton - Director for The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, and Alice in Wonderland.
 * John Lasseter - Current CEO for Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disneytoon Studios. Has directed films such as Toy Story, A Bug's Life, and Cars.
 * Mike Gabriel - Director/Animator on Pocahontas, The Rescuers Down Under, and Oliver & Company.
 * Doug Krohn - Animator on The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Tarzan.
 * Jay Jackson - Animator for Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, Hercules, and Treasure Planet.
 * Shawn Keller - Animator on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
 * Michael Cedeno - Animator on The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.
 * Hendel Butoy - Animator on The Fox and the Hound, The Great Mouse Detective, and Oliver & Company and Director on The Rescuers Down Under.
 * Cyndee Whitney - Animator on The Little Mermaid, The Great Mouse Detective, and Oliver & Company.
 * Patricia Peraza - Effects Animator on The Fox and the Hound, Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Black Cauldron, and The Great Mouse Detective.
 * Don Paul - Effects Animator on The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Pocahontas
 * Guy Vasilovich - Art Director/Layout Artist on The Fox and the Hound, The Great Mouse Detective, and The Black Cauldron.
 * Kathleen Swain - Background Designer on The Fox and the Hound, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and The Black Cauldron.
 * Gilda Palinginis - Animator on The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid.
 * Joe Lanzisero - Animator on The Fox and the Hound, The Great Mouse Detective, and The Black Cauldron.
 * Fujiko Miller - Assistant Animator on The Fox and the Hound, Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Great Mouse Detective, and The Black Cauldron.
 * Bill Berg - Lead Key Assistant on The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid.
 * Jane Baer - Assistant Animator on The Black Cauldron, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Mickey's Christmas Carol. Co-founder of Baer Animation Studios and spouse of animator Dale Baer.
 * Rusty Stoll - Assistant Animator on Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and The Fox and the Hound.
 * Reed Cardwell - Assistant Animator on The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective.

1979