The Irish animator, filmmaker, triple Oscar nominee and the co-founder of Cartoon Saloon, Tomm Moore has joined the creative team of The Inventor, an animated movie directed by Jim Capobianco.
The animation maestro will direct the 2D sequence of the stop-motion film along with his assistant Fabian Erlinghäuser. The duos’ amazing work in Wolfwalkers, the apple TV+ movie, got it nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscar being held on Sunday, 25 April.
The story head of Ratatouille, Jim Capobianco penned the screenplay of The Inventor and will be directing the latter sequences of this hybrid 2D and puppet animated movie. The movie is now in its pre-production stage and scheduled for delivery in 2023. The movie is produced on a budget of $10 million.
The story revolves around the life and inventing adventures of Leonardo da Vinci. He is joined in his adventure by the audacious Princess Marguerite, who will help him uncover the answer to the ultimate question: what is the meaning of it all? It is a stop motion film, where we witness Vinci’s invention of flying contraptions, war machines, and studying the human body. As per Deadline, the voice cast includes Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard, and Matt Berry.
“Tomm and I have been looking to work together ever since The Secret of Kells and my short film Leonardo played together at film festivals,” said Capobianco to Deadline.
Capobianco also added, “It is only fitting to collaborate on The Inventor, a film that combines both puppet animation and 2D drawn animation and will require an exceptional talent like Tomm. The grand vision is to make an animated film as if it were helmed by Leonardo da Vinci himself.”
France’s Mk2 Films is handling international sales, with The Exchange overseeing the US rights. The Mk2 Films head Fionnuala Jamison said, “The response to the announcement of The Inventor has been incredible and the project just keeps growing in stature. We couldn’t hope for a more talented director than Tomm Moore for the hand-drawn sequences in the film. Moore’s exquisite fairy-like style appeals to children and adults alike and has the richness required to bring Da Vinci’s dreams to the screen in these key sequences.”
Producers on The Inventor are Robert Rippberger and Capobianco. Executive producers are Don Hahn, Ilan Urroz, Ellen Byrne, Vince McCarthy, Kat Alioshin, Stéphan Roelants, Carmella Casinelli, Jeremy Walton, David Lyons, Ryan Clarkson, Eric Vonfeldt, Lorenz Evans, Steve Muench, and Sita Saviolo. The film is a European and American co-production from Foliascope (France), Melusine Productions (Luxembourg), Curiosity Studio (Ireland), and Leo & King (US).
