- February 6
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominates the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for an Oscar Award in the category Music, Best Score. [39.375]
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominates the film The Old Mill for an Oscar Award in the category Short Subjects, Cartoons. [39.375]
- February 7
- The first daily "Donald Duck" comic strip is published, written by Bob Karp, drawn by Al Taliaferro. [113.18,327] [230.31] [1242.62] [1378.148]
- February 11
- The Donald Duck film Self Control is released to theaters. [16] [23] [501.492]
- February
- Plans are begun for an animated feature with classical music, tentatively titled The Concert Feature. [176.121]
- February 25
- The Mickey Mouse film Boat Builders is released to theaters. Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy also appear. [16] [15] [23] [1378.87]
- March 10
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards an Oscar (Short Subjects, Cartoons) to Disney for the film The Old Mill. [13] [16] [23] [38.81] [39.327]
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards an Oscar (Scientific or Technical, Class II) to Disney for the design and application of the multi-plane camera. [23] [38.81] [39.375]
- March 11
- The Donald Duck film Donald's Better Self is released to theaters. [16] [23] [228.146]
- April 1
- The Silly Symphony film The Moth and the Flame is released to theaters. [16] [23] [228.342]
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- April 12
- Walt's agent contacts Igor Stravinsky's publisher, asking for the film rights to "The Firebird". [35.110]
- April 15
- The Donald Duck film Donald's Nephews is released to theaters. Huey, Dewey, and Louie make their film debut. [16] [23] [228.148]
- April
- Disney artists begin work on a proposed animated short film entitled Mickey's Toothache. [176.36]
- Work begins on the animated short film Donald Munchausen, with Donald Duck and his three nephews. [176.44]
- (month unknown)
- Work begins on the animated short film Pluto's Robot Twin, with Mickey Mouse and Pluto. [176.43]
- May 6
- The Mickey Mouse film Mickey's Trailer is released. Donald Duck and Goofy also appear. [16] [23] [228.329]
- May
- A document and organization diagram is created, detailing functions of all Disney employees. [23]
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs appear on the cover of Hollywood Magazine. [177.79]
- May 20
- The Disney company repays the entire loan accumulated over the past two years for making Snow White. [1102.284]
- May 25
- Work on the animated film Pluto's Robot Twin is canceled. [176.43]
- May 27
- The Silly Symphony film Wynken, Blynken and Nod is released. [16] [23] [501.622]
- June
- Walt Disney receives hist first honorary degree, a Master of Science degree from the University of Southern California. [47.140] [56.55] [1102.285]
- June 17
- The Donald Duck film Polar Trappers is released. Goofy also appeared. [16] [23] [228.395]
- June 22
- It is suggested that Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea be turned into a dream adventure for Mickey Mouse. [176.55]
- Walt Disney receives an honorary Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University. [34.105] [47.140] [56.55] [1102.285]
- Walt Disney receives an honorary Master of Arts degree from Harvard University. [34.105] [47.140] [56.55] [433.50] [1102.285]
- (month unknown)
- Disney artists begin work on the proposed animated short film Pilgrim Mickey. [176.39]
- The animated short film Mickey's Nephews is worked on, but not produced. [176.39]
- K. K. Publications publishes a black and white Donald Duck comic book. [113.151,330]
- Post offers a bowl with characters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on its Huskies cereal boxes. [245.48]
- The NBC radio network airs the Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air program. [228.324,407]
- Manuel Gonzales begins pencil and ink work on the Mickey Mouse comic strip for the Sunday newspaper page. [228.209]
- E. Cardon Walker (known as "Card") starts work at the studio, as a traffic boy. [267.311] [370.259] [501.591] [914.165]
- Louis Marx & Co produces a lithographed tin Dopey (from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) wind-up toy, the first of its kind. [247.14]
- Walt Disney joins the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers (SIMPP), which was created to challenge the domination of the major picture studios. [34.120] (1942 [267.222])
