A precocious, 15th-century artistic teenager with an inventive streak and a bright future is at the center of Italian studio Gruppo Alcuni’s new animated series Leonardo.

The 26 x 13 minute series will take a light look at Leonardo da Vinci’s early life, and is chock full of anachronistic fun, such as a spring-powered Gameboy, which producers are hoping will hook their core-kid target demo. Although Leonardo is not yet the genius he will become, he still has a unique way of looking at the world and using his imagination to create amazing toys and gadgets.

Each episode begins in the studio of the adult Leonardo, where the artist is seen sifting through a lifetime of notes and drawings. With the help of his wooden-robot sidekick Tiglio, the elder genius remembers the sources of his original inspirations. Taking root in his formative years, the series will focus on Leonardo’s sometimes wacky adventures with a colourful cast of friends and sidekicks, including a talking horse and three eerily similar brothers.

At a cost of US$5.2 million for the entire series, the series is animated via traditional 2-D, with the exception of the robot Tiglio that will be rendered in CGI.

With a target delivery date of Q2 2008, Gruppo Alcuni and its co-producers Rai Fiction, and DQ Entertainment and MEDIA are bringing the series to MIP-TV in search of broadcast deals.