An overview of all Disney-related events that occurred in the year 1985.
Theatrical releases
Feature films
- February 8 - Fantasia (re-issue; digitally re-recorded release)
- March 22 - Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (Touchstone Pictures)
- June 21 - Return to Oz is released to mixed reviews and is a box-office bomb.
- July 24 - The Black Cauldron is released to mixed reviews and is a box-office bomb like Return to Oz.
- July 26 - The Black Cauldron (New York City, New York)
- August 9 - My Science Project (Touchstone Pictures)
- September 27 - The Journey of Natty Gann
- November 22 - One Magic Christmas
- December 20 - One Hundred and One Dalmatians (re-issue)
Shorts
- May 10 - Advice on Lice
- July 24 - Chips Ahoy (re-issue)
Theme parks and resorts
- January 17 - Magic Journeys opens in Tomorrowland at Tokyo Disneyland.
- June 22 - Videopolis opens in Fantasyland at Disneyland.
- July 17 - Disneyland and Disneyland Resort celebrates its 30th anniversary.
- September 2 - Adventure Thru Inner Space closes in Tomorrowland at Disneyland.
Television
- February 18 - Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Celebration airs on NBC.
- September 14
- The Golden Girls premieres on NBC.
- The Wuzzles and Adventures of the Gummi Bears premieres on Saturday mornings on CBS and NBC, respectively. Though Disney had a presence on TV since 1954, the company had never attempted to create its own animated shows due to the high cost of its style of animation. With some computer assistance and other techniques that saved time and money, Disney finally entered the field with this venture. The animation was still of a remarkably higher quality than most other animated offerings of the time, and this show helped pave the way for Disney shows that would air daily instead of just weekly, such as DuckTales.
- December 21 - Adventures of the Gummi Bears concludes its first season.
- December 25 - The third annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade premieres on CBS.
Books
Storybooks
Home video releases
VHS releases
- January
- The Prince and the Pauper (live-action film)
- February 26
- Love Leads the Way: A True Story
- Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: The Continuing Adventures of Chip 'n' Dale Featuring Donald Duck and Disney's Tall Tales
- March 26
- Country
- Mousercise
- Summer Magic
- That Darn Cat!
- Welcome to Pooh Corner: Volume 3
- April
- Candleshoe
- Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (re-issue)
- DTV: Love Songs
- Hot Lead and Cold Feet (re-issue)
- May 14 - Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Limited Gold Edition II: Life with Mickey!
- May 21 - Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Limited Gold Edition II: Donald's Bee Pictures, The World According to Goofy, The Disney Dream Factory: 1933-1938, An Officer and a Duck, How the Best Was Won: 1933-1960, and From Pluto with Love
- June 25
- The Apple Dumpling Gang (re-issue)
- Gus (re-issue)
- Five Mile Creek: Volume 6
- Never a Dull Moment
- Too Smart for Strangers
- Welcome to Pooh Corner: Volume 4
- July 16
- August
- Amy (re-issue)
- The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (re-issue)
- Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (re-issue)
- DTV: Groovin for the '60s Afternoon
- The North Avenue Irregulars (re-issue)
- The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (re-issue)
- September
- Mary Poppins
- Bedknobs and Broomsticks (re-issue)
- Escape to Witch Mountain (re-issue)
- The Moon-Spinners
- The Shaggy D.A.
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (re-issue)
- October 8 - The Walt Disney Comedy and Magic Revue
- October 22
- November 5
- The Gnome-Mobile
- Babes in Toyland
- The Black Hole
- Darby O'Gill and the Little People (re-issue)
- A Disney Christmas Gift (re-issue)
- Dumbo
- The Gnome-Mobile (re-issue)
- Herbie Goes Bananas
- Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (re-issue)
- Herbie Rides Again
- The Love Bug
- Mickey's Christmas Carol (re-issue)
- Old Yeller
- Pete's Dragon
- Pollyanna
- Swiss Family Robinson
- Treasure Island
- Tron
- November 19
- December 10
- Five Mile Creek: Volume 10
- The Mickey Mouse Club Volumes 1-5
- Return to Oz
- The Small One
Laserdisc releases
Events
- June 21 - Walt Disney Pictures introduces its logo.
- An infamous "Gong Show" meeting to pitch ideas for new studio heads Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg leads to multiple proposals of note, including "a sequel to The Rescuers", "Oliver Twist with animals and, by directors Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors of the upcoming The Great Mouse Detective, two ideas: "Treasure Island in space" and "finally make an animated version of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid."
- The Black Cauldron is the last Disney animated film to be produced by Walt Disney Productions.
- The 1978 Walt Disney Home Entertainment "Neon Mickey" logo makes surprise appearances on the 1985 re-prints of Hot Lead and Cold Feet, The Apple Dumpling Gang, and Gus.
