Blue Fox Entertainment has picked up U.S. rights to the stop-motion adventure comedy The Inventor, starring Stephen Fry as Leonardo da Vinci. Also starring Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard, Gauthier Battoue and Matt Berry, the film is set for an exclusive release in theaters nationwide on August 25th.

World premiering in competition at last month’s Annecy Animation Film Festival, The Inventor marks the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated Ratatouille scribe Jim Capobianco. A co-production among the United States, France and Ireland, it follows inventor and artist Da Vinci as he leaves Italy to join the French court where he can freely experiment, invent flying contraptions and incredible machines, and study the human body. Joined in his adventures by the audacious Princess Marguerite (Ridley), Leonardo attempts to uncover the answer to the ultimate question: “What is the meaning of life?”

Capobianco directed from his own script, with Pierre-Luc Granjon serving as co-director. Producers included Robert Rippberger for SIE Films, Capobianco, Adrian Politowski and Martin Metz. KMBO will release the pic in France in January 2024, with mk2 handling rights in other international territories.

“We applaud Jim and his talented team and artist and actors for jumping into the world of stop motion animation. It’s a route few filmmakers take but we are thrilled they did,” said James Huntsman of Blue Fox. “The results are amazing and we are proud to take INVENTOR to theaters and audiences nationwide.”

Added Capobianco, “I am thrilled that Blue Fox has leaped forward to bring ‘The Inventor’ to theaters where audiences can experience Leonardo da Vinci’s adventures on the big screen. His legacy proves that through our actions, we can inspire those around us—girls, boys, women, and men—to be curious, to challenge the status quo, to think in new ways, and to be inventors in their own lives.”

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