British actress Kate Winslet and US Oscar winner Nicolas Cage are providing voice-overs for a new film of A Christmas Carol featuring a combination of live action and animation.

Pregnant Titanic actress Winslet, 24, and Leaving Las Vegas star Cage are joining Notting Hill's Rhys Ifans on the British project, according to a report in Variety magazine.

Scrooge will be played by UK stage veteran Simon Callow, whose films include Four Weddings and a Funeral and A Room with a View.

The movie, which should be completed next summer, is being co-financed by the Film Consortium with National Lottery backing.

Combining hand-drawn animation with live action sequences involving Callow, the finished film is provisionally set for release around Christmas 2001.