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An overview of Disney-related events that occured in 1985.
Disneyland celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Contents
Theatrical releases
Feature films
- February 8 - Fantasia (re-issue; digitally re-recorded release)
- March 22 - Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (Touchstone Pictures)
- June 21 - Return to Oz is released to mixed reviews and is a box-office bomb.
- July 24 - The Black Cauldron is released to mixed reviews and is a box-office bomb like Return to Oz.
- July 26 - The Black Cauldron (New York City, New York)
- August 9 - My Science Project (Touchstone Pictures)
- September 27 - The Journey of Natty Gann
- November 22 - One Magic Christmas
- December 20 - One Hundred and One Dalmatians (re-issue)
Shorts
- ? - Advice on Lice
- July 24 - Chips Ahoy (re-issue)
Theme parks
- January 17 - Magic Journeys opens at Tokyo Disneyland.
- July 17 - Disneyland celebrates its 30th anniversary.
- September 2 - Adventure Thru Inner Space closes at Disneyland.
Television
- February 18 - Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Celebration airs on NBC.
- September 14 - The Wuzzles and Adventures of the Gummi Bears premieres on Saturday mornings on CBS and NBC, respectively. Though Disney had a presence on TV since 1954, the company had never attempted to create its own animated shows due to the high cost of its style of animation. With some computer assistance and other techniques that saved time and money, Disney finally entered the field with this venture. The animation was still of a remarkably higher quality than most other animated offerings of the time, and this show helped pave the way for Disney shows that would air daily instead of just weekly, such as DuckTales.
Movies
- January 5 - Black Arrow
- February 3 - Lots of Luck
- April 1 - The Undergrads
- November 15 - The Blue Yonder
Books
Storybooks
Home video releases
VHS releases
- January
- The Prince and the Pauper (live-action)
- Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
- February
- April
- Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Vol. 11: The Continuing Adventures of Chip 'n' Dale Featuring Donald Duck and Vol. 12: Disney's Tall Tales
- Welcome to Pooh Corner: Volume 3
- Summer Magic
- Mousercise
- Country
- DTV: Love Songs
- Candleshoe
- May 14 - Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Limited Gold Edition II: Life with Mickey!
- May 21 - Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Limited Gold Edition II: Donald's Bee Pictures, The World According to Goofy, The Disney Dream Factory: 1933-1938, An Officer and a Duck, How the Best Was Won: 1933-1960 and From Pluto with Love
- June
- Never a Dull Moment
- Five Mile Creek: Volume 6
- Welcome to Pooh Corner: Volume 4
- July 16
- August
- Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (re-issue)
- The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (re-issue)
- The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (re-issue)
- The North Avenue Irregulars (re-issue)
- Amy (re-issue)
- DTV: Groovin for the '60s Afternoon
- September
- The Shaggy D.A.
- Bedknobs and Broomsticks (re-issue)
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (re-issue)
- Escape to Witch Mountain (re-issue)
- The Moon-Spinners
- October 8 - The Walt Disney Comedy and Magic Revue
- October 22
- November 5
- Dumbo
- The Black Hole
- Mary Poppins
- Old Yeller
- Pete's Dragon
- The Love Bug
- Herbie Rides Again
- The Gnome-Mobile (re-issue)
- Tron
- Babes in Toyland
- Swiss Family Robinson
- Treasure Island
- Pollyanna
- Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (re-issue)
- Herbie Goes Bananas
- Darby O'Gill and the Little People (re-issue)
- A Disney Christmas Gift (re-issue)
- Mickey's Christmas Carol (re-issue)
- November 19
- December
- The Wonderful World of Disney
- An Adventure in Color including Donald in Mathmagic Land/Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life
- The Ranger of Brownstone/It's Tough to Be a Bird
- Ducking Disaster with Donald and His Friends/Goofing Around with Donald Duck
- The Plausible Impossible/The Ranger's Guide to Nature
- Yellowstone Cubs/Flash, the Teenage Otter
- The Bluegrass Special/Runaway on the Rogue River
- Dad, Can I Borrow the Car?/The Hunter and the Rock Star
- Fire on Kelly Mountain/Adventure in Satan's Canyon
- Call It Courage/The Legend of the Boy and the Eagle
- Three on the Run/Race for Survival
- The Wonderful World of Disney
- December 10
- The Mickey Mouse Club Volumes 1-5
- Five Mile Creek: Volume 10
- Return to Oz
- The Small One
- ?
- You and Me, Kid: Volume 3-4
- The Apple Dumpling Gang (re-issue)
- Hot Lead and Cold Feet (re-issue)
Laserdisc releases
Events
- June 21 - Walt Disney Pictures introduces its logo.
- An infamous "Gong Show" meeting to pitch ideas for new studio heads Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg leads to multiple proposals of note, including "a sequel to The Rescuers", "Oliver Twist with animals and, by directors Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors of the upcoming The Great Mouse Detective, two ideas: "Treasure Island in space" and "finally make an animated version of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid."
- The 1978 Walt Disney Home Entertainment "Neon Mickey" logo makes surprise appearances on the 1985 re-prints of Hot Lead and Cold Feet, The Apple Dumpling Gang, and Gus.
