Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci is a minor character in the 1998 film Ever After: A Cinderella Story. He is the artist-in-residence at the royal court of France from 1512 onwards, although in his spare time, he is a scientist and inventor. He is portrayed by Patrick Godfrey.

Before 1512
Not much is known about Leonardo before 1512, except that he lives in Genoa and is the bastard son of a peasant.

Travelling from Genoa to France
We first see Leonardo when he is being robbed on the road by gypsies. Upon seeing Prince Henry, he begs him to recover his most prized possession,  the Mona Lisa, which he apparently is still in progress with. After the painting is recovered and the Prince expresses his irritation over having saved so trivial a thing, Leonardo states that a woman is always a matter of life and death. He is flattered and overwhelmed when the Prince excitedly proclaims him the founder of forward thinking after he learns who Leonardo is.

Later, at the castle, Leonardo meets Danielle, although he thinks she is the Comtesse Nicole de Lancret. He smiles at her bravery and willingness to help others, but suddenly notices her shoes, which are that of a peasant due to the fact that earlier, Danielle found the courtier's shoes too big, so she chose to wear her own. He says nothing, though.

Trying out inventions by the river
Leonardo and the Prince go to the river to try out Leonardo's new invention: shoes with which to walk on water. At first, it goes well, but in the river, Leonardo stumbles upon Danielle. She screams, knocking him into the water. Once ashore, a disgruntled Leonardo decides that walking on water is not worth it. Instead, he tries to coax Danielle into trying out his kite, but she leaves.

The ball
Leonardo is at the ball thrown in his honour when Gustave asks him to help Danielle. Agreeing to this, he follows Gustave to the manor. There, he frees Danielle by pulling the hinges off the door to the pantry. He then looks at Gustave's paintings. Later, he returns to the masque, only to see Danielle fleeing the party and losing a shoe in the process. He goes to where the Prince is sulking and scolds him for how he treated Danielle.

Epilogue
Leonardo gives Danielle the portrait that he had painted of her as a wedding present. The portrait is based on the real-life painting Head of a Woman.

Personality
Leonardo da Vinci is regarded as a bit crazy by others because his inventions can be out-of-this-world, such as the shoes with which one can walk on water. He is kind, open-minded, and does not care much for class and appearances, leading the Prince to get angry with him at one point. He is observant and looks at the world in an unconventional way, shown by the fact that he is the only person to see that Danielle is a peasant (and not a courtier) without being told because he notices her shoes.

Trivia

 * Leonardo da Vinci is the fairy-godmother of the story.