1997

George Of The Jungle — *George of the Jungle*

TLK Vintage Broadway Poster — *The Lion King* musical premieres.

ALittleSomethingSpecial cover — Scrooge McDuck celebrates his 50th anniversary in "A Little Something Special".

Theatrical releases

Feature films

January 24 - Prefontaine (Hollywood Pictures)
January 31 - Shadow Conspiracy (Hollywood Pictures)
February 14 - That Darn Cat is released to generally negative reviews.
March 7 - Jungle 2 Jungle is released to very poor reviews.
April 11 - Grosse Pointe Blank (Hollywood Pictures with Caravan Pictures)
April 25 - Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (Touchstone Pictures)
June 6 - Con Air (Touchstone Pictures) is released to mixed reviews.
June 27 - Hercules is released to very positive reviews, but under-performed at the box office.
July 16 - George of the Jungle
July 23 - Air Force One (Touchstone Pictures)
August 1 - Air Bud
August 22 - G.I. Jane (Hollywood Pictures with Caravan Pictures)
September 19 - A Thousand Acres (Touchstone Pictures)
October 10
- Washington Square (Hollywood Pictures)
- RocketMan (with Caravan Pictures)
November 7 - Starship Troopers (Touchstone Pictures)
November 14 - The Little Mermaid (re-release)
November 26 - Flubber (with Great Oaks Entertainment)
December 19 - Princess Mononoke
December 25 - Mr. Magoo

Shorts

Theme parks

January 6 - Pirates of the Caribbean closes at Disneyland for its 30th anniversary renovations.
January 18 - The Carnival Castle is unveiled at Disneyland Paris.
February 21 - Star Wars Weekends takes place at Disney's Hollywood Studios for the first time.
March 1 - The #5 locomotive at Walt Disney World is dedicated to Ward Kimball.
March 7 - Pirates of the Caribbean reopens at Disneyland.
March 17 - Walt Disney World's Pleasure Island is transformed into Pleasure "Ireland" for St. Patrick's Day.
March 21 - The fifth and final weekend of the first Star Wars Weekends takes place at the Disney-MGM Studios.
April 6 - Captain EO closes at Disneyland.
April 12 - Disneyland Paris celebrates its 5th anniversary.
April 18 - The fourth annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival begins.
April 28 - King Stefan's Banquet Hall, a restaurant inside the Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle is renamed Cinderella's Royal Table.
May 17 - Fink 169 Boats closes at Disneyland.
May 23 - Light Magic debuts at Disneyland.
June 1 - Disneyland's Lion King Celebration parade ends its near three-year-run.
July 1 - ABC Sound Studio opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
August 1 - Disney's Coronado Springs Resort opens at Walt Disney World.
September - Rocket Jets closes at Disneyland.
October 1 - EPCOT celebrates its 15th anniversary.

Television

January 17 - Mighty Ducks airs its final episode.
February 15 - Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles airs its final episode.
February 28 - ABC airs the special Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary Party in prime-time, hosted by Melissa Joan Hart and Will Friedle.
April 6 - The Disney Channel becomes a basic cable channel as opposed to a premium service. They also get a new logo as well, which has a TV with Mickey Mouse ears on it with Mickey Mouse (as well as the live-action people and the Disney characters) inside it (which would be changed again in 2002). They also decide to call it simply "Disney Channel".
April 19 - Nightmare Ned premieres on ABC with the episode "Ned's Life as a Dog/A Doll's House".
May 8 - Playhouse Disney begins airing on the Disney Channel.
August 23 - The first Disney Channel Original Movie, Northern Lights, debuts on the Disney Channel.
August 29 - The Disney Afternoon name is used for the last time. From September 1 to the end of 1998, syndicated Disney programs would not carry a block name.
September 13
- 101 Dalmatians: The Series premieres in syndication with "Home is Where the Bark Is"; it would also begin airing on ABC on the same day.
- Recess and Pepper Ann premiere on ABC as part of the new Disney's One Saturday Morning programming block.
October 5 - Toothless premieres on The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC.
October 20 - Bear in the Big Blue House premieres on Playhouse Disney.
October 25 - Under Wraps premieres on the Disney Channel.
November 2 - Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella premieres on The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC.
November 9 - Angels in the Endzone premieres on The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC.
November 16 - Oliver Twist premieres on The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC.
November 21 - Absent-Minded Inventors and the Search for Flubber premieres on ABC.
November 24 - Bear in the Big Blue House Season 1 final episode premieres on Playhouse Disney.
November 30 - The Love Bug remake premieres on The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC.
December 25 - A Magical Walt Disney World Christmas airs on ABC, hosted by Melissa Joan Hart and Jerry Van Dyke.

Comics

December - Gladstone Publishing stops publishing Donald Duck and Donald Duck Adventures.

