Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey in the recent Skywalker Saga Star Wars films, and erudite British icon of the stage, screen and scribery Stephen Fry have signed on to voice roles in The Inventor — a mixed-media animated feature about Leonardo da Vinci, written/directed/produced by Disney/Pixar veteran Jim Capobianco. Ridley will voice the French princess, Marguerite, and Fry will play the ultimate Renaissance Man himself.

The Inventor was one of the buzzworthy animated feature projects presented at Cartoon Movie this spring and is set to take part in next week’s Cannes film market.

Synopsis: In 1516, rather than paint “pretty” pictures for the Pope, the insatiably curious Leonardo da Vinci is instead searching for the meaning of life itself. This deadly heresy forces Leo to flee Italy with his apprentices and arrive at the court of Francis I, where he proposes to create the “Ideal City”. A city designed to benefit people not control them. However, Leonardo finds his new radical ideas do not please the King’s Mother nor do his endeavours serve the king’s ambitions for power. It is only in the enterprising princess, Marguerite, that Leonardo sees hope for the future. It is with her help that he finds the answer to the ultimate question: “What is the meaning of it all?”

Capobianco’s credits include The Lion King, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Inside Out, Finding Dory and Mary Poppins Returns. He received an Oscar nomination for writing Ratatouille. Also lending their creative flair to the project are Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea), who is handling hand-drawn animated sequences; director of photography Peter Sorg (Frankenweenie, Coraline); and composer Alex Mandel (Brave).

Robert Rippberger is producing the movie alongside Capobianco. Executive producers include Oscar-winning Disney veteran Don Hahn, Ilan Urroz, Kat Alioshin, Stephan Roelants, Carmella Casinelli, Dave Lugo, Wes Hull and Eleanor Colema. French Studio Folioscope (The Tower) is producing with Leo & King (U.S.)