He profoundly influenced some of the studio's greatest features

John Canemaker Animation historian

Peet died on Saturday at his home in the San Fernando Valley in California, Disney vice-president Howard Green said.

He recently had pneumonia and fought cancer and heart problems in recent years.

Peet worked on the storyboards that later became some of Disney's first animated films.

"Bill Peet was Walt Disney's greatest story man and considered to be on a par with Walt himself in terms of telling strong stories with vibrant characters," animation historian John Canemaker said.

Disney classics

"He profoundly influenced some of the studio's greatest features and created some of its most memorable characters."

Among the Disney classics Peet was involved in were Fantasia, released in 1940, Cinderella in 1950, Alice in Wonderland in 1951, and Sleeping Beauty in 1959.

Peet wrote the screenplay for 101 Dalmatians in 1961, before tackling Arthurian legend in The Sword in the Stone two years later.

Fantasia was an early success for Peet

After these animated features, Peet left the studio in 1964 because of a stormy relationship with Walt Disney.

In his 1989 autobiography, Peet said he drew the evil Captain Hook in Peter Pan to resemble Disney.

Peet also asked that his name be taken from the credits of The Jungle Book, which was in development, because he disliked changes made after he left the project.

After Peet left Disney, he published children's books, including Goliath II, The Pinkish, Purplish, Bluish Egg and Chester the Worldly Pig.

Rapid rise

Born and raised in Indiana, Peet started his career as an artist for a greeting card company in Dayton, Ohio.

He later responded to an advertisement that read: "Walt Disney is looking for artists."

He soon began drawing Donald Duck cartoons and was assigned to work on Pinocchio, helping him rise through the company.

He received more than a dozen awards for children's literature and earned a major award for contributions to animation.