The Inventor

There is an appealing directness to The Inventor. It knows it is an animated film, understands the expectations attached to that label, and then looks for small ways to give the material its own voice. Directed by Jim Capobianco and Pierre Luc Granjon, it leans on Daisy Ridley and Marion Cotillard to give the material a human centre. At story level, Inventing, Leonardo and Vinci shape the central setup, but the later turns are best left for the film to reveal.

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The animation gives the film its clearest identity, especially when colour, movement and comic timing work together. The voice performances keep the characters from feeling like pieces on a storyboard, and the visual energy rarely becomes difficult to follow. There is a worthwhile film here, although it arrives unevenly. The stronger passages show real personality, but momentum fades whenever the script reaches for the most obvious beat. The cast keeps things watchable even when the structure begins to show its seams.

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Performance wise, Daisy Ridley provides the most dependable anchor, bringing focus to the film whenever the plot threatens to become mechanical. Marion Cotillard offers a useful contrast in energy, and Matt Berry helps widen the emotional range of the ensemble. The acting is not equally subtle in every scene, but the group understands the required tone and rarely appears to be performing in different films.

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Thematically, The Inventor is interested in identity, belonging and the difficult step of deciding who you are when other people have already supplied an answer. The visual freedom makes those ideas accessible, but the emotional value comes from recognisable uncertainty beneath the colour and movement. The film is most persuasive when these ideas emerge from behaviour rather than speeches. That additional layer gives the story more purpose than a sequence of familiar genre beats, even if every implication is not explored with equal depth.

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The technical presentation is most persuasive when it remains readable. Images are composed with a clear focal point, transitions carry the eye forward, and the soundtrack supports changes in pace without announcing every emotion. That control gives the film a professional finish while leaving enough texture for individual scenes to retain their own mood.

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Its unevenness becomes difficult to ignore. The film can be lively and specific in one scene, then oddly generic in the next. That inconsistency weakens the emotional build and makes the final stretch work harder than it should.

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I wanted The Inventor to come together more decisively. Its better moments make it worth considering for animation fans looking for visual personality as well as an accessible story, but the weaknesses prevent a wholehearted recommendation.