Shadows on the Wall | The Inventor

The Inventor

dir-scr Jim Capobianco
prd Robert Rippberger, Jim Capobianco, Adrian Politowski, Martin Metz
voices Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard, Gauthier Battoue, Matt Berry, Angelino Sandri, John Gilkey, Natalie Palamides, Max Baumgarten, Daniel Swan, Jane Osborn, Ben Stranahan
release US 25.Aug.23,
Fr 31.Jan.24
23/France Universal 1h32

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Mixing stop-motion with eye-catching hand-drawn animation, this lively French historical adventure also features the occasional song. Fast-paced and amusingly quirky, writer-director Jim Capobianco wrestles with big ideas both in the script and inventive visuals. What emerges is a witty celebration of innovative thinking, sifting truth from accepted lies. The script makes its point over and over again, but the story is so imaginatively told that it's frequently dazzling.

In 1516 Rome, the endlessly curious Leonardo da Vinci (Fry) is warned that his big ideas will bring him trouble with Pope Leo (Berry), especially as he tries to locate the human soul. But France's heathen King Francis (Battoue) is intrigued, inviting him to join his court. Encouraged by Francis' sister Marguerite (Ridley), Leonardo creates ambitious plans for the ideal city. But the king's mother Louise (Cotillard) isn't so sure about this. And Leonardo needs to prove himself and his ideas over and over again, even as he continues his personal search for deeper meaning.

Hilariously playing on the history of animation itself, there's a scene in which Leonardo puts on a moving-picture show to reveal the perils of warfare, which is all the Pope wants. Indeed, the Pope celebrates ignorance, battling anyone who dares to question him. And even working with Francis, Leonardo despairs that all leaders want nothing but vain statues and brutal war machines. This gives the story a very dark undercurrent, poking fun at the arrogance and folly that rule the world while important ideas and real people die.

Songs are ambitious, sung in a pastiche of period styles, so they're jaunty but not particularly memorable. But the characters are sparky and engaging. The most powerful moments come in Leonardo's flights of fancy, which are rendered in an eye-catching hand-sketched animation that has an epic feel to it. His cheeky attitude and complex connections to the various people around him add some depth of feeling that pulls us deeper into the story, allowing grand ideas to swirl everywhere.

Leonardo urges others to be wary of expectations: "see what can be, unburdened by what has been". In people around him, he is is continually reminded that those who can't do this will fear those who can. The film is a lovely exploration of the nature of the human spirit to seek out the truth even as others are happy living with outdated traditions, limited understanding and flat-out falsehoods. Most importantly, the story reminds us to engage with the world with a positive mindset.

themes, violence 7.Aug.23

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