Finding Nemo

The Disney corporation in the United States has announced that it's buying Pixar film studios for more than seven-billion dollars, in a business deal that will combine two of the biggest names in animated films. This report from Guto Harri:

Listen to the story

Disney is known throughout the world for cartoon characters that successive generations of children have grown up with. Pixar has an unbroken string of blockbuster hits. It produced "The Incredibles", "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo".

The two companies have worked together on a number of projects over the last decade. But that arrangement was due to end this June. Now, in an all-stock transaction, Walt Disney will take over Pixar and bring its chief executive, Steve Jobs, onto its board.

Mr Jobs is the head of Apple, who recently unveiled the video iPod. That allows people to download films from the internet and watch them wherever and whenever they want on a screen which fits into the palm of their hand. The deal would therefore put Steve Jobs in a pivotal position to link traditional media with the new, or in other words, to bring Hollywood fully onto the web.

Listen to the words

deal
business agreement

an unbroken string of blockbuster hits
a successful series of very popular films

over the last decade
during the past ten years

due to end
scheduled to finish

an all-stock transaction
buying the other company through a transfer of shares

onto its board
into its management group

unveiled the video ipod
showed for the first time a portable device that can show films

to download films
to get digital movies

a pivotal
an important

link traditional media with the new
bring together older types of media e.g. film with newer types e.g. the internet

Read more about this story