- The SIMPP files a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures, with the other major studios named as codefendents. [34.120]
- Drawings of Mickey Mouse include pupils in his eyes for the first time. [96.43]
- In the film Bringing Up Baby, when asked who his accomplice was in a robbery, Cary Grant's character says "Mickey the Mouse and Donald the Duck". [1390.38]
- July 8
- The Donald Duck film Good Scouts is released to theaters. Huey, Dewey, and Louie also appear. [16] [23] [228.210]
- July
- Howard Swift proposes an animated film entitled Salvagers with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck as deep sea divers. [176.55]
- July 19
- Disney and Courvoisier Galleries sign a contract, making Guthrie Courvoisier the sole representative for marketing Disney original art, such as animation cels. [113.186]
- July 29
- The Donald Duck and Goofy film The Fox Hunt is released to theaters. The film is a re-make of the Silly Symphony of the same title from 1931. [16] [23] [228.194]
- August 19
- The Mickey Mouse film The Whalers is released to theaters. Donald Duck and Goofy also appear. [16] [23] [501.603]
- August 31
- Walt and Roy Disney pay a US$10,000 deposit on a US$100,000 51 acre property on Buena Vista Street in Burbank, for a new studio. [23] [24] [229.93] [49.257] [48.145] [177.66] [267.132] [939.4] (purchased in early 1939 [34.103])
- August
- In its first six months, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs grosses US$2 million. [23]
- September 4
- Walt Disney convenes the first formal story conference for Bambi. [1102.289]
- September 9
- The Mickey Mouse film Mickey's Parrot is released. Pluto also appears. [16] [23] [228.328]
- September
- Walt Disney and four others meet to start choosing pieces of music to use as additional episodes with The Sorcerer's Apprentice. At the time, this project is called The Concert Feature. [23]
- September 23
- The Mickey Mouse film The Brave Little Tailor is released to theaters. Minnie Mouse also appears. [16] [15] [225.40] [235.92] (Brave Little Tailor [23] [1378.96])
- September 28
- The Fantasound surround sound system for Fantasia is first tested. [35.38]
- September 29
- Walt Disney Productions is reorganized to include three subsidiary companies: Walt Disney Enterprises, Liled Realty and Investment Company, the Disney Film Recording Company. Walt and Lillian receive 45,000 shares apiece; Roy and Edna Disney receive 30,000 apiece. [23] [48.164] [113.186] [267.137] [501.593] [1102.330] (1939 [34.117])
- Fifty or sixty animators attend a 2.5-hour piano concert for The Sorcerer's Aprentice, with Walt Disney giving a running commentary on what the audience would see. [1102.308]
- September 30
- Walt Disney, Leopold Stowkowski, and Deems Taylor select the final compositions for "The Concert Feature". Total running time is just over two hours. [1102.308]
- October 14
- The Silly Symphony film Farmyard Symphony is released to theaters. [16] [23] [228.175]
- October
- Disney artists' work is suspended on the animated short film Mickey's Toothache. [176.36]
- October 17
- The first story meeting is held to discuss the Dance of the Hours segment of the film Fantasia. [35.162]
- November 4
- The Donald Duck film Donald's Golf Game is released to theaters. Huey, Dewey, and Louie also appear. [16] [15] [23] [228.147]
- November 25
- The animated special film Ferdinand the Bull is released to theaters. This is the debut of Ferdinand the Bull. A caricature of Walt Disney is used for the matador. [16] [11] [15] [23] [225.42] [228.182]
- December 9
- The Silly Symphony film Merbabies is released to theaters. The film was produced for Disney by Harman-Ising Studios, lead by former employees Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising. [16] [23] [85.278] [228.317]
- December 15
- Walt Disney meets with Sidney Franklin, holder of rights to the Bambi story for an extended story session. Then Disney makes an announcement to press postponing the film, doing Pinocchio in its place. [1102.290]
- December
- Walt Disney Enterprises is renamed Walt Disney Productions. [113.186]
- December 23
- The Silly Symphony film Mother Goose Goes Hollywood is released to theaters. [16] [23] [228.342]
- December 31
- The cover of Radio Guide features Disney's Dopey character. [1238.42]
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