For a film about a hugely influential polymath who often blurred the lines between science and art, The Inventor fittingly alternates between animation styles as it chronicles the final years of Leonardo da Vinci. In theory, artful shifts between stop motion and hand-drawn techniques should create distinctive, visually striking imagery, but in practice, much of the film struggles to find its own identity. Whereas Laika Studios or Tim Burton or, most recently, Guillermo del Toro exaggerate and distort their characters’ features to evoke a stylishly otherworldly quality to painstaking stop-motion, this film from directors Jim Capobianco and Pierre-Luc Granjon takes few risks and the character design is often visually reminiscent of classic TV Christmas specials.
The Inventor takes place in the twilight of Leonardo’s life, when he left the papal oppression of Italy for the friendly embrace of France, where King Francis I appreciated the Renaissance artist’s craft. Charmingly voiced by Stephen Fry, Leonardo is driven above all else by the desire to discover where the human soul resides within the body. To do so requires a bit of grave robbing and cadaver dissecting, something the Pope (Matt Berry) despises and that Francis (Gauthier Battoue) probably wouldn’t be too crazy about either if he found out. Despite Francis’ affinity for Leonardo’s art, he’s also got a narcissistic streak, and egged on by his doting mother Louise de Savoy (Marion Cotillard), he fixates on the construction of a statue of himself rather than Leonardo’s intricate designs for the perfect city. In Leonardo’s corner is the king’s sister, Marguerite (Daisy Ridley), who intercedes on the artist/tinkerer’s behalf and serves as a voice of reason.
The hand-drawn elements are meant to convey a certain whimsical quality to Leonardo’s multidimensional thought processes, which transcended convention. However, with the more elaborate world-building of most stop-motion of late, shifts to hand-drawn animation at times feel like cutting corners. The visual charm of fisticuffs portrayed as arms and legs poking out of a roiling puff of cotton is far preferable to any of the drawn sequences. What’s more, the story feels dull and lifeless throughout much of the film, with the stakes never rising very high despite what at times can be heavy subject matter.
This leads us to the question of this film’s intended audience. The Inventor feels educational yet not particularly appealing for children due to some complex themes, but it’s also a bit too simple for adults to appreciate. Though it occasionally strives for levity, such as a recurring gag involving Michelangelo, the film could benefit from more humor in some moments, and greater tension in others. The inclusion of historical details, such as a scene involving Leonardo presenting the king with a mechanical lion he constructed, is a nice touch because, at first blush, a 16th-century clockwork beast would seem outlandish if it wasn’t true. But ultimately, The Inventor too often seems more like a series of vignettes, none particularly compelling, than like a dramatic narrative. Even though Leonardo learns a profound lesson in the end, in this film, his quest to find the human soul doesn’t have much heart.
Photo courtesy of Blue Fox Entertainment
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