Based on the award-winning webcomic by ND Stevenson, Nimona has gone through a long road in development. It’s one of those projects that made it seem like it would never see the light of day, switching between different studios over the years. After being rejected by Blue Sky Studios, Nimona found new life once Annapurna Pictures picked it up to stream on Netflix. The time has finally come for audiences to see Nimona in all its glory. With its dazzling visuals as well as a thoroughly entertaining and emotional story, Nimona is an animated treat for the eyes.
Nimona follows the titular character (Chloe Grace Moretz) who is an outsider to society because she is a shapeshifter. She comes off as a rebellious teen with a punk-rock attitude who loves to cause some mischief and mayhem. She suddenly finds herself crossing paths with Ballister Blackheart (Riz Ahmed), a knight who is chosen by the Queen (Lorraine Toussaint) as a hero for the kingdom. Blackheart gained the support of the people by being the first commoner to be a high-ranking knight and being alongside his fellow knight and boyfriend Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang). Things start to go in Blackheart’s favor until the Queen is murdered in front of a crowd during his ceremony and gets framed for it. Now on the run, Blackheart must clear his name with the help of the defiant Nimona, who wants nothing more than to be his sidekick and do villainous stuff with him together despite his good nature.
The film brings the webcomic to life in this futuristic fairy tale that mixes science fiction with fantasy. There are knights and swords but there are also flying cars and mobile phones that blend two genres to create a cyberpunk-like society. It fits into medieval fantasy with elements of sci-fi in the mix. The animation is gorgeous thanks to the team at DNEG Animation as it incorporates computer visuals with traditional hand-drawn animation. Nimona is also well shot with directing duo Nick Bruno and Troy Quane at the helm, coming off their work doing Spies in Disguise. The production on this project has certainly paid off being that this is Annaurna’s first foray into animation. With this sudden resurgence in animation, Nimona lends itself to being one of those films that are trying a different style that doesn’t overly rely on CGI to create a beautiful piece of work on screen.
The film does have some heavy themes that tackle acceptance, especially for those in the LGBTQ community. The society that the story displays embraces people of all races, except for those who are different like Nimona. When Nimona is introduced, she doesn’t identify herself as a gender but just with her name. There even is a same-sex relationship between Blackheart and Ambrosius, which is one of many traits that the film shares with the comic that Stevenson wrote before his transition. Everyone sees Nimona as a monster who doesn’t belong in human civilization, but once Blackheart sees who Nimona truly is, he comes to accept her as a friend. The movie also isn’t afraid of going into some dark places when it needs to.
The main plot of Nimona becomes a murder mystery, but that’s not what the film focuses on. The mystery plot of who framed Ballister is more of a metaphor for those who are considered outcasts and don’t fit the norm of society. Rather than embracing her true self, Nimona uses her abilities to become Blackheart’s sidekick because she feels they both have the commonality of being hated by society. Despite her mischievous ways, we do see that she tries to go on a good path. Whenever her heroics go unnoticed, she ends up becoming a villain instead and embraces her nature of being a monster that everyone sees her as. Nimona sees corruption in the societal system, but Blackheart sees this as an opportunity to fix it. It’s one of those debates of good versus evil but it can relate to the real world as society faces the question of right and wrong in gender norms.
Everyone in the cast does a great job of bringing their personality into the characters. Moretz brings a lot of spunk and fun into Nimona, making her a very likable character from the first time we see her. She does well in matching all her scenes with Ahmed, who puts the seriousness into Blackheart as he slowly embraces his emotional side with our young shapeshifter. There are also some fun comedic performances from SNL’s Beck Bennett as the spoiled knight Sir Thoddeus Sureblade. Much of the chemistry between Moretz and Ahmed’s characters is what makes the heart of the movie.
Nimona overall brings a strong message in a beautifully crafted film that is a great addition to Netflix’s growing library of animated content. It comes at a perfect time during Pride month as it also shows that queerness can be used to tell a bold and emotional tale about acceptance and being supportive of that person’s choice. It is a marvelous and visually stunning film with a lot of heart with some fun action and humor in a fantasy setting. The film is full of life and has a relatable character in Nimona that would make anyone want to learn more about her and this wonderful world that she’s a part of. Let’s hope that there is more room for these kinds of stories to exist in this medium.
Nimona opens in theaters with a limited release on June 23rd before dropping on Netflix on June 30th.
