The Lion King musical premieres.
Scrooge McDuck celebrates his 50th anniversary in "A Little Something Special".
Events
- Buena Vista loses the rights to Jim Henson Video, and the video distribution rights are given to Columbia-Tristar Home Video, with the exceptions of The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, which were produced by Disney.
- January - The Walt Disney Company and McDonald's Corporation begins 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 it's first unit in Thousand Oaks, California.
- February 24 - Michael Eisner and Steve Jobs announces that Walt Disney Studios and Pixar have agreed to joint produce five films over the next ten years.
- April 2 - Disney's restored New Amsterdan Theater is unveiled in New York City.
- April 17 - Gibson Guitars holds a demonstration of their new products at Walt Disney World's Pleasure Island.
- December 8 - Walt Disney Television announces their plan to launch Toon Disney.
Theatrical releases
Feature films
- 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)
- June 6 - Con Air (Touchstone Pictures) is released to mixed reviews.
- June 27 - Hercules is released to positive reviews.
- July 16 - George of the Jungle and Nothing to Lose (Touchstone Pictures)
- August 1 - Air Bud
- August 22 - G.I. Jane (Hollywood Pictures)
- October 10 - RocketMan
- October 31 - The Wind in the Willows
- November 14 - The Little Mermaid (reissue)
- November 26 - Flubber
- December 25 - Mr. Magoo
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. It is hosted by Melissa Joan Hart and Will Friedle.
- April 7 - The Disney Channel becomes a basic cable channel as opposed to a premium service. They also get a new logo as well, which had a TV with Mickey Mouse ears on it with Mickey Mouse inside the TV (which will be changed again in 2002). They also drop the "the" in the name, becoming simply "Disney Channel".
- April 19 - Nightmare Ned premieres on ABC with the episode, "Ned's Life as a Dog/A Doll's House".
- 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.
- August 31 - ABC airs the first episode of Recess, "The Break In/The New Kid", in primetime as a preview (depending on the channel affiliate, as some stations were airing news coverage on Princess Diana's death).
- September 1 - 101 Dalmatians: The Series premieres in syndication with "You Slipped a Disk/Chow About That?"; it would also begin airing on ABC on September 13.
- September 13 - Recess and Pepper Ann premiere on ABC as part of the new One Saturday Morning programming block.
- October 5 - Toothless premieres on The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC.
- November 2 - Rodger and 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 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.
Theme park happenings
- January 6 - Pirates of the Caribbean closes in Disneyland for its 30th anniversary renovation.
- January 18 - The Carnival Castle is unveiled at Disneyland Paris.
- February 21 - The first of the Star Wars Weekends is held at Disney-MGM Studios.
- March 1 - The #5 locomotive at Walt Disney World is dedicated to Ward Kimball.
- March 7 - Pirates of the Caribbean reopens in 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 is held in Disney-MGM Studios.
- April 6 - Captain EO closes at Disneyland.
- 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-MGM Studios
- August 1 - Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort opens.
- September - Disneyland's Rocket Jets closes.
Live shows
- November 13 - The Lion King musical premieres.
- Disney On Ice: The Little Mermaid begins touring.
Albums
- January 27 - Bambi (soundtrack)
- May 27 - Hercules (soundtrack)
- June 8 - Mary Poppins (soundtrack)
- August 5 - Air Bud (soundtrack)
- Novemver 1 - Candlelight and Massed Choir Program as Presented at Epcot
- November 11 - Flubber (Soundtrack)
- November 18 - The Lion King - Original Broadway Cast Recording
Books
- Mickey's Walt Disney World Adventure
- August 1 - The Golden Age of Walt Disney Records 1933-1988 by R. Michael Murray
Video releases
VHS releases
- January 21 - D3: The Mighty Ducks
- February 4 - Bambi, That Darn Cat!, Pollyanna, The Parent Trap, and Summer Magic.
- February 18 - The Thief and the Cobbler
- March 4 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Kidnapped, and Swiss Family Robinson.
- April 15 - 101 Dalmatians (live action)
- April 18 - Sailor Moon: Evil Eyes
- April 30 - Sailor Moon: Jupiter and Venus Arrive!, Secret Identities, and Good Queen, Bad Queen.
- July 15 - Fun and Fancy Free and Disney's Doug: Doug's Birthday Blues and Slam Dunk Doug
- July 29 - Jungle 2 Jungle
- August 26 - Mary Poppins, The Love Bug, Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Herbie Goes Bananas, and 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, and The Light in the Forest.
- September 16 - Sleeping Beauty
- October 7 - The Shaggy Dog, The Shaggy D.A., Son of Flubber, Old Yeller, and Disney's Doug: Doug's Secret Christmas
- October 14 - The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland (Re-issue), and Muppet Sing-Alongs: Things that Fly.
- November 19 - Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too (Re-issue)
- December 2 - George of the Jungle and The Absent-Minded Professor
- December 23 - Air Bud
Direct-to-video releases
- How The Toys Saved Christmas
- March 18 - Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves
- April 8 - Mighty Ducks the Movie: The First Face Off
- July 22 - Disney Sing-Along Songs Collection of All Time Favorites: The Early Years, The Magic Years, and The Modern Classics.
- August 5 - Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
- November 11 - Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
People
Births
- Kyle Stanger (voice actor)
- January 24 - Dylan Riley Snyder (film, television and musical theatre performer)
- February 10 - Chloë Grace Moretz (actress)
- March 16 - Tyrel Jackson Williams (actor)
- March 18 - Ciara Bravo (actress and voice actress)
- May 30 - Jake Short (actor)
- July 13 - Leo Howard (actor, model, martial artist)
- August 5 - Adam Irigoyen (actor, singer, rapper and dancer)
- August 5 - Olivia Holt (actress and singer)
- August 16 – Piper Curda (actress and singer)
- October 8 - Bella Thorne (actress and singer)
- October 23 - Zach Callison (voice, television and film actor)
- October 28 - Sierra McCormick (actress)
- November 1 - Max Burkholder (voice actor)
- December - Charlie Tahan (actor)
Deaths
- January 1 - Joan Rice (film actress)
- January 19 - Adriana Caselotti (actress)
- January 29 - Daniel P. Mannix (author, journalist, photographer, side-show performer, stage musician, animal trainer and film maker)
- February 8 - Robert Ridgely (actor and vocal artist)
- March 9 - Charley Laney (mouseketeer)
- April 24 - Pat Paulsen (comedian and satirist)
- June 24 - Brian Keith (film, television and stage actor)
- July 28 - Rosalie Crutchley (English actress)
- August 18 - Don Knight (English film, television and stage actor)
- September 7 - Samuel W. Taylor (novelist, scriptwriter and historian)
- September 9 - Burgess Meredith (actor, director, producer and writer)
- October 12 - John Denver (singer-songwriter and actor)
- October 24 - Don Messick (voice actor)
- December 16 - Lillian Disney (wife of Walt Disney, named Mickey Mouse and was an ink artist for Plane Crazy)
Character debuts
- June 27 - Hercules, Megara, Hades, Pain and Panic, Philoctetes, Zeus, Pegasus, Muses, Fates, Hera, Hermes
- August 1 - Buddy
- September 1 - Cadpig, Spot
- September 2 - Tripod
- September 13 - TJ Detweiler, Vince LaSalle, Ashley Spinelli, Gretchen Grundler, Mikey Blumberg, Gus Griswald, Miss Finster, Randall Weems, King Bob, Miss Grotke, Pepper Ann Pearson, Lydia Pearson, Nickey Little
1997