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Disney in 1989

Last Updated on: May 24th, 2024

Disney 1989 Movies Shows The Walt Disney Company has a rich and lengthy history with decades of amazing movies, shows and park experiences.

Here is a quick rundown of everything that happened in the world of Disney in the year 1989. I hope you find this lookback in time helpful and entertaining.

Disney 1989 Movies Headlines:

1989 saw two major developments within their movie segments. First, and foremost, the success of the animated classic The Little Mermaid, is widely considered the beginning of the Disney animated movie renaissance. While entertaining, the animated movies released by Disney in the 1970’s and 80’s are looked upon as a step below the ones produced by Walt. The Little Mermaid was followed by new classics like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, giving Disney one of its most successful periods ever.

The other major development was the launch of Hollywood Pictures. The new production house was launched in February and its first movie, Arachnophobia, would be released in July of the following year. Hollywood Pictures was established to increase Disney’s live-action mature movie content. Touchstone Pictures was established earlier in the decade for the same purpose, and enjoyed enormous success, so Disney was looking to expand its output. Some of the blockbuster movies that will be released by Hollywood Pictures in the coming years include: Tombstone, Dangerous Minds, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Evita and The Sixth Sense.

In 1989, Disney released several movies, including:

November 17 – The Little Mermaid
August 18 – Cheetah
June 23 – Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

In 1989, Touchstone released several movies, including:

January 27 – Three Fugitives
March 10 – New York Stories
April 14 – Disorganized Crime
June 9 – Dead Poets Society
July 28 – Turner & Hooch
October 6 – An Innocent Man
October 20 – Gross Anatomy
December 13 – Blaze

As was custom at this time, Disney also re-released a number of classic movies to theaters in 1989:

March 17 – The Rescuers
July 14 – Peter Pan

Also in 1989, Disney won 4 (3 regular and 1 special achievement) Oscars for Who Framed Roger Rabbit (released in 1988).

Overall, 1989 was a busy year for Disney, with a mix of new live-action films and the beginning of the Disney animated film renaissance.

Disney 1989 Parks Headlines:

Disneyland Headlines:

July 17 – Splash Mountain opens at Disneyland Park. This whimsical flume ride was an instant classic and quickly became a must-do attraction. The ride was replicated in a number of Disney parks across the globe including Disney World, where it opened in 1992.

Also worth noting was the popular Sunkist Citrus House was replaced in 1989 with Blue Ribbon Bakery.

Disney World Headlines:

Activities in 1989 truly reshaped the Disney World Resort for decades with a number of new properties and lands opening during the year. Here is a rundown of what opened at Disney World in 1989:

May 1 – Disney-MGM Studios (Now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) opened giving Disney its third gate at the resort.

May 1 – Pleasure Island opens at Downtown Disney (Now Disney Springs). This new entertainment district enjoyed early popularity and lasted decades before the entire area was overhauled.

June 1 – Typhoon Lagoon opened. This was Disney’s first water park at the resort to open since River Country in 1976 and was significantly bigger than its predecessor.

October 19 – The Wonders of Life pavilion at Epcot opened. This was the final major Future World pavilion to open at Epcot. The new park area included popular attractions Body Wars and Cranium Command as well as a number of educational exhibits and activities related to health and wellness.

Also worth noting was that Delta Dreamflight replaced If You Could Fly at the Magic Kingdom in 1989.

Here is a complete rundown of every ride, attraction, restaurant and shop at the Magic Kingdom over the years.

Disney 1989 Television Headlines:

In 1989, the Disney Afternoon, which would launch the next year, was starting to take shape with DuckTales and The Adventures of the Gummi Bears going strong and a new animated show, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, making its debut in March.

In April, NBC aired “The Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park Grand Opening” as it was a tradition to air lengthy grand opening specials on TV when a new park opened.

Also of note in 1989 was the launch of a new iteration of The Mickey Mouse Club. This is the version that launched the careers of future mega stars Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling and Christina Aguilera.

Additional new television series debuting in 1989 include: Teen Win, Lose or Draw, Just Like Family, Teen Angel and A Conversation With…

1989 Archives

Here is the Internet’s largest rundown of all the Disney movies, TV shows, video games, park attractions and more released or opened in the year 1989. New entries added daily, so be sure to check back often.