Books

Mickey's Walt Disney World Adventure
August 1 - The Golden Age of Walt Disney Records 1933-1988 by R. Michael Murray

Video games

March 18 - Animated StoryBook: 101 Dalmatians
July 27 - Animated StoryBook: Hercules
July 28 - Ready for Math with Pooh
August 27 - Ready to Read with Pooh
November 25 - Ariel's Story Studio
Hercules (PS1, Game Boy, Windows)
101 Dalmatians: Escape from DeVil Manor (Windows)
Nightmare Ned (Windows)
Peter Pan Neverland e Ikou! (Sega Pico)

Albums

January 27 - Bambi (soundtrack)
May 27 - Hercules (soundtrack)
June 8 - Mary Poppins (soundtrack)
August 5 - Air Bud (soundtrack)
November 1 - Candlelight and Massed Choir Program as Presented at Epcot
November 11 - Flubber (Soundtrack)
November 18 - The Lion King - Original Broadway Cast Recording

Live shows

November 13 - The Lion King musical premieres.
Disney On Ice: The Little Mermaid begins touring.

Home video releases

January 21
- D3: The Mighty Ducks
- Eddie (Hollywood Pictures Home Video)
February 4
- Bambi
- That Darn Cat!
- Pollyanna
- The Parent Trap
- Summer Magic
March 4
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Treasure Island
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Kidnapped
- Swiss Family Robinson
March 18
- Dangerous Minds
- Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves
April 8 - The First Face-Off
April 15 - 101 Dalmatians (live action)
April 22 - The Rich Man's Wife (Hollywood Pictures Home Video)
July 15
- Pete's Dragon (re-issue)
- Robin Hood (re-issue)
- Fun and Fancy Free
- Disney's Doug: Doug's Birthday Blues
- Disney's Doug: Slam Dunk Doug
July 22 - Disney Sing-Along Songs Collection of All Time Favorites: The Early Years, The Magic Years, and The Modern Classics
July 29 - Jungle 2 Jungle
August 5
- Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
- Science Rock
- Multiplication Rock
- Grammar Rock
- America Rock
August 26
- Winnie the Pooh: Frankenpooh (re-issue)
- Winnie the Pooh: Spookable Pooh (re-issue)
- Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh
- Mary Poppins
- The Love Bug
- Herbie Rides Again
- Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
- Herbie Goes Bananas
- Disney's Doug: The Vampire Caper
September 2 - First Kid
September 9
- Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
- Davy Crockett and the River Pirates
- Johnny Tremain
- The Light in the Forest
September 16 - Sleeping Beauty
October 7
- The Shaggy Dog
- The Shaggy D.A.
- Son of Flubber
- Old Yeller
- Disney's Doug: Doug's Secret Christmas
October 14 - The Jungle Book
November 11
- Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (Touchstone Home Video)
- Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
November 18 - Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too (re-issue)
December 2
- George of the Jungle
- The Absent-Minded Professor
- Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
December 9 - Con Air
December 23 - Air Bud

Events

Buena Vista loses the rights to distribute Jim Henson shows, and the Jim Henson Video label is folded. The video distribution rights would move on to Columbia Tristar Home Video under the Jim Henson Home Entertainment label, with the exception of works directly produced by Disney, which are retained by them.
Disney officially enters the DVD market.
January - The Walt Disney Company and McDonald's Corporation begin a multi-national promotional alliance.
January 15 - Production begins on The Emperor's New Groove.
February 21 - Club Disney, an interactive children's play center, opens its first unit in Thousand Oaks, California.
February 24 - Michael Eisner and Steve Jobs announce that Walt Disney Studios and Pixar have agreed to joint produce five films over the next ten years.
April 2 - Disney's restored New Amsterdam Theater is unveiled in New York City.
April 17 - Gibson Guitars holds a demonstration of their new products at Pleasure Island.
April 18 - EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival is held runs until June 1.
October 25 - EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival is held runs until November 25.
November 28 - EPCOT Holidays Around the World is held runs until December 30.
December 8 - Walt Disney Television announces their plans to launch Toon Disney.

