Song of the South (re-issue)
Lady and the Tramp (re-issue)
"Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah", the first Disney's Sing-Along Songs video to be released.
Gladstone Publishing begins publishing Disney comic books.
An overview of Disney-related events that occurred in 1986.
Theatrical releases
Feature films
- January 31 - Down and Out in Beverly Hills (Touchstone Pictures; first R-rated release under that label)
- March 7 - Sleeping Beauty (re-issue)
- June 23 - The Great Mouse Detective premieres in New York City, New York.
- June 27 - Ruthless People (Touchstone Pictures)
- July 2 - The Great Mouse Detective is released to positive reviews and is a commercial success.
- July 30 - Flight of the Navigator (limited)
- August 1 - Flight of the Navigator
- September 30 - Tough Guys (Touchstone Pictures; San Luis Obispo, California)
- October 3 - Tough Guys (Touchstone Pictures)
- October 8 - The Color of Money premieres in New York City. (Touchstone Pictures)
- October 14 - The Color of Money premieres in Los Angeles, California. (Touchstone Pictures)
- October 17 - The Color of Money (Touchstone Pictures)
- November 21 - Song of the South (re-issue)
- December 19 - Lady and the Tramp (re-issue)
Shorts
- January 15 - The Animated Atlas of the World
- June 25 - Somewhere in the Arctic
- July 2 - Clock Cleaners (re-issue)
- August 17 - Luxo, Jr. (SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater)
- September - I'm No Fool ... with Fire (remake version)
- September 12 - Captain EO (Florida)
- September 13 - How to Catch a Cold (remake version)
- September 18 - Captain EO (California)
- September 19 - Pooh's Great School Bus Adventure
Theme parks and resorts
- January 15 - The Living Seas opens in Future World at Epcot.
- February - The Country Bear Vacation Hoedown debuts in Critter Country at Disneyland, replacing the original Country Bear Jamboree show.
- March 8 - Alice's Tea Party opens in Fantasyland at Tokyo Disneyland.
- May 17 - American Journeys debuts in Tomorrowland at Tokyo Disneyland.
- May 26 - Spaceship Earth reopens for the second renovation in Future World at EPCOT with a new narrator, Walter Cronkite, replacing the original narrator, Vic Perrin.
- June 20 - Disney's River Country celebrates its 10th anniversary at Walt Disney World Resort.
- July 11 - Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour opens in Fantasyland at Tokyo Disneyland.
- September 12 - Captain EO opens in Journey into Imagination Pavilion at Epcot.
- September 18 - Captain EO opens in Tomorrowland at Disneyland.
- October 1 - Walt Disney World Resort and the Magic Kingdom celebrates its 15th anniversary, which runs until September 30, 1987.
Television
- February 2 - After 3 years of being off the air, the Walt Disney anthology series returns to TV under the name The Disney Sunday Movie. It airs on Sunday nights on ABC. It had not had a host since the passing of Walt Disney himself in 1966, but as of this incarnation, Michael Eisner takes over the hosting duties. The first installment is a TV-movie comedy entitled Help Wanted: Kids, featuring Cindy Williams and Micheal McKean. [1]
- February 14 - DTV Valentine airs on NBC.
- October 9 - The Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX for short) launches as the fourth major broadcast television network in the United States.
- December 25 - The fourth annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade premieres on CBS.
Comics
- July - Gladstone Publishing obtains the Disney comic license and starts publishing Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Uncle Scrooge, and Walt Disney's Comics and Stories.
Video games
- Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood (Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS)
- The Black Cauldron (video game) (Apple II, Atari ST, Amiga, DOS)
Home video releases
VHS releases
- January 7
- My Science Project (Touchstone Home Video)
- The Blue Yonder
- Five Mile Creek: Volume 11
- Disney's Greatest Lullabies (original)
- Walt Disney Video-A-Longs
- Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: Fanciful Fables and Animal Tales
- February 25
- Westward Ho, the Wagons!