Disney Movies Released in 1989

Three Fugitives

Turner & Hooch

An Innocent Man

Blaze

Dead Poets Society

Disorganized Crime

Gross Anatomy

New York Stories

The Little Mermaid

Cheetah

Honey I Shrunk The Kids

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Disney Shows Released in 1989

The All-New Mickey Mouse Club

Teen Angel

Teen Angel Returns

Brand New Life

Disney Songs Released in 1989

Part of Your World (Song)

“Part of Your World” is a song from the Disney animated film “The Little Mermaid“. The song was written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist…

Poor Unfortunate Souls disney song music

Poor Unfortunate Souls (Song)

“Poor Unfortunate Souls” is a song from the Disney animated film “The Little Mermaid“. The song is sung by the villainous sea witch Ursula, and…

Les Poissons (Song)

“Les Poissons” is a song from Disney’s 1989 animated film “The Little Mermaid“. The song is sung by the character Chef Louis, a French chef…

Kiss the Girl (Song)

“Kiss the Girl” is a song from the 1989 Disney animated film “The Little Mermaid“. The music was composed by Alan Menken and the lyrics…

Under the Sea (Song)

“Under the Sea” is a song from Disney’s 1989 animated film, The Little Mermaid. The song is composed by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Howard…

Fathoms Below (Song)

“Fathoms Below” is the opening song from the 1989 Disney animated film “The Little Mermaid“. The song is sung by a group of sailors on…

Disney Attractions Opened in 1989

Contemporary Cafe | Disney’s Contemporary Resort

The Concourse Grille / Concourse Steakhouse Contemporary Resort

The Concourse Grille / Concourse Steakhouse | Disney’s Contemporary Resort

The Adventurer’s Club | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about the The Adventurer’s Club at Walt Disney World’s Downtown Disney including history, reviews, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Comedy Warehouse | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about the Comedy Warehouse at Walt Disney World’s Downtown Disney including history, reviews, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Mannequins Dance Palace | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about the Mannequins Dance Palace at Walt Disney World’s Downtown Disney including history, reviews, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Brer Bar | Disneyland

Here is everything you need to know about the extinct Brer Bar restaurant at Disneyland including history, reviews, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Delta Dreamflight - Extinct Disney World

Delta Dreamflight | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom’s extinct Delta Dreamflight attraction including history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Disney Character Hit Parade - Extinct Disney World Attractions

Disney Character Hit Parade | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom’s extinct Disney Character Hit Parade including history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios’ Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! show including history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Splash Mountain | Disneyland

Here is everything you need to know about the amazing Splash Mountain attraction at Disneyland including history, reviews, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Star Tours | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios’ Star Tours ride including ride history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Harbour Galley | Disneyland

Here is everything you need to know about the amazing Harbour Galley restaurant at Disneyland including history, reviews, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

The Great Movie Ride | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios’ extinct The Great Movie Ride including history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios’ extinct The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame including history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

The Magic of Disney Animation mgm studios

The Magic of Disney Animation | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios’ extinct The Magic of Disney Animation attraction including history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Cranium Command | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about the Cranium Command attraction at Walt Disney World’s Epcot including history, reviews, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Body Wars Epcot Disney World Attractions

Body Wars | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Epcot’s extinct Body Wars attraction including history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

The Making of Me | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about the The Making of Me attraction at Walt Disney World’s Epcot including history, reviews, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Studio Backlot Tour | Extinct Disney World Attractions

Studio Backlot Tour | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about the extinct Studio Backlot Tour ride at Walt Disney World’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios including history, reviews, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Hollywood! Hollywood! A Star-Studded Spectacular - Extinct Disney World

Hollywood! Hollywood! A Star-Studded Spectacular | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios’ extinct Hollywood! Hollywood! A Star-Studded Spectacular Show including history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

superstar television disney hollywood studios

SuperStar Television | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios’ extinct SuperStar Television Show including history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

The Monster Sound Show - Extinct Disney World Show

The Monster Sound Show | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios’ extinct The Monster Sound Show including history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Soundstage Restaurant | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about the extinct Soundstage Restaurant at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios including history, reviews, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

50’s Prime Time Café | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about the amazing 50’s Prime Time Café restaurant at Walt Disney World’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios including history, reviews, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!

Wonders of Life epcot | Extinct Disney World Attractions

Wonders of Life | Disney World

Here is everything you need to know about Walt Disney World’s Epcot’s extinct Wonders of Life attraction including history, fun facts, photos and more. I hope you find this listing informative and helpful!