The Inventoris abrilliantly artistic stop-motionand 2D animated film about the final years of Italian Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci. The legendary painter, sculptor, scientist, philosopher, architect, and astronomer found himself smack dab in the middle of heretical controversy. Leonardo argued that reason and the practical application of scientific methodology was the path to true enlightenment. His pursuit of forbidden knowledge, especially anatomical research and cadaver dissection, could have been a death sentence from the Catholic Church. InThe Inventor, Leonardo leaves Italy for the court of King Francis I of France, but finds that royal vanity and arrogance continues to impede his research.
In 1516 Rome, Leonardo (Stephen Fry) marvels at the night sky as he stares through his new telescope. He shows loyal assistant Francesco Melzi (Angelino Sandri) incredible views of the lunar surface. Leonardo wonders if there could truly be a man in the Moon. He postulates that Galileo is probably right about the possibility of other Earth-like planets orbiting stars. Francesco warns him to be careful saying such things out loud. Pope Leo X (Matt Berry) has spies everywhere. Master and apprentice leave the roof to secretly explore Leonardo’s favorite passion, performing autopsies to discover the source of man’s undying soul.
Pope Leo’s spies, depicted as snarling shadows, inform him of Leonardo’s astronomical endeavors. He wants Leonardo to create weapons of war to stop King Francis (Gauthier Battoue) from conquering more cities in Italy. Leonardo, in a truly wonderful scene, shows the Pope how any weaponry he creates would eventually be copied by the enemy and used against them. He argues that a peace offering to King Francis will save lives and leads to a formidable alliance.
Leonardo’s New Patron
Leonardo dazzles King Francis with a robotic lion. The gobsmacked monarch tells Leonardo that he’s always welcome to serve in his court if Italy became undesirable. This invitation proves prophetic with the death of his patron, the Cardinal of Aragon (Jim Capobianco). Now Pope Leo was unfettered in middling with his affairs. Leonardo decides to accept King Francis' offer and travel to his castle the Château d’Amboise on the river Loire.
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Leonardo quickly discovers that the narcissistic and pompous King Francis just wants to impress the other European royals. He’s invited King Henry the VIII (Daniel Swan) of England and King Charles of Spain (Max Baumgarten) to a grand fête in his honor. It’s a request that interrupts Leonardo’s search for the soul, but he finds a valuable ally in the king’s younger sister, the beautiful and intelligent Marguerite of Navarre (Daisy Ridley).
The Inventorlooks amazing.Writer/co-director Jim Capobianco(Ratatouille) delivers eye-popping visual splendor by varying animated styles throughout the film. The primary action is stop-motion but Leonardo’s imagination and theories are seen as exquisitely drawn cartoons. He also changes the size of certain characters to reflect their overbearing authority. For example, Pope Leo is gigantic in comparison to the smaller cardinals around him. They look like miniature puppets agreeing to his every whim. There’s also a musical element where characters periodically break into song. This is thankfully limited and only done at certain points in the narrative.
The Inventortakes direct aim at religious oppression and classism. Capobianco paints the church and feudalism with a dirty brush. These institutions are portrayed as supremely selfish. They hold an iron grip of power through fear of death. People were literally being burned at the stake for harboring antithetical views. Leonardo is keenly aware of where his activities could lead. Scenes of the characters stealing dead bodies from gravediggers adds a true but macabre undercurrent. Marguerite, who uncovers Leonardo’s secret, asks where they get the bodies. His honest reply is that the poor’s corpses litter the streets. They have no problems finding unintended participants.
Related:The Inventor Cast and Character Guide
A Kindred Spirit
Capobianco does a great jobof framing the characters station. Marguerite believes that nobility has a duty to enrich the lives of the common people. Leonardo has a grand dream of creating a city where humanity and nature exist in harmony. Marguerite ignores the wishes of her brother and formidable mother, Louise of Savoy (Marion Cotillard), to help Leonardo build his city. This contravenes King Francis who just wants a big statue of himself and to show off nifty gadgets. Marguerite is not respected for her intellect. Leonardo cautions her that “some people cannot see.” She pays a price for having the audacity to be kind and thoughtful.
The Inventordoes run out of steam in the third act. Capobianco wows you until the plot runs thin. The film builds toward King Francis' grand fête but sort of limps to the finish line. The climax isn’t interesting, but that’s not necessarily the script’s fault. Capobianco doesn’t want to stray too far awayfrom historical accuracy. Leonardo, at the end of his life, had already achieved greatness and wasn’t involved in anything too exciting. The lesson here is what he inspired for the ages, a tremendous contribution to art, science, and humanity’s benevolence.
The Inventoris a production of Curiosity Studio, Foliascope, and Leo & King. It will be released theatrically on September 15th fromBlue Fox Entertainment.
The Inventor
Based on the later life of famed inventor Leonardo da Vinci, The Inventor is an animated biographical adventure film by writer-director Jim Capobianco. The film loosely recounts Leonardo’s journey into the heart of life by leaving his home in Italy to join the French court to continue his inventions together with the aid of Princess Marguerite de Nevarre.
