23 apr 2021 Oscar-nominated Director Of ‘WOLFWALKERS’ Tomm Moore Joins ‘The Inventor’ By ‘RATATOUILLE’’s Writer Jim Capobianco

Hand-drawn animation master Tomm Moore, director of Apple’s WOLFWALKERS, is set to direct the 2D sequences of previously announced upcoming stop-motion film helmed by RATATOUILLE’s writer Jim Capobianco.

Moore’s previous features THE SONG OF THE SEA (2015) and THE SECRET OF KELLS (2010) were both nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards and received numerous accolades around the world, from the Annecy Animation Film Festival to the European Film Awards. WOLFWALKERS was released by Apple last winter, and is also nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the upcoming Academy Awards.

“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. 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 being to make an animated film as if it were helmed by Leonardo da Vinci himself”, says writer-director Jim Capobianco.

“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 fairylike 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”, says Head of mk2 films Fionnuala Jamison.

Moore’s team will notably include his frequent collaborator Fabian Erlinghäuser, who will serve as 2D animation supervisor on THE INVENTOR. Erlinghäuser previously worked as Animation Supervisor on WOLFWALKERS, and has worked on all the Cartoon Saloon films, Moore’s Ireland-based animation studio.

THE INVENTOR, the humorous story for the whole family inspired by the life and times of Leonardo da Vinci is currently in preproduction. In this animated journey, the insatiably curious and headstrong inventor Leonardo da Vinci leaves Italy to join the French court, where he can experiment freely, inventing flying contraptions, incredible machines, and study the human body. Joined in his adventure by the audacious Princess Marguerite, Leonardo will uncover the answer to the ultimate question: “What is the meaning of it all?”

The previously announced all-star cast includes Stephen Fry (Alice in Wonderland, V for Vendetta, Gosford Park, Wilde), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars sequel trilogy, Murder on the Orient Express), Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) and Matt Berry (FX’s What We Do In The Shadows, The IT Crowd tv series).

THE INVENTOR by Jim Capobianco is produced by Robert Rippberger and Jim Capobianco. Executive production: 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 coproduction from Foliascope (France), Melusine Productions (Luxembourg), Curiosity Studio (Ireland), and Leo & King (USA). With a budget of $10M, the film is currently in pre-production with delivery scheduled for Early Spring 2023. The Exchange handles sales in the USA while mk2 films handles international.

Contact: intsales@mk2.com

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