Donald Duck celebrates his fiftieth birthday.
Another Rainbow begins publishing the Carl Barks Library.
Notable 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.
Theatrical releases
| Date | Film |
| March 9 | Splash (Touchstone Pictures) Pete's Dragon (re-issue) |
| July 27 | The Jungle Book (re-issue) |
| September 28 | Country (Touchstone Pictures) |
| December 21 | Pinocchio (re-issue) |
Shorts
- December 14 - Frankenweenie
- December 18 - The Adventures of André & Wally B.
Television
- May 5 - DTV music videos begin airing on the Disney Channel
- November 13 - Donald Duck's 50th Birthday airs on CBS.
Theme park happenings
- 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 Center.
- December 19 - The Country Bear Christmas Special debuts at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom.
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.
Books
- Donald Duck: 50 Years of Happy Frustration
VHS releases
- December 5
- Mickey's Christmas Carol
- Robin Hood is released as the first installment of the Walt Disney Classics series.
- The Castaway Cowboy
- Tiger Town
- Son of Flubber
- Follow Me Boys!
- Big Red
- The Incredible Journey
- Winnie the Pooh and Friends
- Gone Are the Dayes
- Lucky Luke: Daisy Town
- Lucky Luke: The Ballad of Daltons
- The Twelve Tasks of Asterix
- Disney's Halloween Treat
- A Disney Christmas Gift
- Animal Quiz (Volumes 1-9)
- Stories and Fables Volumes (1-8)
- Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: Limited Gold Editions
- DTV: Golden Oldies, Pop & Rock and Rock, Rhythm & Blues
Business
- Michael Eisner is hired as the CEO of the company. Eisner had previously worked as the head of ABC and then of Paramount Pictures. Eisner would eventually bring ABC under Disney's ownership. Eisner 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. Eisner 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 - Walt Disney Television Animation is founded.
People
Births
- February 1 - Lee Thompson Young (actor)
- March 10 - Olivia Wilde (actress)
- March 12 - Jaimie Alexander (actress)
- March 20 - Christy Carlson Romano (actress and singer)
- April 3 - Chrissie Fit (actress)
- April 8 - Kirsten Storms (actress)
- April 10 - Mandy Moore (actress and singer)
- April 11 - Kelli Garner (actress)
- April 18 - America Ferrera (voice actress)
- May 3 - Cheryl Burke (dancer and actress)
- May 13 - Hannah New (model and actress)
- May 23 - Adam Wylie (actor, voice actor, singer, musical performer and spokesman)
- May 29 - KayCee Stroh (actress)
- June 26 - Aubrey Plaza (actress and comedian)
- July 1 - Tanya Chisholm (actress)
- September 3 - Garrett Hedlund (actor)
- September 16 - Sabrina Bryan (actress and singer)
- 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 12 - Brittany Paige Bouck (actress)
- October 14 - Jason Davis (actor and voice actor)
- October 25 - Katy Perry (singer, songwriter and actress)
- October 27 - Kelly Osbourne (actress and fashion designer)
- November 3 - Marcus Toji (actor)
- November 5 - Mario Yedidia (actor and political coordinator)
- November 16 - Kimberly J. Brown (actress)
- November 21 - Jena Malone (actress)
- November 22 - Scarlett Johansson (actress)
- November 23 - Lucas Grabeel (actor)
- November 28 - Mary Elizabeth Winstead (actress)
Deaths
- February 15 - Ethel Merman (actress and singer)
- March 1 - Jackie Coogan (actor)
- March 5 - William Powell (actor)
- April 20 - Sheila Burnford (author)
- April 26 - Henry Rowland (actor)
- May 2 - Bob Clampett (animator, producer, director, and puppeteer)
- June 7 - George Givot (actor)
- June 20 - Estelle Winwood (stage and film actress)
- July 19 - Harry Stockwell (actor and singer)
- July 27 - James Mason (actor)
- July 29 - Fred Waring (musician, bandleader and radio-television personality)
- 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
- Alex Topete - Lead Key Assistant Animator on The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin
- Dave Bossert - Effects Animator on The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Pocahontas
1984