The Inventor

"Imagination takes flight."

2023 1h 32m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 31

AnimationDramaFamilyHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The insatiably curious and headstrong inventor Leonardo da Vinci leaves Italy to join the French court, where he can experiment freely, inventing flying contraptions, incredible machines, and study the human body. There, joined in his adventure by the audacious princess Marguerite, Leonardo will uncover the answer to the ultimate question – "What is the meaning of it all?"

“Imagination takes flight.”

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Cast

Stephen Fry
Leonardo da Vinci (voice)
Daisy Ridley
Princess Marguerite (voice)
Marion Cotillard
Louise de Savoy (voice)
Matt Berry
Pope Leo XI (voice)
Natalie Palamides
Pierre Nepveu / Antonio de Beatis (voice)
Jim Capobianco
Cardinal of Aragon (voice)
Ben Stranahan
Page (voice)
Jane Osborn
Gravedigger Jane (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pierre-Luc Granjon
Writers: Nicola Sammarco, Arna Selznick, Sarah Leuver
Languages: English
Countries: France, Ireland, United States of America, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 20% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: France, Ireland, United States of America, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon, shot by Marijke Van Kets. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alex Mandel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Stephen Fry and Daisy Ridley and Marion Cotillard carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Imagination takes flight.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt5822848 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pierre-Luc Granjon directs. Marijke Van Kets behind the camera. Alex Mandel scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, Ireland, United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 20% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 3 years ago.
3International production across 4 countries: France, Ireland, United States of America, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon, shot by Marijke Van Kets. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alex Mandel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Stephen Fry and Daisy Ridley and Marion Cotillard carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Imagination takes flight.".
8IMDB entry: tt5822848 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 31 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 10 themes, including "inventor", "leonardo da vinci", "stop motion", "historical fiction".

The technical file

Cinematography: Marijke Van Kets
Original score: Alex Mandel
Production design: Samuel Ribeyron
Costume design: Pauline Valls
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $2,037,563
Return: 20% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Inventor (2023)

Also by

Pierre-Luc Granjon

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2023-09-18
★ 6/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/the-inventor-review-too-generic-yet-still-satisfying/ "The Inventor cannot escape its script's creative limitations and generic messages, but it remains a somewhat interesting viewing, full of humorous moments and pure audiovisual beauty. The fantastic stop-motion animation stands out, but the 2D sequences are just as, if not more, captivating. Alex Mandel's score is crucial to the film's entertainment levels, along with the vocal performances of the cast, especially Stephen Fry as Leonardo da Vinci. Apart from a few more sound mixing problems, Jim Capobianco doesn't disappoint, but I'll be waiting for a deeper, more memorable sophomore feature film." Rating: B-
CinemaSerf2024-03-13
★ 7/10
I was quite nervous at the start here when I saw how many production companies were involved - it looked like a recipe for a mess. Well it isn't. It's certainly an amalgam of animated styles featuring everything from flat 2-D drawing to complex technical sketching and some stop-motion characterisations that really worked quite quirkily. It's the briefest of potted histories of the life of Leonardo da Vinci. We start in Rome where his sponsor - Cardinal de Medici - is constantly firefighting for him with Pope Leo X who wants him to do something a little more useful, and not dissect dead bodies in the middle of the night! It's that latter habit that sees him flee to the relative safety of King Francis I of France. The King wants the maestro to build him a castle, or a new city, or some fancy weapons - or probably all of the above. Leonardo doesn't really react well to commissions though, and soon his new benefactor is also beginning to lose his patience. Luckily, he has the princess Marguerite in his corner, and gradually the grudging support of their mother, the Queen. It can look a bit disjointed at times, the art is frequently quite contrasting - but that just makes the whole proposition a little more interesting and innovative. The drawings reminded me a little of the opening titles to Tom Riley's "Da Vinci's Demons" television drama - and the narrative emphasises quite engagingly the visionary nature of a man who quite literally walked a fine line between science, religion and a bonfire! It's probably twenty minutes too long, but once we get going there is plenty of imaginative action to keep it watchable.