- One Little Indian
- The Mickey Mouse Club (Volumes 6-10)
- 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
- Winter 1986 trailer reel for (The Journey of Natty Gann and The Sword in the Stone)
- March 25
- April
- Return from Witch Mountain
- The Million Dollar Duck
- Almost Angels
- Scandalous John
- The Journey of Natty Gann
- Spring 1986 trailer reel for 'The Journey of Natty Gann
- May 28
- June 10
- July 16
- August 19
- King of the Grizzlies
- The Light in the Forest
- Treasure of Matecumbe
- The Mooncussers
- Savage Sam
- The Wild Country
- Disney's Greatest Lullabies (re-issue)
- September 23
- October 14
- Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
- Sleeping Beauty
- Robin Hood (re-issue)
- Pinocchio (re-issue)
- Dumbo (re-issue)
- The Sword in the Stone (re-issue)
- Alice in Wonderland (re-issue)
- Mary Poppins (re-issue)
- Old Yeller (re-issue)
- Pete's Dragon (re-issue)
- Pollyanna (re-issue)
- Treasure Island (re-issue)
- A Walt Disney Christmas (re-issue)
- A Disney Christmas Gift (re-issue)
- Canine Commando
- A Tale of Two Chipmunks
- The Unsinkable Donald Duck with Huey, Dewey, and Louie
- Jiminy Cricket's Christmas
- Mickey's Christmas Carol (re-issue)
- November 18
- December 16
- The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
- Nikki, Wild Dog of the North
- Sammy, the Way-Out Seal
- A Tiger Walks
- Late 1986 trailer reel for Sleeping Beauty and Flight of the Navigator
Laserdisc releases
- January 28 - Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: Fanciful Fables and Animal Tales
- May 28 - Mickey Knows Best/The Importance of Being Donald
- October 14 - Sleeping Beauty
Events
- February 3 - Pixar is founded by Edwin Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith.
- February 6 - Walt Disney Productions changes its name to The Walt Disney Company, after a massive corporate restructuring. Its feature animation division is split off into Walt Disney Feature Animation.
- After 8 years, Treasure of Matecumbe, King of the Grizzlies and Moon Pilot are the last videos to use the 1978 Walt Disney Home Video Logo (Neon Mickey). After this, Walt Disney Home Video starts using the "Sorcerer Mickey" logo in May with its first appearance on Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore, and its second appearance in September on Ten Who Dared. The Neon Mickey logo was surprisingly seen on the October 14, 1986 re-releases of Old Yeller and Pollyanna, and the November 18, 1986 re-release of The Small One.
- After 4 years, The Sword in the Stone, The Living Desert, Jungle Cat, The Ugly Dachshund, Charley and the Angel, Lots of Luck, and Greyfriars Bobby are the last videos to use the 1982 Walt Disney and You Promo.
- Starting in 1986, Moon Pilot, King of the Grizzlies, Ten Who Dared One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing, The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin and Treasure of Matecumbe are the first videos to use the Walt Disney World promo.
- Walt Disney is inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame on April 21.
Character debuts
- February - Randy the Skunk
- July 2 - Basil of Baker Street, Bartholomew, David Q. Dawson, Ratigan, Olivia Flaversham, Mr. Flaversham, Fidget, Queen Mousetoria, Felicia, Miss Kitty, Thugs, Toby, Mrs. Judson, Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Lady Mouse
- July 26 - Nikki Ferris, Mary Grand, Brian Carey, Florence
- July 30 - David Freeman, Helen Freeman, Bill Freeman, Max, Dr. Louis Faraday, Carolyn McAdams, R.A.L.F., Bruiser, Puckmaren, Aliens, Jeff Freeman, Larry Howard, Janet Howard
- August 17 - Luxo, Sr., Luxo, Jr.
