An overview of all Disney-related events that occurred in the year 1961.
Theatrical releases
Feature films
- January 25 - One Hundred and One Dalmatians
- March 16 - The Absent-Minded Professor
- June 12 - The Parent Trap (premiere)
- June 21 - The Parent Trap
- July 12 - Nikki, Wild Dog of the North (Los Angeles, California)
- July 17 - Greyfriars Bobby
- October 11 - Greyfriars Bobby (New York City, New York)
- December 14 - Babes in Toyland
Shorts
Theme parks and resorts
- The Disneyland Monorail System extends to the Disneyland Hotel.
Events
- The California Institute of the Arts is founded.
- Mary Poppins (1964) begins pre-production.
Character debuts
- January 25 - Pongo, Perdita, Roger Radcliffe, Anita Radcliffe, Nanny, Cruella De Vil, Jasper and Horace, Thunderbolt, Dirty Dawson, Lucky, Patch, Rolly, Penny, Freckles, Pepper, Dalmatian Puppies, Danny, Scottie, Towser, Lucy, Captain, Sergeant Tibbs, Colonel, Prissy, Collie, The Cows, Labrador
- February 12 - Jubal Pomp
- March 16 - Professor Brainard, Alonzo Hawk, Biff Hawk
- September 24 - Ludwig Von Drake
- October 22 - Herman the Bootle Beetle
- December - Magica De Spell, Miss Quackfaster, John D. Rockerduck
- December 14 - Tom Piper, Mary Contrary, Barnaby, Gonzorgo and Roderigo, Mr. Toymaker, Grumio, Mother Goose, Sylvester J. Goose
Television
- January 22 - The Walt Disney Presents episode "A Salute to Father" airs on ABC.
- September 24 - The first episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color: "An Adventure in Color/Mathmagicland", airs on a new network, NBC.
People
Births
- January 4 - Graham McTavish (actor and voice actor)
- January 9 - Candi Milo (voice actress and singer)
- January 13 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus (actress, comedian, and producer)
- January 14 - Bob Walker (animator, storyboard artist, producer, and director)
- January 18 - Bob Peterson (animator, screenwriter, director, producer, storyboard artist, and voice actor)
- February 5 - Tim Meadows (actor and comedian)
- March 4 - Steven Weber (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
- March 8
- Camryn Manheim (actress and voice actress)
- Jess Winfield (novelist, author, screenwriter, and voice actor)
- March 21 - Kathy Zielinski (animator)
- March 29 - Amy Sedaris (actress, voice actress, comedian, author, and writer)
- April 3 - Eddie Murphy (actor, comedian, singer, writer, producer, and director)
- April 13 - Liz Callaway (actress, singer, and recording artist)
- April 18 - Jane Leeves (actress, comedian, producer, singer, and dancer)
- April 21 - Cathy Cavadini (actress, voice actress, and singer)
- April 23 - George Lopez (comedian, actor, voice actor, and talk show host)
- May 6
- George Clooney (actor, director, producer, and screenwriter)
- Clay O'Brien (rodeo performer and former child actor)
- Wally Wingert (actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, and former radio personality)
- May 14 - Tim Roth (actor and director)
- May 16 - Kevin McDonald (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
- May 31 - Lea Thompson (actress, dancer, director, and producer)
- June 5 - Mary Kay Bergman (voice actress and voice-over teacher)
- June 7 - Kym Whitley (comedian and actress)
- June 9 - Michael J. Fox (actor, author, film producer, and activist)
- June 15 - Jim Hanks (actor, voice actor, director, producer, cinematographer, and camera operator)
- June 25 - Ricky Gervais (comedian, actor, voice actor, director, producer, musician, writer, and former radio presenter)
- July 4 - Ted Elliott (screenwriter, producer, and storyboard artist)
- July 15
- Forest Whitaker (actor, voice actor, producer, and director)
- Lolita Davidovich (actress)
- July 23
- Woody Harrelson (actor, voice actor, comedian, activist, director, and playwright)
- David Kaufman (actor and voice actor)
- July 30
- Elio (Italian musician and singer)
- Laurence Fishburne (actor, voice actor, playwright, director, and producer)
- August 2 - Mark Moseley (actor, voice actor, radio personality, impressionist, stand-up comedian, and singer)
- August 4
- Lauren Tom (actress, voice actress, and comedian)
- Barack Obama (44th President of the United States)
- August 7 - Maggie Wheeler (actress and voice actress)
- August 13 - Dawnn Lewis (actress, voice actress, singer, and presenter)
- August 17 - Takashi Aoyagi (Japanese literature scholar, college professor, and voice actor)
- August 22 - Stephen Stanton (actor, voice actor, voice-match artist, and visual effects artist)
- August 23 - Nik Ranieri (animator)
- August 25 - Billy Ray Cyrus (country music singer, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist)
- August 28 - Jennifer Coolidge (actress, voice actress, and comedian)
- September 1 - Bob Schooley (screenwriter, television writer, television producer)
- September 2 - Eugenio Derbez (actor, voice actor, comedian, producer, screenwriter, and author)
- September 6 - Bruce W. Smith (animator, director, producer, and storyboard artist)
- September 11 - Elizabeth Daily (comedian, actress, voice actress, and singer)
- September 15 - Noel MacNeal (puppeteer, writer, actor, singer, performer, and director)
- September 18 - James Gandolfini (actor)
- September 22 - Bonnie Hunt (comedian, actress, voice actress, director, producer, writer, and host)
- September 23 - Chi McBride (actor and voice actor)
- September 25 - Heather Locklear (actress)
- October 1 - Steve Purcell (cartoonist, animator, director, game designer, and voice actor)
- October 10
- Jodi Benson (actress, voice actress, and singer)
- Thomas Baker (cinematographer)
- October 11 - Russ Edmonds (animator)
- October 30 - Larry Wilmore (comedian, writer, producer, and actor)
- November 8 - Dorothy McKim (producer, production manager, director of production, and co-producer)
- November 14 - D.B. Sweeney (actor and voice actor)
- November 19 - Meg Ryan (actress, director, and producer)
- November 21 - Ruben Procopio (animation artist, comic book artist, animator, clean up supervisor, lead key assistant animator, and sculptor)
- November 28 - Alfonso Cuarón (filmmaker)
- December 10 - Nia Peeples (actress and singer)
- December 13 - Harry Gregson-Williams (composer and songwriter)
- December 16 - Shane Black (screenwriter, director, producer, and actor)
Deaths
- January 16 - Joseph Dubin (composer and orchestrator)
1961