1986

Events

 * The company officially changes its name from Walt Disney Productions to The Walt Disney Company.

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 27 - Ruthless People (Touchstone)
 * July 2 - The Great Mouse Detective
 * July 30 - Flight of the Navigator
 * October 17 - The Color of Money (Touchstone)
 * November 21 - Song of the South (re-issue)
 * December 19 - Lady and the Tramp (re-issue)

Shorts

 * August 17 - Luxo Jr.

Television

 * Feb. 2 - After 3 years of being off the air, the Walt Disney anthology series returns to TV under the name The Disney Sunday Movie. The series airs on Sunday nights on ABC. The series 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.

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.

Theme park happenings

 * January 15 - The Living Seas opens at EPCOT Center.
 * 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 - The Country Bear Vacation Hoedown debuts at Magic Kingdom.
 * 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 Center.
 * September 18 - Captain EO opens at Disneyland.
 * October 1 - Walt Disney World celebrates its 15th anniversary, which runs until September 30, 1987.

Video games

 * Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood

VHS releases

 * Westward Ho the Wagons!
 * Texas John Slaughter: Stampede at Bitter Creek
 * The Great American Cowboy
 * Almost Angels
 * Menace on the Mountain
 * Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.
 * Greyfriars Bobby
 * Nikki, Wild Dog of the North
 * The Small One
 * Sammy the Way Out Seal
 * King of the Grizzlies
 * The Light in the Forest
 * The Horse Without A Head
 * Elfego Baca Six Gun Law
 * The Ugly Dachshund
 * The Monkey's Uncle
 * Lots of Luck
 * The Blue Yonder
 * Escapede in Florence
 * Charley and the Angel
 * Moon Pilot
 * The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
 * One Little Indian
 * Unidentified Flying Oddball
 * The Littlest Horse Thieves
 * Treasure of Matecumbe
 * The Living Desert
 * Jungle Cat
 * The Horsemasters
 * Escapede in Florence
 * March 25 - The Sword in the Stone
 * May 28 - Alice in Wonderland, and re-issues of Davy Crockett and the River Pirates, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Happiest Millionaire, The Absent Minded Professor, The Parent Trap, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, 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, and Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
 * June 25 - Return to Oz, The Journey of Natty Gann, Return from Witch Mountain, and So Dear to My Heart.
 * October 14 - Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood (re-issue), Pinocchio (re-issue), Dumbo (re-issue) and Canine Commando, A Tale of Two Chipmunks, or The Unsinkable Donald Duck.
 * December 23 - One Magic Christmas, Mickey's Christmas Carol, Jiminy Cricket's Christmas, and Disney Sing Along Songs: Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.

Births

 * January 12 - Gemma Arterton (actress)
 * January 15 - Jessy Schram (actress)
 * January 24 - Ricky Ullman (actor and singer)
 * January 24 - Mischa Barton (actress and model)
 * January 29 - Sarah Jaffe (singer-songwriter)
 * February 14 - Tiffany Thornton (actress and singer)
 * February 19 - Ophelia Lovibond (actress)
 * February 24 - Bryce Papenbrook (voice actor)
 * February 26 - Teresa Palmer (actress)
 * March 6 - Eli Marienthal (actor)
 * March 9 - Brittany Snow (actress, singer)
 * March 17 - Olesya Rulin (actress)
 * March 28 - Lady Gaga (singer)
 * April 25 - John DeLuca (actor)
 * May 2 - Emily Hart (actress)
 * May 12 - Emily VanCamp (actress)
 * May 16 - Megan Fox (actress and model)
 * May 17 - Tahj Mowry (actor, singer and dancer)
 * May 19 - Eric Lloyd (actor)
 * May 26 - Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey (actress and model)
 * May 29 - Hornswoggle (WWE professional wrestler)
 * June 11 - Shia LaBeouf (actor)
 * June 13 - Kat Dennings (actress)
 * June 18 - Richard Madden (actor)
 * June 21 - Lana Del Rey (singer-songwriter, musician, and model)
 * June 24 - Solange Knowles (actress, singer, songwriter, model, dancer and DJ)
 * June 27 - Drake Bell (actor, comedian, musician, voice actor and record producer)
 * June 27 - Sam Claflin (actor)
 * July 2 - Lindsay Lohan (actress and singer)
 * July 5 - Adam Young (singer, musician, songwriter)
 * July 9 - Kiely Williams (singer, actress, songwriter and dancer)
 * August 16 - Shawn Pyfrom (film, voice and television actor)
 * August 28 - Armie Hammer (actor)
 * September 3 - Shaun White (snowboarder and skateboarder)
 * September 12 - Emmy Rossum (actress and singer)
 * September 16 - Kyla Pratt (actress)
 * September 26 - Sarah Freeman (voice actress)
 * October 2 - Camilla Belle (actress)
 * October 13 - Tom Attenborough (theatre director)
 * October 22 - Kyle Gallner (actor)
 * December 30 - Ellie Goulding (singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist)

Deaths

 * January 2 - Una Merkel (stage and film actress)
 * March 25 - Gloria Blondell (voice actress)
 * March 29 - Harry Ritz (comedian, live performer and member of The Ritz Bros.)
 * April 30 - Robert Stevenson (director)
 * May 9 - Herschel Bernardi (film, Broadway and television actor)
 * August 19 - Hermione Baddeley (actress)
 * September 28 - Hal King (animator)
 * October 11 - David Hand (animator and filmmaker)
 * October 14 - Keenan Wynn (actor)
 * November 2 - Paul Frees (voice actor)
 * November 7 - Alan Hewitt (film, television and stage actor)
 * November 11 - Roger C. Carmel (actor)
 * November 21 - Jerry Colonna (comedian and singer)
 * November 22 - Scatman Crothers (voice actor)
 * November 25 - Don Towsley (animator)
 * December 13 - Heather Angel (actress)
 * December 26 - Elsa Lanchester (actress)