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 13 - The Little Mermaid premiered in New York City.
 * November 17 - The Little Mermaid was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews and was a major box office hit, restoring critical and public interest in Disney and initiating the Disney Renaissance for nearly a decade.
 * December 13 - Blaze (Touchstone)

Shorts

 * January 3 - Knick Knack
 * May 1
 * Back to Never Land
 * The Lottery
 * June 23 - Tummy Trouble
 * August
 * Reading Magic with Figment and Alice in Wonderland
 * Reading Magic with Figment and Peter Pan
 * Goofy's Field Trips: Planes
 * August 10 - Goofy's Field Trips: Trains
 * August 18 - Mickey and the Seal (re-release)
 * September - The Case of the Missing Space
 * October 30 - The Making of Me
 * Mickey's Field Trips: The United Nations
 * Mickey's Safety Club: Playground Fun
 * Mickey's Safety Club: What to Do at Home

Television

 * March 4 - Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers officially premieres on the Disney Channel. It would begin airing in syndication on September 15th.
 * April 24 - 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 Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Keri Russell,, and Ryan Gosling, among others.

Events

 * May 31 - The Brave Little Toaster premieres at the USA Film Forum.

Video games

 * September 14 - 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)
 * May 30 - Walt Disney Mini Classics: Ben and Me and Bongo
 * June 28 - Heartbreak Hotel (Touchstone Home Video)
 * August 23
 * Beaches (Touchstone Home Video)
 * Disorganized Crime (Touchstone Home Video)
 * August 31
 * Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: Mickey & The Gang and Nuts About Chip 'n Dale
 * Walt Disney Mini Classics: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too and Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore
 * Disney Sing Along Songs: Fun with Music
 * 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
 * Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: Double Trouble, Undercover Critters and Crimebusters
 * 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
 * Ernest Saves Christmas (Touchstone Home Video)
 * Three Fugitives (Touchstone Home Video)

Theme park happenings

 * May 1 - Disney-MGM Studios (now known as Disney's Hollywood Studios), the third theme park at the Walt Disney World, 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

 * January 3 - (former actor)
 * January 16 - Yvonne Zima (actress)
 * February 3 - Ryne Sanborn (actor)
 * February 16 - Elizabeth Olsen (actress and singer)
 * February 21 - Corbin Bleu (actor)
 * March 1 - Daniella Monet (actress and singer)
 * March 3 - Andrea Brooks (actress)
 * 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 9 - Chloë Agnew (singer)
 * June 14 - Lucy Hale (actress and singer)
 * June 18 - Mallory Jansen (actress)
 * June 28 - Mark Edward Fischbach (YouTube personality)
 * July 11 - David Henrie (actor)
 * July 21 - Juno Temple (English actress)
 * July 25 - Andrew Caldwell (film and television actor)
 * August 15 - Joe Jonas (actor and singer)
 * August 21 - Hayden Panettiere (voice actress)
 * September 5 - Kat Graham (actress, model, singer, and dancer)
 * September 6 - Hannah John-Kamen (actress)
 * October 1 - Brie Larson (actress and singer)
 * October 4 - Dakota Johnson (actress and model)
 * October 5 - Kenshō Ono (Japanese actor and voice actor)
 * October 14 - Mia Wasikowska (actress)
 * December 13 - Taylor Swift (singer and actress)
 * December 18 - Ashley Benson (actress, dancer, and model)
 * December 22 - Jordin Sparks (singer, songwriter, and actress)
 * December 28 - Bridget Shergalis (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 6 - Robert Jani (creative director)
 * 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)

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, 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)