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 Andre & Wally B. (SIGGRAPH Film Festival)
- July 26 - Fitness and Me: Why Exercise?
- August 1
- Donald's Fire Survival Plan (remake version)
- Harold and His Amazing Green Plants (schools)
- December 14 - Frankenweenie (Los Angeles, California)
- December 21 - Frankenweenie
- ?
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.
- ? - You and Me, Kid: Volume 1-2
Laserdisc releases
- ? - DTV: Golden Oldies, Pop & Rock and Rock, Rhythm & Blues
Video games
- Mickey Mouse 2 (Nintendo Game and Watch) (Panorama variety)
- Mickey's Space Adventure (DOS, Apple Macintosh, Apple II, Commodore 64/VIC, TRS-80)
- Onc' Picsou (possibly translates to Scrooge McDuck) (Tiger Electronics Handheld LCD)
- Donald Duck's Playground (Commodore 64)
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, voice actress, and singer)
- April 3 - Chrissie Fit (actress and singer)
- April 8 - Kirsten Storms (actress)
- April 10 - Mandy Moore (singer-songwriter, actress, model, and fashion designer)
- April 18 - America Ferrera (actress, voice actress, and producer)
- April 25 - Jillian Bell (actress, voice actress, comedian, and screenwriter)
- April 26 - Ryan O'Donohue (actor)
- April 27 - Patrick Stump (lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and actor)
- 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 former spokesman)
- May 29 - KayCee Stroh (actress and singer)
- May 30 - DeWanda Wise (actress)
- June 10 - Betsy Sodaro (actress, voice actress, and comedian)
- June 18 - Christopher Ragland (actor, voice actor, and singer)
- June 26 - Aubrey Plaza (actress, voice actress, and comedian)
- July 1 - Tanya Chisholm (actress and dancer)
- July 19 - Andrea Libman (actress, voice actress, pianist, and singer)
- July 30 - Gina Rodriguez (actress, voice actress, director, producer, screenwriter, and model)
- September 1 - Joe Trohman (lead guitarist)
- September 3 - Garrett Hedlund (actor, model, and singer)
- September 14 - Adam Lamberg (actor)
- September 16 - Sabrina Bryan (singer, actress, author, songwriter, fashion designer, choreographer, dancer, and television personality)
- September 19 - Kevin Zegers (actor and model)
- September 23 - Anneliese van der Pol (actress, voice actress, singer, and dancer)
- September 27 - Avril Lavigne (singer-songwriter and actress)
- October 1
- Josh Brener (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
- Beck Bennett (actor, writer, and comedian)
- October 2 - John Morris (actor and voice actor)
- October 3 - Ashlee Simpson (singer-songwriter and actress)
- October 14 - Jason Davis (actor, voice actor, and singer)
- October 25 - Katy Perry (singer, songwriter, and actress)
- October 27 - Kelly Osbourne (fashion designer, singer, actress, and voice actress)
- November 1 - Michaela Dietz (actress, voice actress, and singer)
- November 3 - Marcus Toji (actor and voice actor)
- November 16 - Kimberly J. Brown (actress and voice actress)
- November 20 - Jeremy Jordan (actor, voice actor, singer, and dancer)
- November 21 - Jena Malone (actress and musician)
- November 22 - Scarlett Johansson (actress, voice actress, singer, and professional model)
- November 23 - Lucas Grabeel (actor, voice actor, singer, dancer, songwriter, director, and producer)
- November 28 - Mary Elizabeth Winstead (actress)
Deaths
- May 2 - Bob Clampett (animator, director, producer, puppeteer, and voice actor)
- July 19 - Harry Stockwell (actor, voice actor, and singer)
- 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
1984