2001

Business

 * Disney Interactive acquired Saban Interactive.
 * Buena Vista Games founded, with Disney Interactive being a children's division of BVG.
 * Disney loses the rights to King Louie involving a lawsuit with Gia Prima for not paying royalties, and impersonation of her husband's voice.
 * October 24 - Disney purchases Fox Family Worldwide and renames it to ABC Family Worldwide. 17 days later FOX Family became ABC Family.

Disney Theatrical releases

 * February 16 - Recess: School's Out is released to positive reviews and becomes a box office success.
 * June 8 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire is released to mixed to positive reviews.
 * August 3 - The Princess Diaries is released to mixed reviews, but becomes a box office success.
 * October 5 - Max Keeble's Big Move is released to negative reviews and becomes a box office bomb.
 * November 2 - Monsters, Inc. becomes a box office hit and recieves extremely positive reviews.
 * Devember 14 - The Other Side of Heaven

Television

 * January 11 - House of Mouse premieres on ABC
 * January 12 - Lizzie McGuire premieres on the Disney Channel
 * January 13 - Buzz Lightyear of Star Command airs it's final episode, "42" on ABC. Reruns continue on the channel until Fall 2001.
 * February - Lloyd in Space premieres on ABC with the episode, "The Big 1-3"
 * April 5 - Disney Channel debuts in Brazil.
 * April 13 - Hounded, a Disney Channel Original Movie, debuts on Disney Channel.
 * June 8 - Jett Jackson: The Movie, a Disney Channel Original Movie, debuts on Disney Channel.
 * July 13 - The Jeannie Project, a Disney Channel Original Movie, premieres on the Disney Channel.
 * September 1 - The Legend of Tarzan premieres on ABC and in syndication
 * September 15 - The Proud Family premieres on the Disney Channel
 * November 21 - Recess, after five years as one of the most popular shows on ABC's One Saturday Morning, airs its final episode, "Mundy, Mundy/Lost Leader". The show would remain in reruns on ABC until Fall 2004. A direct-to-video epilogue and a direct-to-video prequel are released two years later.
 * November 28 - Pepper Ann airs it's final episode, "The Finale" on UPN.

Video games

 * November 14 - Tarzan Untamed for PlayStation 2
 * November 15 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for Game Boy Color
 * November 17 - Tarzan Untamed for GameCube

Home video releases

 * January 16 - Pete's Dragon
 * January 23 - Disney's The Kid
 * January 30 - Dinosaur
 * March 20 - The Sword in the Stone, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Remember the Titans
 * April 3 - 102 Dalmatians
 * May 1 - The Emperor's New Groove
 * June 5 - Oliver and Company and So Dear to My Heart
 * August 7 - Recess: School's Out
 * October 9 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Platinum Edition
 * October 23 - Dumbo
 * November 17 - Fantasia: Platinum Edition
 * December 18 - The Princess Diaries

Direct-to-video Releases

 * February 27 - Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure
 * October- The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other Stories
 * November 6 - Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street, and Santa Who?

DVD exclusives

 * December 4 - Walt Disney Treasures Wave 1

Theme park happenings

 * January 9 - Downtown Disney opens at the Disneyland Resort.
 * January 14 - Collector pins begin to be given out at Disney Parks.
 * February 8 - Disney's California Adventure opens at the Disneyland Resort.
 * March 28 - The Sorcerer's Hat opens at Disney-MGM Studios and becomes the icon of Disney-MGM Studios replacing the Earful Tower.
 * April 1 - The Main Street Electrical Parade ends it's run at the Magic Kingdom.
 * April 2 - Spectromagic returns to the Magic Kingdom.
 * April 7 - Who Wants to Be a Millionare - Play It! debuts at Disney-MGM Studios.
 * April 16 - The Animal Kingdom Lodge opens.
 * April 27 - Disneyland's Rocket Rods close.
 * May 1 - Animal Kingdom's Countdown to Extinction changes it's name to Dinosaur!
 * May 6 - A tree in Disneyland's Frontierland, which had been there since the park opened falls over, injuring 29 people.
 * May 12 - Doug Live! closes at Disney-MGM Studios, due to Doug's cancellation from ABC.
 * May 21 - The Magic Carpets of Aladdin open at the Magic Kingdom.
 * July 4 - Disney's Electrical Parade returns to Disneyland.
 * July 27 - Disney Resort Line of the Tokyo Disney Resort began its service.
 * September 4 - Tokyo DisneySea opens at the Tokyo Disney Resort.
 * September 9 - The Country Bear Jamboree closes at Disneyland.
 * September 11 & September 12 - Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort close due to the terrorist attacks in the northeast. Hotels in both resorts remained open.
 * September 13 - Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It! premieres at Disney's California Adventure to very low crowds due to the terrorist attacks halting travel two days before.
 * October 3 - Haunted Mansion Holiday, the seasonal overlay of the Haunted Mansion, opens at Disneyland.
 * November 2 - Disney's River Country closes.

Music

 * March 27 - Cruella's Favorite Villain Songs
 * May 22 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Deaths

 * July 15 - Ted Berman, animator, director, and writer