Character debuts

January 4 - Guy Henry
January 17 - Falcone
January 25 - Marsha Robinson, Jane Robinson, Pirates
January - Due
February 15 - Maxwell
February - Morgan Fairfax
March 7 - Michael Cromwell, Mimi-Siku Cromwell, Charlotte, Maitika
March 18 - Gordon Szalinski, Patti Szalinski, Jenny Szalinski, Mitch Szalinski, Ricky King, Jody, Vince, Trey
April 2 - Geri
April 19 - Ned Needlemeyer, Conrad and Vernon
May - Grrodon, Geena, Burton LaValle
June 27 - Hercules, Megara, Hades, Pain and Panic, Philoctetes, Zeus, Pegasus, Muses, Fates, Hera, Hermes, Olympian Gods, Titans, Cyclops, Hestia, Hephaestus, Athena, Ares, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Artemis, Apollo, Thebans, Dionysus, Titans, Cerberus, Hydra, Minotaur, Stheno, Nemean Lion, Nessus, Furies, Nymphs, Amphitryon and Alcmene, Demeter, Cupid, Morpheus, Ibid
June - Abraham L. Wisecube, Clint E. Westcock
July 16 - George of the Jungle, Ursula Stanhope, Lyle Van de Groot, Ape, Mr. Kwame, Max and Thor, Beatrice Stanhope, Arthur Stanhope, Betsy, George Jr., Tookie Tookie
July - Fenimore Cook, Rangi Fangus,
August 1 - Buddy, Norman Snively, Jackie Framm, Josh Framm, Andrea Framm, Arthur Chaney, Judge Cranfield, Larry Willingham, Buck Willingham, Coach Barker
September 1 - Cadpig, Spot, Lieutenant Pug, Billy Paganino
September 2 - Tripod
September 3 - Mayor Ed Pig
September 4 - Mooch
September 9 - Dumpling
September 10 - The Vandercreams
September 13 - TJ Detweiler, Vince LaSalle, Ashley Spinelli, Gretchen Grundler, Mikey Blumberg, Gus Griswald, Miss Finster, Principal Prickly, Randall Weems, King Bob, Ashley Tomassian, Miss Grotke, Captain Sticky, Swinger Girl, Cornchip Girl, Pepper Ann Pearson, Lydia Pearson, Milo Kamalani, Nicky Little, Moose Pearson, Principal Hickey, Janie Diggety, JoJo Diggety, Cissy Rooney, Trinket St. Blair, Tessa and Vanessa James, Dieter Lederhosen, Craig Bean, Scorch, Manny the Uncanny
September 20 - Butch, Ashley Armbruster, Ashley Boulet, Ashley Quinlan
September 25 - Cornelia
September 27 - The Brittanys, King Freddie II, Brenda
October 4 - Menlo
October 11 - Vendella De Vil
October 18 - Alice Kane
October 20 - Bear, Tutter, Ojo, Pip and Pop, Treelo, Shadow, Luna
October 26 - Buzzy Crocker, Anna Petterson, Patricia Petterson
October - Gorthan
November 1 - The Kindergartners
November 2 - Cinderella, Fairy Godmother, Prince Christopher, Cinderella's Stepmother, Minerva, Calliope, King Maximilian, Queen Constantina, Lionel
November 3 - P.H. De Vil
November 8 - Gelman
November 10 - Grandma Flutter
November 11 - Angelique, Forte, Fife
November 14 - Ivy De Vil
November 15 - Coach Doogan
November 22 - Chuck Pearson, Blaze
November 24 - Christine
November 26 - Philip Brainard, Dr. Sara Jean Reynolds, Wilson Croft, Weebo, Rover, Weebette, Flubber
November 30 - Hank Cooper, Simon Moore III, Dr. Gustav Stumpfel, Horace, Rupert
Billy Paganino
Shrunken Ned

People

Births

January 7 - Kyle Stanger (actor, voice actor, and singer)
January 21 - Jeremy Shada (voice actor, singer, and musician)
January 24 - Dylan Riley Snyder (actor)
February 8 - Kathryn Newton (actress)
February 10 - Chloë Grace Moretz (actress and singer)
March 10 - Uriah Shelton (actor and singer)
March 16 - Tyrel Jackson Williams (actor, voice actor, singer, and musician)
March 18 - Ciara Bravo (actress and voice actress)
March 19 - Abby Ross (actress)
May 2 - Perla Haney-Jardine (actress)
May 30 - Jake Short (actor)
July 13 - Leo Howard (actor, model, and martial artist)
August 5
- Olivia Holt (actress, voice actress, and singer)
- Adam Irigoyen (actor, singer, rapper, and dancer)
August 16 - Piper Curda (actress, voice actress, and singer)
August 25 - Bryana Salaz (pop singer-songwriter and actress)
October 8 - Bella Thorne (actress, voice actress, singer, dancer, director, and model)
October 10 - Grace Rolek (voice actress)
October 23 - Zach Callison (actor, voice actor, and singer)
October 28 - Sierra McCormick (actress)
October 31 - Sydney Park (actress and comedian)
November 1 - Max Burkholder (actor and voice actor)
November 26 - Aubrey Joseph (actor)

Deaths

January 18 - Adriana Caselotti (actress, voice actress, and singer)
February 8 - Robert Ridgely (actor, voice actor, and vocal artist)
February 26 - David Doyle (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
April 24 - Pat Paulsen (comedian and satirist)
June 24 - Brian Keith (actor)
June 29 - William Hickey (actor and voice actor)
September 9 - Burgess Meredith (actor, director, producer, and writer)
October 12 - John Denver (singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, actor, activist, and humanitarian)
October 24 - Don Messick (voice actor)
December 16 - Lillian Disney (widow of Walt Disney, named Mickey Mouse, and was an ink artist for Plane Crazy)