1986

Feature films

 * January 31 - Down and Out in Beverly Hills (Touchstone Pictures; first R-rated release under that label)
 * March 7 - Sleeping Beauty (re-issue)
 * June 20 - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (re-issue)
 * June 23 - The Great Mouse Detective premiered in New York City, New York.
 * June 27 - Ruthless People (Touchstone Pictures)
 * July 2 - The Great Mouse Detective is released to positive reviews and is a commercial success.
 * August 1 - Flight of the Navigator
 * September 30 - Tough Guys (Touchstone Pictures; San Luis Obispo, California)
 * October 3 - Tough Guys (Touchstone Pictures)
 * October 8 - The Color of Money premiered in New York City, New York (Touchstone Pictures)
 * October 14 - The Color of Money premiered in Los Angeles, California (Touchstone Pictures)
 * October 17 - The Color of Money (Touchstone Pictures)
 * November 21 - Song of the South (re-issue)
 * December 19 - Lady and the Tramp (re-issue)

Shorts

 * June 25 - Somewhere in the Arctic
 * July 2 - Clock Cleaners (re-issue)
 * August 17 - Luxo Jr. (SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater)
 * September 13 - How to Catch a Cold (remake version)
 * September 19 - Pooh's Great School Bus Adventure

Events

 * February 6 - Walt Disney Productions changes its name to The Walt Disney Company. Its feature animation division is split off into Walt Disney Feature Animation.
 * After 8 years, The Journey of Natty Gann is the last video to use the 1978 Walt Disney Home Video Logo (Neon Mickey). After this, Walt Disney Home Video starts using the "Sorcerer Mickey" logo in May with its first such release being Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore.
 * After 4 years, The Sword in the Stone is the last video to use the Walt Disney and You Promo.
 * Walt Disney is inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame on April 21.

Character debuts

 * July 2 - Basil of Baker Street, Bartholomew, David Q. Dawson, Ratigan, Olivia Flaversham, Hiram Flaversham, Fidget, Queen Mousetoria, Felicia, Miss Kitty, Thugs, Toby, Mrs. Judson, Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Lady Mouse
 * July 26 - Bill Grand, Nikki Ferris, Mary Grand, Brian Carey, Florence
 * August 1 - David Freeman, Helen Freeman, Bill Freeman, Max, Dr. Louis Faraday, Carolyn McAdams, R.A.L.F., Bruiser, Puckmaren, Aliens, Jeff Freeman, Larry Howard, Janet Howard
 * September 12 - Captain EO, Fuzzball, The Geex, Hooter, Major Domo, Minor Domo, Supreme Leader

Theme parks

 * January 15 - The Living Seas opens at Epcot.
 * February - The Country Bear Vacation Hoedown debuts at Disneyland, replacing the original Country Bear Jamboree show.
 * March 8 - Alice's Tea Party opens at Tokyo Disneyland.
 * May 17 - American Journeys debuts at Tokyo Disneyland.
 * July 11 - Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour opens at Tokyo Disneyland.
 * September 12 - Captain EO opens at Epcot.
 * September 18 - Captain EO opens at Disneyland.
 * October 1 - Walt Disney World celebrates its 15th anniversary, which runs until September 30, 1987.

Television

 * February 2 - After 3 years of being off the air, the Walt Disney anthology series returns to TV under the name The Disney Sunday Movie. It airs on Sunday nights on ABC. It had not had a host since the passing of Walt Disney himself in 1966, but as of this incarnation, Michael Eisner takes over the hosting duties. The first installment is a TV-movie comedy entitled Help Wanted: Kids, featuring Cindy Williams and Micheal McKean.
 * February 14 - DTV Valentine airs on NBC.
 * October 9 - The Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX for short) launches as the fourth major broadcast television network in the United States.

Comics

 * July - Gladstone Publishing obtains the Disney comic license and starts publishing Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Uncle Scrooge, and Walt Disney's Comics and Stories.

Video games

 * Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood (Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS)
 * The Black Cauldron (video game) (Apple II, Atari ST, Amiga, DOS)

VHS releases

 * January 7 - My Science Project (Touchstone Home Video)
 * January 28
 * The Blue Yonder
 * Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: Fanciful Fables and Animal Tales
 * Disney's Greatest Lullabies (original)
 * Walt Disney Video-A-Longs
 * March 4
 * Westward Ho, the Wagons!
 * Greyfriars Bobby
 * The Ugly Dachshund
 * One Little Indian
 * Charley and the Angel
 * The Monkey's Uncle
 * The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
 * The Living Desert
 * Jungle Cat
 * The Horsemasters
 * Lots of Luck
 * The Mickey Mouse Club (5) Volumes 6-10
 * March 25 - The Sword in the Stone
 * May 28
 * Alice in Wonderland
 * Mickey Knows Best
 * The Importance of Being Donald
 * Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
 * Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
 * Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!
 * Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore
 * April
 * The Journey of Natty Gann
 * Return from Witch Mountain
 * Scandalous John
 * The Horse Without a Head
 * Almost Angels
 * The Flight of the Grey Wolf
 * Elfego Baca: Six Gun Law
 * The Million Dollar Duck
 * August 19
 * King of the Grizzlies
 * The Light in the Forest
 * Savage Sam
 * The Wild Country
 * Moon Pilot
 * Unidentified Flying Oddball
 * Treasure of Matecumbe
 * Disney's Greatest Lullabies (re-issue)
 * September 23 - Down and Out in Beverly Hills (Touchstone Home Video)
 * October 14
 * Sleeping Beauty
 * Robin Hood (re-issue)
 * Pinocchio (re-issue)
 * Dumbo (re-issue)
 * The Sword in the Stone (re-issue)
 * Alice in Wonderland (re-issue)
 * Ten Who Dared
 * The Fighting Prince of Donegal
 * The World's Greatest Athlete
 * Canine Commando
 * A Tale of Two Chipmunks
 * The Unsinkable Donald Duck with Huey, Dewey, and Louie
 * December 16 - The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
 * December 23
 * Disney Sing Along Songs: Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
 * Jiminy Cricket's Christmas
 * Mickey's Christmas Carol (re-issue)
 * One Magic Christmas
 * Menace on the Mountain
 * Nikki, Wild Dog of the North
 * Sammy, the Way-Out Seal
 * A Tiger Walks
 * The Waltz King

