1989

Feature films

 * January 27 - Three Fugitives (Touchstone)
 * March 10 - New York Stories (Touchstone)
 * March 17 - The Rescuers (re-release)
 * April 14 - Disorganized Crime (Touchstone)
 * June 9 - Dead Poets Society (Touchstone)
 * June 23 - Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
 * July 14 - Peter Pan (re-release)
 * July 28 - Turner & Hooch (Touchstone)
 * August 18 - Cheetah
 * October 6 - An Innocent Man (Touchstone)
 * October 20 - Gross Anatomy (Touchstone)
 * November 17 - The Little Mermaid was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews and was a major box office hit, restoring critical & public interest in Disney. Predated the Disney Renaissance for nearly a decade.
 * Timothy Dalton portrays James Bond in Licence to Kill.
 * Roseanne Barr stars in She-Devil.
 * December 13 - Blaze (Touchstone)

Shorts

 * January 3 - Knick Knack
 * June 23 - Tummy Trouble
 * August 18 - Mickey and the Seal (re-release)

Television

 * March 4 - Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers officially premieres on the Disney Channel. It would begin airing in syndication on September 15th.
 * A new version of The Mickey Mouse Club debuts on the Disney Channel. This third version would give popularity and the start of stardom to Britney Spears, Christina Agulera, Justin Timberlake, Keri Russell, JC Chasez and Ryan Gosling, among others.
 * Dan Castellaneta voices Homer in The Simpsons.

Video games

 * September - DuckTales and Who Framed Roger Rabbit for NES

Comics

 * Roger Rabbit: The Resurrection of Doom

Home video releases

 * January 31 - The Good Mother (Touchstone Home Video)
 * April 18 - Cocktail (Touchstone Home Video)
 * June 28 - Heartbreak Hotel (Touchstone Home Video)
 * July 25 - Ruthless People (Touchstone Home Video)
 * August 23
 * Beaches (Touchstone Home Video)
 * Disorganized Crime (Touchstone Home Video)
 * September 8 - The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (3 VHS)
 * September 28
 * Bambi
 * DuckTales: Duck to the Future, Lost World Wanderers, Accidental Adventures, and Seafaring Sailors
 * Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: Mickey & The Gang and Nuts About Chip 'n Dale and Walt Disney Mini Classics: Ben and Me and Bongo
 * Dumbo (re-issue)
 * The Sword in the Stone (re-issue)
 * October 12
 * Bedknobs and Broomsticks
 * The Boatniks
 * Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Touchstone Home Video)


 * November 1 - Three Fugitives (Touchstone Home Video)

Direct to video releases

 * September 28
 * Disney Sing Along Songs: Fun with Music

Theme parks

 * May 1 - Disney-MGM Studios (now known as Disney's Hollywood Studios), the third theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort, opens. Pleasure Island also opens at Walt Disney World.
 * June 1 - Typhoon Lagoon opens at Walt Disney World.
 * July 12 - Star Tours opens at Tokyo Disneyland.
 * July 17 - Splash Mountain opens at Disneyland.
 * October 30 - Wonders of Life opens at EPCOT Center.
 * December 15 - Star Tours opens at Disney-MGM Studios.

Births

 * February 12 - Risa Uchida (voice actress)
 * February 16 - Elizabeth Olsen (actress and singer)
 * February 21 - Corbin Bleu (actor)
 * February 28 - Angelababy (Hong Kong voice actress)
 * March 5 - Sterling Knight (actor and singer), Jake Lloyd (actor)
 * March 15 - Caitlin Wachs (actress)
 * March 25 - Alyson Michalka (actress and singer)
 * April 5 - Lily James (actress)
 * May 29 - Brandon Mychal Smith (actor, comedian, singer, dancer and rapper)
 * June 14 - Lucy Hale (actress and singer)
 * July 11 - David Henrie (actor)
 * July 21 - Juno Temple (English actress)
 * July 25 - Andrew Caldwell (film and television actor)
 * August 10 - Brenton Thwaites (actor)
 * August 15 - Joe Jonas (actor and singer)
 * August 21 - Hayden Panettiere (voice actress)
 * October 1 - Brie Larson (actress and singer)
 * October 5 - Kenshō Ono (Japanese actor and voice actor)
 * October 10 - Aimee Teegarden (actress, model and producer)
 * October 14 - Mia Wasikowska (actress)
 * December 13 - Taylor Swift (singer and actress)

Deaths

 * February 5 - Joe Raposo (composer, songwriter, pianist, television writer and lyricist)
 * April 24 - Clyde Geronimi (animation director)
 * April 30 - Guy Williams (actor and fashion model)
 * May 20 - Gilda Radner (comedienne and actress)
 * July 3 - Jim Backus (radio, television, film and voice actor)
 * July 9 - Ben Wright (actor)
 * July 10 - Mel Blanc (voice actor, actor, radio comedian and recording artist)
 * August 4 - Paul Murry (cartoonist and comics artist)
 * August 27 - Bill Shirley (voice actor)
 * October 6 - Bette Davis (film, television and theatre actress)
 * October 12 - Jay Ward (animator)
 * November 17 - Billy Lee (actor and singer)
 * Robert Jani (creative director)

Character debuts

 * March 19 - Fat Cat and his henchmen
 * March 26 - Fenton Crackshell/Gizmoduck and his mom
 * June 23 - Wayne Szalinski and his family
 * September 15 - Aldrin Klordane
 * November 17 - Ariel, Prince Eric, Sebastian, Flounder, Scuttle, King Triton, Ursula/Vanessa, Flotsam and Jetsam, Glut the Shark, Chef Louis, Grimsby, Carlotta, Max, Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Attina, Adella, Alana

In fiction

 * (exact date unknown) - Kevin Flynn disappears. (Tron: Legacy)