More than once in \u201cThe Inventor,\u201d an animated feature about Leonardo da Vinci, powerful patrons tell that Renaissance polymath to behave \u201clike a good little artist.\u201d This advice comes first from Pope Leo X (voiced by Matt Berry) and later from Louise of Savoy (Marion Cotillard), the devoted mother of King Francis I of France.<\/p>\n

The notion of a great mind that is both beneficiary of and handmaid to the agendas of the powerful runs throughout this admirably artisanal appreciation of Leonardo\u2019s intellect and innovative spirit, which follows him (Stephen Fry) as he leaves Rome to become King Francis\u2019s maestro. The directors, Jim Capobianco (who also wrote the screenplay) and Pierre-Luc Granjon, keep the artist\u2019s paintings secondary to his exploits as a thinker and tinkerer. Their engaging voice cast also includes Daisy Ridley as Leonardo\u2019s royal champion, Marguerite de Navarre, and Gauthier Battoue as the king, who proves to be in dire need of an ego-stroking statue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n