Walt Disney’s star-studded motion picture based on Jules Verne’s classic novel hits theaters in June 2004. Verne’s comic high adventure featuring the exploits of reserved Englishman Phileas Fogg and his hot-blooded manservant Passepartout combines exploration, adventure, and a thrilling race against time—and to this day remains hugely popular. Jules Verne (1828-1905) was the author of Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and other scientific adventures.