How many films did Walt Disney make

A. Walt Disney was responsible for 40 of the Disney animated features during his lifetime. Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5 1901, the son of a building contractor. He never finished High School and his lucky break came when he met Ub Iwerks, a Dutch draftsman, in 1919. Walt Disney had always loved drawing - and together - they drew a sequence of drawings to imitate life, but they failed and went bust. With Disney's older brother, Roy, they went to Los Angeles with around $40 between them.

Q. What was his first cartoon

A. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 and they realised immediately they had come up with a winning forumla. They gave Mickey a unique personaility and made friends for him such as Donald Duck, Pluto and Minnie Mouse.

Q. When did they make films

A. It wasn't until 1937 - when technology had improved - that Walt made his first feature-length animated film; Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, which won a special Oscar for innovation. Snow White lasted well over 70 minutes - a breakthrough because up until then, cartoons were only four or five minutes long.

Disney followed up Snow White with Pinocchio, Bambi, Fantasia and Dumbo, which became worldwide names.

Q. When did the theme parks come along

A. The first Disney theme park was created in California in 1955 as Walt pursued his dream of creating a Disney dreamland. The plans were so detailed it took five years to complete the first one in Los Angeles. Thirty five years after Walt Disney's death, the empire he founded is the second largest media conglomerate in the world, and he he found the first media merchandising operation. There are now three theme parks; Disneyland in Southern California, Disney World in Florida and Euro Disney in Paris. The original Snow White has been re-released on DVD and there are special events at the theme parks to mark the company's centenary.

Q. Have there been any Disney flops

A. After Disney's death in 19666 the movie side of the business began to suffer, despite the release of films such as Jungle Book and Mary Poppins. Staff left the company, accusing them of declining standards. Things only began to look up for Disney when Michael Eisner moved from Paramount to become chairman. They began chuning out films such as The Lion King, Beauty and The Beast, Toy Story and A Bug's Life - all made to a winning formula. In 1995, the company paid 13 billion to buy Capitol Cities/ABC, making it one of the most powerful entertainment companies in the world. It meant Disney had sole responsibility for a range of films, including Pretty Woman with Richard gere and Julia Roberts, and The English Patient with Ralph Fiennes, as well as a number of other hits. But the atrocities In New York have resulted in a slump in visitors to the theme parks and figures for its latest film Atlantis: The Lost Empire have been disappointing

Q. What is the latest Disney epic

A. Monsters,Inc., is the latest Disney/Pixar collaboration, which has just taken a record-breaking 156 million in just three weeks in the States,

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by Katharine MacColl

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