Animators' Disney deal for animators

Two British animators have signed a multi-million pound deal with Disney on the strength of one 90-second cartoon, writes Marianne Macdonald.

Disney executives were so impressed by David Stoten's and Tim Watts's short film The Big Story they have offered them a contract to make two full-length cartoon films. Each feature could cost up to pounds 20m and the first may not be finished until 2000, Mr Watts said yesterday.

Mr Watts, 30, from Castle Donnington, Leicestershire, and Mr Stoten, 33, from Luton, Bedfordshire, learned their skills at the Spitting Image studios in London, where they started out making puppet heads for the series.