1988

Events

 * Walt Disney Computer Software is founded as a video game division of The Walt Disney Company.

Feature films

 * January 15 - Good Morning, Vietnam (Touchstone, wide release)
 * February 12 - Shoot to Kill (Touchstone)
 * March 18 - D.O.A. (Touchstone)
 * March 25 - The Fox and the Hound (re-release)
 * April 15 - Return to Snowy River
 * May 1 - Splash, Too (Touchstone)
 * June 22 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Touchstone)
 * July 15 - Bambi (re-release)
 * July 29 - Cocktail (Touchstone)
 * August 5 - The Rescue (Touchstone)
 * September 30 - Heartbreak Hotel (Touchstone)
 * November 4 - The Good Mother (Touchstone)
 * November 11 - Ernest Saves Christmas (Touchstone)
 * November 18 - Oliver & Company
 * December 21 - Beaches (Touchstone)

Shorts

 * December 30 - Tin Toy

Television

 * January 17 - The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh premieres on Disney Channel
 * July 4 - Walt Disney World 4th of July Spectacular, an Independence Day special, is broadcast on television.
 * August 27 - Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers airs its first episode as a preview on the Disney Channel
 * November 13 - Mickey's 60th Birthday airs on NBC
 * November 24 - DuckTales begins its second season with the 2-hour special episode "Time is Money" on NBC

Theme park happenings

 * January 30 - IllumiNations debuts at EPCOT Center
 * April 10 - America Sings closes at Disneyland.
 * June 3 - The Norway pavilion opens at EPCOT Center.

Video games

 * Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Commodore 64)

Books

 * DuckTales: The Secret City Under the Sea

VHS releases

 * February 2 - Benji the Hunted
 * April 13 - Adventures in Babysitting
 * April 28 - DuckTales: Daredevil Ducks and Fearless Fortune Hunters
 * October 4 - Cinderella and (reissues) of Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, DuckTales: Masked Marauders, and High-Flying Hero, Walt Disney Mini Classics: The Wind in the Willows, The Three Caballeros, Mary Poppins
 * November 1 - Return to Snowy River
 * November 15 - Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Special Edition, Three Men and a Baby 

Direct to video releases

 * February 2 - Disney Sing Along Songs: You Can Fly!
 * October 4 - Disney Sing Along Songs: Very Merry Christmas Songs and Mickey's Magical World

Births

 * January 12 - Andrew Lawrence (voice actor)
 * January 15 - Skrillex (Musician, DJ, Singer)
 * January 28 - Alexandra Krosney (actress)
 * February 18 - Maiara Walsh (actress and singer)
 * February 19 - Miyu Irino (voice actor and singer)
 * February 20 - Rihanna (singer and actress)
 * March 1 - Katija Pevec (actress)
 * March 24 - Finn Jones (actors)
 * March 27 - Brenda Song (actress and singer)
 * March 27 - Holliday Grainger (actress)
 * April 7 - Ed Speleers (English actor and producer)
 * April 10 - Haley Joel Osment (voice actor)
 * April 25 - Sara Paxton (actress and singer)
 * June 9 - Mae Whitman (voice actress)
 * July 12 - Christine Marie Cabanos (Voice actress and production assistant)
 * July 15 - Aimee Carrero (actress)
 * July 24 - Adam Rose (voice actor)
 * August 18 - Laurie Schillinger (actress and singer)
 * August 19 - Travis Tedford (actor)
 * August 27 - Alexa Vega (actress and singer)
 * September 15 - Chelsea Kane (actress and singer)
 * September 23 - Shannon Chan-Kent (voice actress, singer and dancer)
 * October 3 - Lauren McKnight (actress)
 * October 10 - Rose McIver (actress)
 * October 14 - Mackenzie Mauzy (actress)
 * October 30 - Janel Parrish (actress)
 * November 9 - Nikki Blonsky (actress, singer, dancer)
 * November 15 - Zena Grey (actress)
 * December 14 - Vanessa Hudgens (actress and singer)
 * December 16 - Anna Popplewell (actress)
 * December 28 - Brenda Grate (actress)

Deaths

 * April 1 - Jim Jordan (voice and radio actor)
 * April 29 - Andrew Cruickshank (Scottish supporting actor)
 * May 18 - Daws Butler (voice actor)
 * June 22 - Dennis Day (singer and radio, television and film actor)
 * July 22 - Larry Clemmons (voice actor, animator and story supervisor)
 * August 7 - Wilfred Jackson (animator, arranger, composer and director)
 * August 8 - Alan Napier (English actor)
 * August 17 - Jack Cutting (animator)
 * September 7 - Vivi Janiss (actress, former Ziegfeld girl and nightclub performer)
 * September 20 - Roy Kinnear (British character actor)
 * October 25 - Eric Larson (animator)
 * October 30 - T. Hee (animator, director and teacher)
 * December 8 - Anne Seymour (film and television character actress)
 * December 21 - Noreen Gammill (actress)

Character debuts

 * June 22 - Roger Rabbit, Baby Herman, Jessica Rabbit, Benny the Cab, The Toon Patrol, Judge Doom, Eddie Valiant, Dolores, Marvin Acme, R.K. Maroon, Lt. Santino
 * August 27 - Monterey Jack, Zipper, Gadget Hackwrench, Professor Norton Nimnul
 * November 18 - Oliver, Dodger, Tito, Francis, Einstein, Rita, Fagin, Jenny, Georgette, Bill Sykes, Roscoe and DeSoto, Winston
 * November 24 - Bubba the Cave Duck, Tootsie the Triceratops