Donald Duck celebrates his fiftieth birthday.
Another Rainbow begins publishing the Carl Barks Library.
Theatrical releases
Feature films
- January 27 - Never Cry Wolf
- March 9
- Splash (Touchstone Pictures, the first feature-length film released under that name)
- Pete's Dragon (re-issue)
- July 27 - The Jungle Book (re-issue)
- September 28 - Country (Touchstone Pictures; New York Film Festival)
- September 29 - Country (Touchstone Pictures)
- December 21 - Pinocchio (re-issue)
Shorts
- July 25 - The Adventures of André & Wally B.
- July 26 - Fitness and Me: Why Exercise?
- August 1
- Donald's Fire Survival Plan (remake version)
- Harold and His Amazing Green Plants
- December 14 - Frankenweenie
- ? - Lights! Cameras! Fractions!
Events
- After 30 years, the last Disney movie to use the Buena Vista logo is Tim Burton's Frankenweenie.
- Donald Duck celebrates his 50th birthday.
Character debuts
Theme parks
- As part of Donald Duck's 50th birthday, Disneyland and Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom both have a Donald-themed parade, while Tokyo Disneyland has a stage show, "Donald Duck's Birthday Party".
- January 3 - 48-year-old Dolly Regina Young is killed on the Matterhorn Bobsleds.
- April 14 - Alice in Wonderland reopens at Disneyland, completing the overhaul of Fantasyland.
- June 16 - Magic Journeys debuts at Disneyland's outdoor Space Stage, playing there after dark.
- September 7 - The Morocco Pavilion opens at Epcot.
- December 19 - The Country Bear Christmas Special debuts at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom.
Business
- Michael Eisner is hired as the CEO of Walt Disney Productions. He had previously worked as the head of ABC and then of Paramount Pictures. He would eventually bring ABC under Disney's ownership. He is most often credited with the company's turnaround in the late 1980s and early 1990s and, ironically, its subsequent downfall in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He would leave the company in 2005.
- This was the first year in Disney history where no feature films were released from the Disney studio, which could be because of the change in ownership.
- December 5 - Walt Disney Television Animation is established as a subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions.
Television
- May 5 - DTV music videos begin airing on the Disney Channel
- November 13 - Donald Duck's 50th Birthday airs on CBS.
Comics
- Whitman Publishing, the current imprint publishing the Disney comic books, is shut down, cancelling the comics as a result. They would be continued by Gladstone Publishing two years later.
- July - Another Rainbow Publishing begins publishing the Carl Barks Library, a ten-volume series of hardcover books reprinting all of Carl Barks' Disney comics. The collection would be completed in 1990.
Home video releases
VHS releases
- March 6 - Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: More of Disney's Best: 1932-1946, Sport Goofy's Vacation, Donald Duck's First 50 Years and Mickey's Crazy Careers
- April
- July
- July 3 - Welcome to Pooh Corner: Volume 1-2
- September
- October - DTV: Golden Oldies, Pop & Rock and Rock, Rhythm & Blues
- December 3
- Mickey's Christmas Carol
- A Disney Christmas Gift
- Winnie the Pooh and Friends
- Five Mile Creek: Volume 4
- Gone Are the Dayes
- Robin Hood is released as the first installment of the Walt Disney Classics series.
Laserdisc releases
- ? - DTV: Golden Oldies, Pop & Rock and Rock, Rhythm & Blues
People
Births
- January 6 - Kate McKinnon (actress and comedian)
- March 8 - Sam Marin (voice actor and animator)
- March 10 - Olivia Wilde (actress and fashion model)
- March 12 - Jaimie Alexander (actress)
- March 20 - Christy Carlson Romano (actress and singer)
- March 25 - Brooke Anne Smith (actress)
- April 3 - Chrissie Fit (actress and singer)
- April 8 - Kirsten Storms (actress)
- April 10 - Mandy Moore (singer-songwriter, actress, model, and fashion designer)
- April 11 - Kelli Garner (actress)
- April 18 - America Ferrera (actress, voice actress, and producer)
- April 26 - Ryan O'Donohue (actor)
- April 27 - Patrick Stump (lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and actor)
- May 3 - Cheryl Burke (dancer and actress)
- May 13 - Hannah New (model and actress)
- May 14 - Olly Murs (singer-songwriter, presenter and voice actor)
- May 23 - Adam Wylie (actor, voice actor, singer, musical performer, and spokesman)
- May 29 - KayCee Stroh (actress)
- May 30 - DeWanda Wise (actress)
- June 26 - Aubrey Plaza (actress and comedian)
- July 1 - Tanya Chisholm (actress)
- July 11
- Serinda Swan (actress)
- Rachael Taylor (actress)
- July 19 - Andrea Libman (actress and singer)
- August 25 - Leslie-Anne Huff (actress)
- September 1 - Joe Trohman (lead guitarist)
- September 3 - Garrett Hedlund (actor)
- September 16 - Sabrina Bryan (actress and singer)
- September 19 - Kevin Zegers (actor and model)
- September 22 - Laura Vandervoort (actress)
- September 23 - Anneliese van der Pol (actress and singer)
- September 27 - Avril Lavigne (singer and actress)
- October 2 - John Morris (voice actor)
- October 3 - Ashlee Simpson (singer-songwriter and actress)
- October 11 - Martha MacIsaac (actress)
- October 14 - Jason Davis (actor and voice actor)
- October 25 - Katy Perry (singer, songwriter, and actress)
- October 27 - Kelly Osbourne (singer, actress, and fashion designer)
- November 1 - Michaela Dietz (actress, voice actress, and singer)
- November 3 - Marcus Toji (actor and voice actor)
- November 9 - Delta Goodrem (singer-songwriter and actress)
- November 16 - Kimberly J. Brown (actress)
- November 21 - Jena Malone (actress and musician)
- November 22 - Scarlett Johansson (actress and singer)
- November 23 - Lucas Grabeel (actor, singer, dancer, songwriter, director, and producer)
- November 28 - Mary Elizabeth Winstead (actress)
Deaths
- March 1 - Jackie Coogan (actor)
- April 20 - Sheila Burnford (author)
- April 26 - Henry Rowland (actor)
- May 2 - Bob Clampett (animator, producer, director, and puppeteer)
- July 27 - James Mason (actor)
- August 8 - Richard Deacon (actor)
Artists joined
- Chris Bailey - Animator/Director/Storyboard Artist on The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and on the Disney Channel series Kim Possible
- Dave Bossert - Effects Animator on The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas
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