Milan Saddles Up as Leonardo’s Horse Canters Onto Global Anime Stage
Milan is the Italian city known worldwide for its connection to creativity. A capital of fashion and design, it attracts thousands of students every year from around the world, eager to experience the creative energy that radiates from its streets.
As part of a plan to enhance the deep bond between Leonardo and Milan, funded by the Italian Ministry of Tourism, the city has decided to send four precious pages from the Codex Atlanticus to the Italy Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025.
To celebrate this extraordinary event, as well as the universality of the artist’s work, Milano & Partners, in collaboration with the City of Milan and funded by the Italian Ministry of Tourism, decided to create an animated short film—an actual anime—in which a narrative language typical of Japan recounts the works of the great Italian genius.
The protagonist of the story is one of Leonardo’s perhaps lesser-known masterpieces: Leonardo’s Horse, a work long prepared and passionately pursued by the artist, but which he was unable to complete during his lifetime. Only 500 years later, thanks to the joint efforts of an artist and an entrepreneur, the work—faithfully based on Leonardo’s drawings and plans—became reality, demonstrating not only the brilliance of its creator but also the unstoppable power of dreams and creativity.
A power ready to inspire the entire world through the wonder of Leonardo’s works, which this film invites audiences to discover in Milan.
Commenting on the project, Ciceri stated, “Leonardo’s Horse was born from the desire to make the magic of Milan and Leonardo’s genius tangible. We wanted to create a visual journey that combined history, imagination, and poetry, allowing anyone, anywhere in the world, to experience the city through the master’s eyes.”
The anime was presented at the Italy Pavilion of Expo Osaka 2026, where it became part of the exhibition. It was later shown at other international events such as the World Design City Conference in Shanghai.
