Blue Fox Entertainment Acquires THE INVENTOR

The Directorial Debut from Academy Award® nominee Jim Capobianco Stars Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard, Gauthier Battoue, and Matt Berry

LOS ANGELES (July 10, 2023) – Blue Fox Entertainment announced today its acquisition of U.S. distribution rights to the animated comedy adventure, THE INVENTOR, which made its world premiere in competition at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival last month. The directorial debut of Oscar® nominee Jim Capobianco (screenwriter of Ratatouille), THE INVENTOR is a stop-motion film about the life of Leonardo da Vinci featuring the voices of Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard, Gauthier Battoue, and Matt Berry. The imaginative and family-friendly feature is written and directed by Capobianco and co-directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon. Blue Fox will release THE INVENTOR in the U.S. theatrically nationwide on August 25, 2023.

THE INVENTOR tells the story of the insatiably curious and headstrong inventor/artist Leonardo da Vinci (Stephen Fry) 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 adventure by the audacious Princess Marguerite (Daisy Ridley), Leonardo attempts to uncover the answer to the ultimate question: “What is the meaning of life?”

Said James Huntsman of Blue Fox, “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. The results are amazing and we are proud to take INVENTOR to theaters and audiences nationwide.”

“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,” stated director Capobianco. “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.”

Producers of THE INVENTOR are Robert Rippberger (p.g.a.) of SIE Films, Jim Capobianco, Adrian Politowski, and Martin Metz. Music is scored by Alex Mandel (Brave). Director of Photography is Marijke Van Kets. Production Designer is Samuel Ribeyron. Editor is Nicolas Flory. The film is a co-production among the United States, France, and Ireland.

Hired at Disney in their story department, Jim Capobianco worked on various films at Disney including The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Fantasia 2000. In 1997, Jim left Disney to join Pixar. He worked as a story artist on A Bug’s Life and contributed story material to Toy Story 2. He continued to help shape the story of such films as Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Up, Inside Out and Coco. He also directed the critically acclaimed end titles for WALL-E. In 2001, Jim helped craft the screenplay for Ratatouille and was a constant presence on the production, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Jim also wrote and directed Your Friend the Rat and the 2D animated sequence in Mary Poppins Returns, winning Annie Awards for both.

About Blue Fox

Founded in 2015, Blue Fox Entertainment is a global film sales and domestic distribution company specializing in connecting filmmakers to audiences and buyers around the world. The company has a deep history in film production, marketing, finance, sales and distribution.

Blue Fox Entertainment’s current US release slate includes Mending the Line starring Brian Cox and Sinqua Walls and Rise from director Cedric Klapisch, and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, based on the bestselling novel and produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Previous US releases include The Wolf & The Lion, the epic romance Eiffel, the action thriller Killerman starring Liam Hemsworth, the critically acclaimed comedy Sometimes Always Never starring Bill Nighy, the Julie Delpy-directed My Zoe, and the Sundance family comedy Abe starring Noah Schnapp.

Blue Fox Entertainment’s recent international sales titles include Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe; Space Oddity directed by Kyra Sedgwick; One Winter, the compelling and inspirational story starring Julian Dennison, Minnie Driver, and James Rolleston; the family comedy Popular Theory, starring Cheryl Hines, Sophia Reid-Ganzert, Marc Evan Jackson, the YA thriller Jane with Madelaine Petsch and Chloe Bailey; Linoleum, the break out comedy starring Jim Gaffigan and Rhea Seehorn; and Sahar Mosayebi’s Orca.

The company launched Blue Fox Financing in 2022, the first transactional digital platform to streamline and expedite film financing opportunities for the entertainment industry, connecting borrowers with the largest database of film and television lenders and equity financiers. www.bluefoxentertainment.com