Nimona

Nimona is a 2023 American computer-animated science fantasy adventure film directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, from a screenplay written by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor, and a story by Baird, Taylor, Bruno, Quane, Pamela Ribon, Keith Bunin, and Marc Haimes. It is based on the graphic novel of the same name by ND Stevenson. The film stars the voices of Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang, Frances Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint, Beck Bennett, RuPaul, Indya Moore, Julio Torres, and Sarah Sherman.
Originally a production of Blue Sky Studios, a former subsidiary of 20th Century Fox, best known for creating the Ice Age and Rio franchises, it was originally set to be directed by Patrick Osborne, with an initial release date of 2020. Following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, the production received pushback from Disney's new leadership due to the film's LGBTQ themes, after which it was delayed multiple times before being canceled due to Blue Sky's closure in April 2021. Annapurna Pictures later revived the project the following year, with Bruno and Quane taking over directing duties, DNEG Animation providing animation, and Netflix acquiring worldwide distribution.
Nimona had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2023, and was released on June 30 by Netflix. The film received universal acclaim following its Annecy premiere.
== Synopsis ==
Nimona, a teenager with the power to shapeshift, is targeted by a knight for assassination. The knight's mission to kill Nimona becomes complicated when he is accused of a crime, and learns that Nimona may be able to exonerate him.
== Plot ==
The citizens of a medieval-futuristic kingdom are protected by the Institute for Elite Knights, established by the legendary heroine Gloreth. A thousand years ago, Gloreth vanquished a "Great Black Monster" and enclosed the kingdom with a high wall.
Ballister Boldheart, along with his fellow knight and boyfriend, Ambrosius Goldenloin, is about to be knighted. Ballister is the first commoner to become a knight, as Queen Valerin is trying to change tradition so that "anyone can be a hero". During the ceremony, a laser shot from Ballister's sword kills Valerin. A distraught Ambrosius ends up cutting off Ballister's right arm, and Ballister becomes a fugitive. As Ballister hides and crafts a prosthetic replacement arm, he is visited by a shapeshifter named Nimona, who has faced persecution for her powers. Seeing a "villainous spirit" in Ballister, as he is facing similar treatment for his commoner origin and the murder of the Queen, Nimona declares herself to be his sidekick.
To clear Ballister's name, the duo kidnaps Diego, the squire who gave him the sword. Diego gives them video evidence revealing that the Director of the Institute is the murderer. The duo confronts Ambrosius and the Director with the evidence, but the Director manipulates her knights into destroying the evidence. Later, Ambrosius confronts the Director, who stabs him and admits that she framed Ballister and murdered the Queen, as she objected to the Queen revising tradition by allowing commoners to become knights, fearing that doing so would lead to the kingdom's downfall. However, "Ambrosius" turns out to be a disguised Nimona. Ballister records the Director's confession, then posts it online, leading to public outcry.
The Director discovers through ancient scrolls that Nimona is the Great Black Monster defeated by Gloreth. She uses this to convince the public that Ballister used Nimona's powers to fake the confession. The real Ambrosius meets with Ballister and reveals Nimona's past, insisting that Nimona deliberately deceived Ballister. Shocked by the revelation, Ballister argues with Nimona and questions their friendship; feeling betrayed, Nimona flees into the woods.
Stopping at an old abandoned well, Nimona reminisces about her past: a thousand years ago, she wandered the world and turned into other animals to try and fit in with the wildlife, but none of the creatures she encountered accepted her. One day, she encountered Gloreth as a child by the well, and turned into a human for the first time. After seeing Nimona, Gloreth immediately welcomed her and the two became best friends, and Gloreth was accepting of Nimona's powers. However, the other citizens of Gloreth's village, including Gloreth's parents, believed Nimona was a monster after discovering her shapeshifting abilities. The villagers attacked Nimona with torches, which accidentally set the village on fire. A confused Gloreth became hostile toward Nimona.
With Ballister's abandonment and Gloreth's betrayal echoing in her head, a distraught Nimona transforms into the Great Black Monster. She then enters the city, intending to commit suicide by impaling herself on the sword of Gloreth's statue. However, before she can do so, Ballister stops her and apologizes to her, causing Nimona to change back to human form as they embrace and make amends. The kingdom's citizens see this and are moved by it. Meanwhile, the Director, unmoved, orders a laser cannon to be fired from the wall to kill Nimona; Ambrosius protests, knowing that firing the laser into the city will kill innocent civilians. The Director then turns on them using the same laser she used to kill the Queen and prepares to fire the cannon herself. To save the kingdom, Nimona assumes a giant, red phoenix-like form and flies into the cannon, resulting in her apparent death, as well as the death of the Director. The resulting explosion destroys part of the wall, revealing a beautiful, mountainous valley behind it.
