A map of Disney's River Country
An overview of all Disney-related events that occurred in the year 1976.
Theatrical releases
Feature films
- January 16 - Blackbeard's Ghost (re-issue)
- February 5 - No Deposit, No Return
- March 26
- Dumbo (re-issue)
- Ride a Wild Pony
- June 18 - Peter Pan (re-issue)
- July 1 - Treasure of Matecumbe
- July 7 - Gus
- November 5 - The Gnome-Mobile (re-issue)
- November 21 - Follow Me, Boys! (re-issue)
- December 17
Shorts
- February 11
- The Country Cousin (re-issue)
- The Three Little Pigs (re-issue)
- The Tortoise and the Hare (re-issue)
- The Ugly Duckling (re-issue)
- November 21 - Ben and Me (re-issue)
Character debuts
Events
- November 26 - The Mickey Mouse balloon makes its sixth appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Theme parks and resorts
- June 20 - Disney's River Country opens at Walt Disney World Resort.
- October 1 - Walt Disney World Resort and the Magic Kingdom celebrates its 5th anniversary.
- ? - Winnie the Pooh for President promotional campaign.
Television
- September 5 - The Muppet Show premieres in syndication. The series was not created by Disney, but has been owned by Disney along with the Muppets themselves since 2004.
People
Births
- January 1 - Qui Nguyen (playwright, screenwriter, and director)
- January 6 - Johnny Yong Bosch (actor, martial artist, voice actor, and musician)
- January 13 - Michael Peña (actor and voice actor)
- January 19 - Marsha Thomason (actress)
- January 21 - Emma Bunton (singer-songwriter, actress, voice actress, presenter, and fashion designer)
- January 31 - Paul Scheer (actor, comedian, writer, producer, director, and podcaster)
- February 3
- Isla Fisher (actress and voice actress)
- Tim Heidecker (actor, comedian, and filmmaker)
- February 9 - Charlie Day (actor, comedian, writer, and producer)
- February 23 - Kelly Macdonald (actress and voice actress)
- February 25 - Rashida Jones (actress, comic book author, screenwriter, and singer)
- March 8 - Freddie Prinze Jr. (actor and voice actor)
- March 14 - Corey Stoll (actor)
- March 19 - Nicholas Stoller (screenwriter and director)
- March 21 - Rachael MacFarlane (actress, voice actress, comedian, and singer)
- March 22 - Reese Witherspoon (actress, producer, and entrepreneur)
- March 23
- Keri Russell (actress and dancer)
- Bernardo De Paula (actor and voice actor)
- April 1
- Troy Baker (voice actor and musician)
- David Oyelowo (actor and producer)
- April 2 - Aaron Lohr (actor and singer)
- April 5 - Sterling K. Brown (actor and voice actor)
- April 9 - Blayne Weaver (actor, voice actor, writer, director, and producer)
- April 13 - Jonathan Brandis (actor, voice actor, director, and screenwriter)
- April 18
- Gavin Creel (actor, singer, songwriter, and producer)
- Melissa Joan Hart (actress, director, producer, writer, singer, and businesswoman)
- April 19 - Sascha Paladino (screenwriter and producer)
- April 20 - Joey Lawrence (actor, voice actor, singer-songwriter, record producer, and TV host)
- April 22 - Misty Lee (actress, voice actress, comedian, and magician)
- April 23 - Gabriel Damon (actor, voice actor, and producer)
- April 26 - Thurop Van Orman (cartoonist, animator, voice artist, television writer, producer, and director)
- May 28 - Liam O'Brien (voice actor, writer, and voice director)
- May 31 - Colin Farrell (actor)
- June 19 - Ryan Hurst (actor)
- June 21 - Dan Scanlon (director, producer, storyboard artist, screenwriter, and animator)
- June 29 - Bret McKenzie (comedian, actor, Academy Award-winning musician, and producer)
- July 9 - Fred Savage (actor, voice actor, comedian, director, and producer)
- July 15
- Gabriel Iglesias (stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, and voice actor)
- Diane Kruger (actress and model)
- July 19
- Benedict Cumberbatch (actor)
- Vinessa Shaw (actress)
- July 21 - Jaime Murray (actress)
- July 31 - Mela Lee (voice actress)
- August 2 - Sam Worthington (actor)
- August 6 - Soleil Moon Frye (actress, voice actress, director, and screenwriter)
- August 11 - Will Friedle (actor, voice actor, and comedian)
- August 21 - Dan Shotz (producer and writer)
- August 26 - Mike Colter (actor)
- August 27 - Sarah Chalke (actress and voice actress)
- September 6
- Naomie Harris (actress)
- Robin Atkin Downes (actor and voice actor)
- September 20 - Jon Bernthal (actor)
- October 9
- Nick Swardson (actor, voice actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and producer)
- Sam Riegel (voice actor, screenwriter, director, and singer)
- October 11 - Emily Deschanel (actress, television producer, and film producer)
- October 20 - Dan Fogler (actor, comedian, director, producer, writer, and musician)
- October 21 - Andrew Scott (actor and voice actor)
- October 23 - Ryan Reynolds (actor, screenwriter, producer, and businessman)
- October 26 - Florence Kasumba (actress)
- November 1 - Matt Chapman (animator, writer, and voice actor)
- November 12 - Tevin Campbell (singer, songwriter, actor, and voice actor)
- November 27 - Jaleel White (actor and voice actor)
- November 28 - Ryan Kwanten (actor, voice actor, and producer)
- November 29 - Chadwick Boseman † (actor, playwright, and producer)
- December 5 - Amy Acker (actress)
- December 22 - Ryan Green (animator, story artist, and director)
Deaths
- February 13 - John Lounsbery (animator)
- March 3 - Ray Gilbert (composer, lyricist, and educator)
- March 30 - Richard Irvine (art director and Imagineer)
- July 7 - Norman Foster (director, screenwriter, and actor)
- July 12 - Franklyn Marks (composer, arranger, and orchestrator)
- August 8 - Winston Hibler (screenwriter, director, producer, and narrator)
- August 19 - Alastair Sim (actor)
- November 7 - Roy Williams (artist, entertainer, and Mouseketeer)
- December 20 - Ned Washington (lyricist and composer)
- December 25 - Frankie Darro (actor and stuntman)
Artists joined
- Tom Ferriter - Coordinating Animator on The Fox and the Hound, The Black Cauldron, The Great Mouse Detective, and The Little Mermaid.
1976