- September 13 - Chummi Gummi
- September 20 - Flint Shrubwood
- October 4 - Sir Gawain, Trolls
- October 25 - Zorlock and Grot
- November 27 - Jamie Bingham, Claire the Neighbor, Stanley the Blue, Ozzie the Green, Tippi the Pink, Bink the Yellow, Dink the Red, Mr. Hamish, J. J. Wagstaff, Mrs. Bingham, Falumpus
- November 29 - Gusto Gummi, Artie Deco
People
Births
- ? - Harriet Owen (teacher and former actress)
- January 6 - Shane Sweet (voice actor, musician, and former actor)
- January 24
- Ricky Ullman (actor, musician, and singer)
- Mischa Barton (actress and model)
- February 2 - Gemma Arterton (actress)
- February 8 - Tiffany Burton (actress)
- February 14 - Tiffany Thornton (actress, radio personality, and singer-songwriter)
- February 19 - Ophelia Lovibond (actress)
- February 25
- Justin Berfield (actor, writer, and producer)
- Jameela Jamil (actress, activist, and presenter)
- February 26 - Teresa Palmer (actress and model)
- March 4 - Margo Harshman (actress)
- March 6 - Eli Marienthal (actor)
- March 9 - Brittany Snow (actress, voice actress, and singer)
- March 16 - Alexandra Daddario (actress and model)
- March 23 - Steven Strait (actor, singer, musician, and model)
- March 28 - Lady Gaga (singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, activist, businesswoman, fashion designer, actress, and philanthropist)
- April 23 - Shira Roth (actress)
- April 25 - John DeLuca (actor)
- May 2 - Emily Hart (actress)
- May 3 - Pom Klementieff (actress)
- May 12
- Emily VanCamp (actress)
- Eugene Cordero (actor, writer, and comedian)
- May 13 - Lena Dunham (actress, author, writer, director, and producer)
- May 16 - Megan Fox (actress and model)
- May 17 - Tahj Mowry (actor, voice actor, dancer, and singer)
- May 19 - Eric Lloyd (actor, voice actor, comedian, and former child actor)
- May 29 - Hornswoggle (WWE professional wrestler and actor)
- June 11 - Shia LaBeouf (actor and voice actor)
- June 13
- Kat Dennings (actress)
- Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (twin actresses)
- June 18 - Richard Madden (actor)
- June 23 - Sonya Balmores (actress, model, and surfer)
- June 27 - Drake Bell (actor, voice actor, comedian, singer, songwriter, and musician)
- June 28 - Maya Stojan (actress)
- July 2 - Lindsay Lohan (actress, singer, fashion designer, model, and recording artist)
- July 5 - Adam Young (musician, multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, songwriter, and vocalist)
- July 8 - Jake McDorman (actor)
- July 9 - Kiely Williams (singer, actress, songwriter, and dancer)
- July 21 - Diane Guerrero (actress, voice actress, and author)
- August 16 - Shawn Pyfrom (actor, voice actor, and singer)
- August 17 - Bryton James (actor and voice actor)
- August 19 - Hermione Baddeley (actress)
- August 28 - Armie Hammer (actor and voice actor)
- August 29 - Nicole Byer (actress, voice actress, comedian, and writer)
- September 8 - Jake Sandvig (actor)
- September 14 - A.J. Trauth (actor, voice actor, and musician)
- September 16
- Kyla Pratt (actress, voice actress, comedian, and singer)
- Ian Harding (actor)
- October 1
- Jurnee Smollett-Bell (actress and voice actress)
- Sayaka Kanda (Japanese voice actress and singer)
- October 2 - Camilla Belle (actress)
- October 3 - Joonas Suotamo (actor and former basketball player)
- October 23 - Emilia Clarke (actress and voice actress)
- November 10 - Josh Peck (actor, voice actor, comedian, and YouTube personality)
- November 15 - Winston Duke (actor)
- December 23 - Noël Wells (actress and comedian)
- December 29 - Ally Maki (actress and voice actress)
- December 30 - Ellie Goulding (singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist)
Deaths
- January 2 - Una Merkel (actress)
- March 3 - Don Duckwall (producer and director)
- March 25 - Gloria Blondell (actress and voice actress)
- April 30 - Robert Stevenson (director and screenwriter)
- July 22 - Floyd Gottfredson (comic book artist)
- September 28 - Hal King (animator)
- October 11 - David Hand (animator and filmmaker)
- October 14 - Keenan Wynn (actor)
- November 2 - Paul Frees (actor, voice actor, impressionist, and screenwriter)
- November 7 - Alan Hewitt (film, television, and stage actor)
- November 11 - Roger C. Carmel (actor and voice actor)
- November 22 - Jerry Colonna (musician, actor, comedian, singer, songwriter, and trombonist)
- December 13 - Heather Angel (actress and voice actress)
- December 26 - Elsa Lanchester (actress)
Artists joined
- Kirk Wise - Codirector with Gary Trousdale for Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
- Jørgen Klubien - Storyboard Artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios.
1986
