1997

An overview of all Disney-related events that occurred in the year 1997.
==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
*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, released by TriStar Pictures)
*November 14 - The Little Mermaid (re-issue)
*December 5 - Good Will Hunting (Miramax Films)
*November 26 - Flubber (with Great Oaks Entertainment)
*December 25
**Jackie Brown (Miramax Films)
**Mr. Magoo
**Kundun (Touchstone Pictures)
===Shorts===
*April 2 - Geri's Game
*July 16 - Runaway Brain (re-issue)
*August 5 - Redux Riding Hood
==Theme parks and resorts==
*January 6 
**Pirates of the Caribbean closes in Adventureland at Disneyland for its 30th anniversary renovations.
**Rocket Jets closes in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. 
*January 18 - The Carnival Castle is unveiled at Disneyland Paris.
*February 21 - Star Wars Weekends takes place at Disney-MGM Studios for the first time.
*March 1 - The #5 locomotive at Walt Disney World Resort is dedicated to Ward Kimball.
*March 7 - Pirates of the Caribbean reopens in Adventureland 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 in Tomorrowland at Disneyland.
*April 12 - Disneyland Paris celebrates its 5th anniversary.
*April 28 - King Stefan's Banquet Hall, a restaurant inside the Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle is renamed Cinderella's Royal Table in Fantasyland.
*May 17 - Fink 169 Boats closes in Frontierland at Disneyland.
*May 23 - Light Magic debuts at Disneyland.
*June 1 - Disneyland's Lion King Celebration parade ends its near three-year-run.
*June 15 - The Hercules Electrical Parade made its only performance in New York City.
*July 1 - ABC Sound Studio opens at Disney-MGM Studios.
*August 1 - Disney's Coronado Springs Resort opens at Walt Disney World Resort.
*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 switch to occasionally calling 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 - Disney Jr. begins airing as Playhouse Disney on the Disney Channel.
*June 15 - The specials Movie Surfers Go Inside Hercules and Hercules Strikes Manhattan aired on the Disney Channel.
*August 9 - Nightmare Ned airs its final episode.
*August 23 - The first Disney Channel Original Movie, Northern Lights, debuts on 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 the Disney Channel.
*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 the Disney Channel.
*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
*November 1 - The Lion King: The Pal Patrol
==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
*October 7 - Nightmare Ned (Windows)
*November 25 - Ariel's Story Studio
*Hercules (PS1, Game Boy, Windows)
*101 Dalmatians: Escape from DeVil Manor (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==
===VHS 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 - Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves
*April 8 - The First Face-Off
*April 15 - 101 Dalmatians
*April 22 - The Rich Man's Wife (Hollywood Pictures Home Video)
*May 13 - Ransom (Touchstone Home Video)
*May 18
**The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (UK)
*June 9 - The Rock (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
**Phenomenon (Touchstone Home Video)
*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 7 - Ransom (Touchstone Home Video)
*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
**Tombstone (Hollywood Pictures Home Video)
*December 9 - Con Air
*December 23 - Air Bud
===DVD releases===
*December 2
**George of the Jungle
**The Nightmare Before Christmas
**Phenomenon
**Ransom
**Tombstone
**The Rock
*December 3
**Scream (Miramax Home Video)
==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.
=== Milestone anniversaries ===
* March 11 - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh celebrated it's 20th anniversary.
* August 21 - Bambi celebrated it's 55th anniversary.
* September 27 - Fun and Fancy Free celebrated it's 50th anniversary.
* October 18 - The Jungle Book celebrated it's 30th anniversary.
* December 21 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs celebrated it's 60th anniversary.
* December 25 - Old Yeller celebrated it's 40th anniversary.
*
==Character debuts==
*January 17 - Falcone
*January 25 - Jane Robinson
*January - Due
*February 15 - Maxwell
*February - Morgan Fairfax
*March 7 - Michael Cromwell, Mimi-Siku Cromwell, Charlotte, Maitika
*March 18 - Gordon Szalinski, Jenny Szalinski, Mitch Szalinski, Patti Szalinski
*March 26 - T.J. Henderson, Yvette Henderson, Morris Tibbs
*March - Ziggy Flagstarr
*April - Mary Ann Flagstarr
*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, Harpies, Bob, Caledonian Boar, Cetus, Ibid, Charon, Griffins
*June - 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, N'Dugo, Kip, and Baleto
*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
*August 5 - Big Bad Wolf, Doris, Leonard Fox
*August - Urk
*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, Abriola Stark, Cissy Rooney, Trinket St. Blair, Tessa and Vanessa James, Dieter Lederhosen, Craig Bean, Lamar Abudabe, Pink-Eye Pete, Vera Groober-Schwartz, Scorch, Manny the Uncanny
*September 20 - Butch, Ashley Armbruster, Ashley Boulet, Ashley Quinlan, Carlotta Sneed
*September 22 - Swamp Rat, Cydne, Steven
*September 25 - Cornelia
*September 27 - The Brittanys, King Freddie II, Brenda, Roland Carter
*October 3 - Jack Hunter
*October 4 - Menlo, Sherman Finky
*October 10 - Angela Moore
*October 11 - Vendella De Vil, Ned Diggety, Crash
*October 18 - Alice Kane
*October 20 - Bear, Tutter, Ojo, Pip and Pop, Treelo, Shadow, Luna
*October 25 - Harold the Mummy, Gilbert Anderson, Marshall, Amy, Bruce, Kubat, Todd
*October 26 - Buzzy Crocker, Anna Petterson
*October - Gorthan, Shadow Creatures
*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, Bronte Bladdar
*November 10 - Grandma Flutter
*November 11 - Angelique, Forte, Fife
*November 14 - Ivy De Vil
*November 15 - Coach Doogan, Dictator Turtle
*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
*December 25 - Quincy Magoo
*Billy Paganino
*Shrunken Ned
==People==
===Births===
*January 7 - Kyle Stanger (actor, voice actor, and singer)
*January 17 - Jake Paul (YouTuber, internet personality, actor, rapper, and professional boxer)
*January 24 - Dylan Riley Snyder (actor)
*February 8 - Kathryn Newton (actress)
*February 10 - Chloë Grace Moretz (actress and singer)
*February 14 - Alaqua Cox (actress)
*March 10 - Uriah Shelton (actor and singer)
*March 16 - Tyrel Jackson Williams (actor, voice actor, singer, and musician)
*April 26 - Amber Midthunder (actress)
*May 21 - Kevin Quinn (actor and musician)
*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)
**Hyein Park (storyboard artist and voice actress)
*September 15 - Blu del Barrio (actor and voice actor)
*October 8 - Bella Thorne (actress, voice actress, singer, dancer, director, and model)
*October 10 - Aedin Mincks (actor)
*October 23 - Zach Callison (actor, voice actor, and singer)
*October 26 - Rhenzy Feliz (actor and voice actor)
*October 28 - Sierra McCormick (actress)
*October 31 - Sydney Park (actress and comedian)
*November 5 - Dominique Thorne (actress)
*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)
*June 24 - Brian Keith (actor)
*September 5 - Eddie Little Sky (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 6 - Eliot Daniel (composer, songwriter, and lyricist)
*December 14 - Stubby Kaye (actor, comedian, vaudevillain, and singer)
*December 16 - Lillian Disney (ink/paint artist and wife of Walt Disney)
*December 28 - Bill Anderson (producer)
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Category:Years in Disney history
Category:1990s