Character debuts
- March 9 - Swans
- May 6 - Lionel, Fair Dinkum, Sebastian, Barnaby, Lilli, Q.T., Flip & Flap
- June 21 - Dorothy Gale, Jack Pumpkinhead, Tik-Tok, Billina, Dr. Worley, Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, Tin Woodman, Toto, Nome King, Nurse Wilson, Ozma, Scarecrow, Mombi, The Gump, Cowardly Lion, Munchkins, Wheelers, Scraps the Patchwork Girl
- July 24 - Taran, Eilonwy, Dallben, Fflewddur Fflam, King Eidilleg, Gurgi, Doli, Hen Wen, Horned King, Horned King's guards, Creeper, Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch, Cat, Talyllyn, Moose, Dallben's Farm Animals, Cauldron Born, Gwythaints, Fair Folk
- September 14
- September 21 - Peter Parafox, Angelo Davini
- September 28 - Officer Eaglebeagle, Mrs. Pedigree
- October 5 - Carpies
- October 26 - Transylvia, Dingbats, Gorantula
- November 2 - Loopy, The Hunter
- November 9 - Gargoyle
- November 30 - Dom Gordo of Ghent
- December 7 - Tycoon
People
Births
- January 1 - Sophie McShera (actress)
- January 24 - Frankie J. Galasso (musician and actor)
- January 25 - H. Michael Croner (actor and voice actor)
- January 28 - Warrick Brownlow-Pike (puppeteer)
- January 31 - Tyler Ritter (actor)
- February 9 - David Gallagher (actor and voice actor)
- February 19 - Haylie Duff (actress, singer-songwriter, producer, and food blogger)
- February 20 - Jake Richardson (actor)
- March 22 - Katie Stuart (actress and stunt performer)
- March 26
- Jonathan Groff (actor, singer, and songwriter)
- Keira Knightley (actress, singer, and model)
- Francesca Marie Smith (actress, voice actress, and writer)
- March 27 - Blake McIver Ewing (singer-songwriter, actor, model, and pianist)
- April 1 - Josh Zuckerman (actor)
- April 20 - Billy Magnussen (actor and musician)
- April 24 - Courtnee Draper (actress, voice actress, singer, and lawyer)
- April 28 - Brandon Baker (actor and voice actor)
- April 30 - Gal Gadot (actress, producer, and model)
- May 10 - Odette Annable (actress and voice actress)
- May 17 - Jonathan McDaniel (actor and rapper)
- May 27 - Andrew Francis (actor and voice artist)
- June 11 - Chris Trousdale (actor and singer)
- June 18 - Alex Hirsch (animator, storyboard artist, director, producer, writer, and voice actor)
- June 22 - Lindsay Ridgeway (actress)
- June 29 - Sancha Baucom (actress)
- July 2 - Ashley Tisdale (actress, voice actress, comedian, singer, and producer)
- July 16 - Rosa Salazar (actress)
- July 21 - Vanessa Lengies (actress, voice actress, dancer, and singer)
- August 9 - Anna Kendrick (actress and singer)
- September 1 - Lilan Bowden (actress and writer)
- September 3 - Shane Houghton (animator, writer, director, producer, editor, storyboard artist, and voice actor)
- September 6 - Lauren Lapkus (actress and voice actress)
- September 21 - Doug Rockwell (songwriter, record producer, musician, singer, and composer)
- September 22 - Tatiana Maslany (actress)
- October 11 - Michelle Trachtenberg (actress and model)
- November 7 - Lucas Neff (actor and voice actor)
- November 21
- Carly Rae Jepsen (singer, songwriter, and actress)
- Ronny Chieng (actor and comedian)
- November 23 - Katie Crown (actress, voice actress, comedian, and screenwriter)
- November 26
- Daron Nefcy (animator, actress, voice actress, writer, producer, artist, and storyboard artist)
- Arturo Castro (actor and comedian)
- November 30 - Kaley Cuoco (actress and voice actress)
- December 5 - Frankie Muniz (actor, voice actor, musician, writer, producer, race car driver, and band manager)
- December 10 - Raven-Symoné (actress, comedian, model, singer, songwriter, dancer, television producer, and television host)
Deaths
- January 25 - Paul Smith (music composer)
- January 29 - Don Raye (songwriter)
- February 8 - Marvin Miller (actor and voice actor)
- February 20 - Clarence Nash (voice actor)
- February 27 - J. Pat O'Malley (singer and actor)
- March 8 - Edward Andrews (actor)
- March 24 - Dick Kinney (animator and comic book writer)
- April 25 - Richard Haydn (actor)
- May 22 - Wolfgang Reitherman (animator, director, and producer)
- July 9 - Rafael Campos (actor)
- August 2 - Bob Holt (actor and voice actor)
- August 25 - Samantha Smith (child actress and peace activist)
- August 29 - Patrick Barr (film and television actor)
- October 10 - Orson Welles (actor, director, writer, and producer)
- October 16 - Peter Young (screenwriter)
- November 1 - Judge Whitaker (animator and director)
- November 29 - Bill Scott (voice actor, writer, and producer)
Artists joined
- Duncan Marjoribanks - Supervising animator for Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Pocahontas.
- Ellen Woodbury
- Kevin Lima - Animator/Director for Tarzan, A Goofy Movie, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Enchanted.
- Anthony DeRosa - Animator on The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Princess and the Frog.
- Gary Trousdale - Director/Screenwriter who worked on Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and The Lion King.
1985