An overview of all Disney-related events that occurred in the year 1959.
Theatrical releases
Feature films
- January 29 - Sleeping Beauty (Los Angeles, California)
- February 17 - Sleeping Beauty (New York City, New York)
- March 19 - The Shaggy Dog
- June 26 - Darby O'Gill and the Little People (Los Angeles, California)
- June 29 - Darby O'Gill and the Little People (New York City, New York)
- August 4 - The Big Fisherman
- November 10 - Third Man on the Mountain
- December 24 - Dumbo (re-issue)
Shorts
- March 19 - Nature's Strangest Creatures
- June 18 - Eyes in Outer Space
- June 26 - Donald in Mathmagic Land
- September 2 - How to Have an Accident at Work
- November 10 - Noah's Ark
- December 16 - Mysteries of the Deep
Theme parks
- June 14 - Matterhorn Bobsleds, the Disneyland Monorail System, and the Submarine Voyage all open in an event referred to as "The Second Opening of Disneyland"
- September - Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev is denied access to Disneyland due to security concerns
Television
- January 30 - The Walt Disney Presents episode "The Peter Tchaikovsky Story" airs on ABC.
- May 29 - The Walt Disney Presents episode "I Captured the King of the Leprechauns" airs on ABC.
Books
- The Story of Walt Disney
Business events
- Nintendo licenses characters from Walt Disney Productions to use on playing cards.
Character debuts
- January 8 - Buena
- January 29 - Aurora, Prince Phillip, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, Maleficent, Diablo, King Stefan, Queen Leah, King Hubert, Forest Animals, Samson, Maleficent's Goons, Minstrel
- February 26 - Anita Cabrillo
- March 19 - Wilby Daniels, Moochie Daniels, Buzz Miller
- June 26 - Darby O'Gill, Katie O'Gill, Michael MacBride, King Brian, Pony Sugrue, Sheelah Sugrue, Lord Fitzpatrick, Father Murphy, Phadrig Oge, Paddy Scanlon, Molly Malloy, Tom Kerrigan, Banshee, Dullahan
- September 2 - Donald's Son
- Fairy Fawn
People
Births
- January 1 - Anthony DeRosa (animator)
- January 5 - Clancy Brown (actor, voice actor, and producer)
- February 4 - Pamelyn Ferdin (actress)
- February 22 - Kyle MacLachlan (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
- February 28 - Alison Sealy-Smith (actress)
- March 1 - Laura Karpman (composer)
- March 7 - Donna Murphy (actress and singer)
- March 15 - Fabio Lanzoni (fashion model, spokesperson, author, and actor)
- March 23 - Catherine Keener (actress, voice actress, and comedian)
- March 28 - Joel McNeely (composer, arranger, pianist, musician, songwriter, conductor, and record producer)
- April 3 - David Hyde Pierce (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
- April 4 - Phil Morris (actor, voice actor, comedian, and director)
- April 10 - Brian Setzer (guitarist and singer-songwriter)
- April 15
- Emma Thompson (actress, voice actress, comedian, screenwriter, author, and activist)
- Thomas F. Wilson (actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, musician, painter, and podcaster)
- April 20 - Clint Howard (actor and voice actor)
- April 22 - Ryan Stiles (actor, voice actor, comedian, producer, and director)
- April 27 - Sheena Easton (singer, songwriter, producer, actress, voice actress, and designer)
- May 4 - Randy Travis (singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor)
- May 5 - Gary Dubin (actor and voice actor)
- May 12 - Ving Rhames (actor and voice actor)
- May 19 - Jim Ward (actor and voice actor)
- May 20 - Bronson Pinchot (actor and voice actor)
- May 29 - Rupert Everett (actor)
- June 6 - Paul Germain (animation screenwriter, television producer, director, and voice director)
- June 7 - Mark Zaslove (writer, director, and producer)
- June 11 - Hugh Laurie (actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, author, musician, singer, director, and producer)
- June 18 - Joe Ansolabehere (animation writer, television producer, storyboard artist, screenwriter, director, and producer)
- June 27 - Janusz Kamiński (cinematographer and film director)
- June 29 - Gary Rydstrom (sound designer, director, and editor)
- June 30 - Vincent D'Onofrio (actor, director, producer, writer, and singer)
- July 7 - Billy Campbell (actor)
- July 16
- Bob Joles (actor, voice actor, and musician)
- Sherri Stoner (actress, animator, and writer)
- July 26 - Kevin Spacey (actor, producer, director, comedian, singer, and screenwriter)
- July 30 - Karen Prell (puppeteer and animator)
- August 2 - Victoria Jackson (actress, voice actress, comedian, and singer)
- August 3 - John C. McGinley (actor, voice actor, author, and former comedian)
- August 14 - Marcia Gay Harden (actress, voice actress, and comedian)
- August 22 - Mark Williams (actor, presenter, and screenwriter)
- August 29 - Rebecca De Mornay (actress and producer)
- September 10 - Jim Meskimen (stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, and impressionist)
- September 21 - Dave Coulier (stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, impressionist, and television host)
- September 23 - Jason Alexander (actor, comedian, singer, director, and voice artist)
- September 24 - Steve Whitmire (puppeteer)
- September 28 - Steve Hytner (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
- October 3 - Greg Proops (actor, stand-up comedian, voice artist, and television host)
- October 10
- Julia Sweeney (actress, voice actress, comedian, and author)
- Bradley Whitford (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
- October 13 - Marie Osmond (actress, singer, screenwriter, and doll designer)
- October 22 - Marc Shaiman (composer and lyricist)
- October 23
- "Weird Al" Yankovic (singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist)
- Sam Raimi (director, producer, writer, and actor)
- October 29 - Finola Hughes (actress, voice actress, television host, entrepreneur, author, dancer, director, and producer)
- November 5 - David Barclay (puppeteer)
- November 19 - Allison Janney (actress, voice actress, and comedian)
- December 9 - Steve Mackall (voice actor and comedian)
- December 29 - Paula Poundstone (stand-up comedian, author, actress, interviewer, and commentator)
- December 30 - Tracey Ullman (actress, comedian, singer, dancer, director, author, and screenwriter)
- December 31
- Val Kilmer (actor)
- Ronnie del Carmen (writer, storyboard artist, story supervisor, and production designer)
Deaths
- September 20 - Taylor Holmes (actor)
Artists joined
- Sylvia Mattinson
1959