Character debuts
- May 6 - Lionel, Fair Dinkum, Sebastian, Barnaby, Lilli, Q.T., Flip & Flap
- June 21 - Dorothy Gale, Jack Pumpkinhead, Tik-Tok, Billina, Dr. Worley, Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, Tin Woodman, Toto, Nome King, Nurse Wilson, Ozma, Scarecrow, Mombi, The Gump, Cowardly Lion, Munchkins, Scraps the Patchwork Girl
- July 24 - Taran, Eilonwy, Dallben, Fflewddur Fflam, King Eidilleg, Gurgi, Doli, Hen Wen, Horned King, Horned King's guards, Creeper, Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch, Cat, Dog, Moose, Dallben's Farm Animals, Cauldron Born, Gwythaints, Fair Folk
- September 14
- September 21 - Steven Sealbird, Peter Parafox
- September 28 - Officer Eaglebeagle, Mrs. Pedigree
- October 5 - Carpies
- October 19 - Mr. Packcat
- October 26 - Transylvia, Dingbats, Gorantula
- November 2 - Loopy, The Hunter
- November 9 - Gargoyle
- November 22 - Jack Grainger, Ginny Grainger, Cal Grainger, Abbie Grainger, Caleb Grainger, Molly Monaghan, Gideon, Herbie Conklin, Harry Dickens
- December 7 - Tycoon
People
Births
- January 1 - Sophie McShera (actress)
- January 20 - Mario Bailey (actor)
- January 24 - Frankie J. Galasso (musician and actor)
- January 25 - Claudia Kim (actress)
- January 28 - Warrick Brownlow-Pike (puppeteer)
- January 31 - Tyler Ritter (actor)
- February 7
- Tina Majorino (actress)
- Deborah Ann Woll (actress)
- February 9
- David Gallagher (actor and voice actor)
- Rachel Melvin (actress)
- February 19 - Haylie Duff (actress, singer-songwriter, producer, and food blogger)
- February 20 - Jake Richardson (actor)
- March 4 - Scott Michael Foster (actor)
- March 13 - Emile Hirsch (actor)
- March 21 - Sonequa Martin-Green (actress)
- March 22 - Katie Stuart (actress and stunt performer)
- March 26
- Jonathan Groff (actor, singer, and songwriter)
- Keira Knightley (actress, singer, and model)
- Francesca Marie Smith (actress, voice actress, and writer)
- March 27 - Blake McIver Ewing (singer-songwriter, actor, model, and pianist)
- April 1 - Josh Zuckerman (actor)
- April 20 - Billy Magnussen (actor and musician)
- April 24 - Courtnee Draper (actress, voice actress, singer, and lawyer)
- April 28 - Brandon Baker (actor)
- April 30 - Gal Gadot (actress and model)
- May 10 - Odette Annable (actress and voice actress)
- May 14 - Sally Martin (actress)
- May 17 - Jonathan McDaniel (actor and rapper)
- May 27 - Andrew Francis (actor and voice artist)
- June 11 - Chris Trousdale (actor and singer)
- June 18 - Alex Hirsch (animator, storyboard artist, director, producer, writer, and voice actor)
- June 22 - Lindsay Ridgeway (actress)
- June 29 - Sancha Baucom (actress)
- June 30 - Michael Phelps (swimmer)
- July 2 - Ashley Tisdale (actress, voice actress, comedian, singer, and producer)
- July 21 - Vanessa Lengies (actress, voice actress, dancer, and singer)
- August 9 - Anna Kendrick (actress and singer)
- September 1 - Lilan Bowden (actress and writer)
- September 3
- Yūki Kaji (Japanese voice actor)
- Shane Houghton (animator, writer, director, producer, editor, storyboard artist, and voice actor)
- September 6 - Lauren Lapkus (actress and voice actress)
- September 21 - Doug Rockwell (songwriter, record producer, musician, singer, and composer)
- September 22 - Tatiana Maslany (actress)
- September 24 - Jessica Lucas (actress and singer)
- October 11 - Michelle Trachtenberg (actress)
- October 13 - Tiffany Burton (actress)
- October 27 - Briana Lane (actress, producer, and writer)
- October 31 - Kether Donohue (actress and singer)
- November 7 - Lucas Neff (actor and voice actor)
- November 21 - Carly Rae Jepsen (singer, songwriter, and actress)
- November 23 - Katie Crown (actress, voice actress, comedian, and screenwriter)
- November 26 - Daron Nefcy (animator, actress, voice actress, writer, producer, artist, and storyboard artist)
- November 30 - Kaley Cuoco (actress and voice actress)
- December 5 - Frankie Muniz (actor, voice actor, musician, writer, producer, race car driver, and band manager)
- December 10 - Raven-Symoné (actress, comedian, model, singer, songwriter, dancer, television producer, and television host)
- December 26 - Beth Behrs (actress)
Deaths
- January 25 - Paul Smith (music composer)
- January 29 - Don Raye (songwriter)
- February 8 - Marvin Miller (actor and voice actor)
- February 20 - Clarence Nash (voice actor)
- February 27 - J. Pat O'Malley (singer and actor)
- March 8 - Edward Andrews (actor)
- March 24 - Dick Kinney (animator and comic book writer)
- April 25 - Richard Haydn (actor)
- May 22 - Wolfgang Reitherman (animator, director, and producer)
- August 29 - Patrick Barr (film and television actor)
- October 10 - Orson Welles (actor, director, writer, and producer)
- October 16 - Peter Young (screenwriter)
- November 1 - Judge Whitaker (animator and director)
- November 29 - Bill Scott (voice actor, writer, and producer)
Artists joined
- Duncan Marjoribanks - Supervising animator for Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Pocahontas.
- Ellen Woodbury
- Kevin Lima - Animator/Director for Tarzan, A Goofy Movie, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Enchanted.
- Anthony DeRosa - Animator on The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Princess and the Frog.
- Gary Trousdale - Director/Screenwriter who worked on Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and The Lion King.
1985
