LOS ANGELES, US - WALT Disney on Wednesday said it had signed a ground-breaking deal with IMAX that will see the studio release of five films on the company's state-of-the-art giant screens.

The first film in the deal would be a 3-D cinematic retelling of A Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey, due to be released in November 2009.

Other films which may feature in the deal include works by director Tim Burton and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, a statement from Disney said.

Mr Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group, said the Imax format, which allows theatres to show films on massive screens with a higher resolution, was tailor-made for the slate of new films covered by the deal.

'We know audiences are going to love being immersed in these great fantasies and adventures in IMAX's format,' Mr Zoradi said. -- AFP