Laserdisc releases

 * January - Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: Fanciful Fables and Animal Tales
 * May 28 - Mickey Knows Best/The Importance of Being Donald

Births

 * January 4 - Charlyne Yi (actress and comedian)
 * January 12 - Gemma Arterton (actress)
 * January 24
 * Ricky Ullman (actor, musician, and singer)
 * Mischa Barton (actress and model)
 * February 2 - Gemma Arterton (actress)
 * February 8 - Tiffany Burton (actress)
 * February 14 - Tiffany Thornton (actress and singer-songwriter)
 * February 19 - Ophelia Lovibond (actress)
 * February 24 - Bryce Papenbrook (voice actor)
 * February 25 - Justin Berfield (actor, writer, and producer)
 * February 26 - Teresa Palmer (actress and model)
 * March 4 - Margo Harshman (actress)
 * March 6 - Eli Marienthal (actor)
 * March 9 - Brittany Snow (actress, voice actress, and singer)
 * March 17 - Olesya Rulin (actress)
 * March 23 - Steven Strait (actor, musician, and model)
 * March 28 - Lady Gaga (singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, activist, businesswoman, fashion designer, actress, and philanthropist)
 * April 10 - Alex Trench (former child actor)
 * April 25 - John DeLuca (actor)
 * May 2
 * Emily Hart (actress)
 * Thomas McDonell (actor, musician, artist, and model)
 * May 12 - Emily VanCamp (actress)
 * May 13 - Lena Dunham (actress, author, writer, director, and producer)
 * May 16 - Megan Fox (actress and model)
 * May 17 - Tahj Mowry (actor, voice actor, dancer, and singer)
 * May 19 - Eric Lloyd (actor, voice actor, comedian, and former child actor)
 * May 29 - Hornswoggle (WWE professional wrestler and actor)
 * June 11 - Shia LaBeouf (actor and voice actor)
 * June 13
 * Kat Dennings (actress)
 * Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (twin actresses)
 * June 18 - Richard Madden (actor)
 * June 23 - Sonya Balmores (actress, model, and surfer)
 * June 24
 * Solange Knowles (actress, singer, songwriter, model, dancer, and DJ)
 * Amber Rose Revah (actress)
 * June 27
 * Drake Bell (actor, comedian, musician, voice actor, and record producer)
 * Sam Claflin (actor)
 * June 28 - Maya Stojan (actress)
 * July 2 - Lindsay Lohan (actress and singer)
 * July 5 - Adam Young (singer, musician, and songwriter)
 * July 9 - Kiely Williams (singer, actress, songwriter, and dancer)
 * August 1 - Elijah Kelley (actor, singer, and dancer)
 * August 16 - Shawn Pyfrom (film, voice, and television actor)
 * August 28 - Armie Hammer (actor)
 * August 29
 * Nicole Byer (actress, voice actress, comedian, and writer)
 * Lauren Collins (actress)
 * September 3 - Shaun White (snowboarder and skateboarder)
 * September 5 - Andrew Ducote (actor)
 * September 12 - Emmy Rossum (actress and singer)
 * September 14 - A.J. Trauth (actor and musician)
 * September 16
 * Kyla Pratt (actress)
 * Ian Harding (actor)
 * September 26 - Sarah Freeman (voice actress)
 * October 2 - Camilla Belle (actress)
 * October 13 - Tom Attenborough (theatre director)
 * November 6 - Katie Leclerc (actress)
 * November 10 - Josh Peck (actor and comedian)
 * December 17 - Vanessa Zima (actress)
 * December 23 - Noël Wells (actress and comedian)
 * December 30 - Ellie Goulding (singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist)

Deaths

 * January 2 - Una Merkel (stage and film actress)
 * March 25 - Gloria Blondell (voice actress)
 * April 30 - Robert Stevenson (director and film writer)
 * May 9 - Herschel Bernardi (film, Broadway, and television actor)
 * July 22 - Floyd Gottfredson (comic book artist)
 * September 28 - Hal King (animator)
 * October 11 - David Hand (animator and filmmaker)
 * October 14 - Keenan Wynn (actor)
 * November 2 - Paul Frees (actor, voice actor, impressionist, and screenwriter)
 * November 7 - Alan Hewitt (film, television, and stage actor)
 * November 11 - Roger C. Carmel (actor)

Artists joined

 * Kirk Wise - Codirector with Gary Trousdale for Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
 * Jørgen Klubien - Storyboard Artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios.

1986