- Title: The Inventor
- IMDb: link
Even if it does get a bit schmaltzy in its final act ending in a questionable musical number, 2023’s The Inventor still has much to offer in the stop-motion animation that explores the life of Leonardo da Vinci (Stephen Fry) first in Rome and later in France where his experiments and inventions struggle against the expectations and demands of his patrons. Leonardo finds a kindred spirit in Princess Marguerite (Daisy Ridley) who shares his dreams in creating an ideal city, although her brother Francis I (Gauthier Battoue) is more concerned with his inventor creating ways for the king to show off to other rulers.
The film is marvelously animated, earning a Best Independent Animated Feature nomination by the Annies. Leonardo’s searching for the soul through the exploration of the dead is a bit macabre, and the Pope’s (Matt Berry) displeasure helps hasten his departure to France, but helps explain the obsession that drives him (and it doesn’t hinder The Inventor from being an all-ages story).
Watch the trailer