Sometime later, the kingdom undergoes several changes: the breach in the wall has become a trade road, Nimona and Ballister are honored as heroes, and Ballister restores his relationship with Ambrosius. Ballister visits his old hideout; he hears Nimona's voice, and joyfully realizes that she has survived.
== Voice Cast ==
* Chloë Grace Moretz as Nimona, a shapeshifterwho insists on being the sidekick to Ballister Blackheart.
* Riz Ahmed as Ballister Blackheart, a former knight for the Institution who was kicked out when he lost an arm in a joust with Ambrosius Goldenloin.
* Eugene Lee Yang as Ambrosius Goldenloin, the champion knight of the Institution.
* Frances Conroy as the Director
* Lorraine Toussaint as Queen Valerin
* Beck Bennett as Sir Thoddeus Sureblade
* RuPaul as Nate Knight
* Indya Moore as Alamzapam Davis
* Julio Torres as Diego the Squire
* Sarah Sherman as Coriander Cadaverish
== Production ==
=== Development ===
==== Blue Sky Studios (2015-2021) ====
In June 2015, 20th Century Fox Animation acquired the rights for an animated feature film adaptation of Nimona, a webcomic by ND Stevenson. Patrick Osborne was set to direct, from a screenplay by Marc Haimes.
The film was to be produced by Fox's former subsidiary, Blue Sky Studios, alongside Vertigo Entertainment. In June 2017, 20th Century Fox scheduled Nimona to be released on February 14, 2020.
In March 2019, Disney completed its acquisition of Fox, then in May 2019, the film was delayed to March 5, 2021. In November 2019, the film was delayed again to January 14, 2022. Through 2020, there was word that the film would be released in 2022; Stevenson stated in June 2020 that the film was still happening, and said the same in an August 2020 podcast. In August of that same year, Den of Geek reported that the film was still scheduled to be released in 2022, but gave no further details, with Deadline reporting the same in October.
==== Cancellation and aftermath ====
On February 9, 2021, Disney announced it was shutting down Blue Sky Studios, and that production of the film was canceled.
Following the announcement, Stevenson said it was a "sad day" and that he wished the best for everyone who worked at Blue Sky Studios, while Osborne said he was "truly heartbroken" that the studio was closing its doors. Webcomics commenter Gary Tyrrell criticized the decision, saying, "Disney could have allowed a very different kind of young heroine... I mourn for those who would have found a vision of themselves in an animated version". Anonymous staffers at Blue Sky interviewed by Business Insider bemoaned the cancellation of the film, calling it "heartbreaking," arguing that the film "didn't look like anything else in the animated world," and saying that they believe it will never "be completed and released." The film was set to be the first use of Blue Sky's Conduit, a system that allowed artists to "find, track, version and quality control their work." Had it been made, it would have been Blue Sky's first film with LGBT representation, as a few staffers confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the film had an "I love you" scene between Ballister Blackheart and Ambrosius Goldenloin.
Sources told CBR that the film was "75% complete". One staffer stated that before being canceled, the film was "on track" to being finished by October 2021. A former animator at Blue Sky, Rick Fournier, stated that the studio was "very very close" to getting the film finished, but that they "found out it simply was not doable."
In March 2021, it was reported that Chloë Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed were to have respectively voiced Nimona and Ballister Blackheart, and that the film was being shopped around to other studios to be completed. In June 2021, Mey Rude, a writer for Out, said she still held out "hope that this film … will find its way back to life somehow."
In March 2022, amid the controversy of Disney's involvement in Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill and lack of criticism from then-CEO Bob Chapek until after the bill had passed, three former Blue Sky staff members stated the film received pushback from Disney leadership, centered around the film's LGBT themes and a same-sex kiss.
==== Annapurna revival ====
On April 11, 2022, it was announced that Annapurna Pictures had picked up Nimona earlier in the year, and would be releasing it on Netflix in 2023. The voice cast was also retained, with the addition of Eugene Lee Yang as Ambrosius Goldenloin announced at this point. Nick Bruno and Troy Quane were announced as the new directors of the film, having previously directed Blue Sky's final film, Spies in Disguise (2019). Roy Lee, Karen Ryan, and Julie Zackary were reported as producers on the feature, with DNEG Animation taking over animation duties concurrent with the Netflix/Annapurna acquisition. Quane started working on the film in March 2020. Bruno and Quane were heavily involved in the film, acting as directors, according to a Blue Sky staffer. Much of what Blue Sky did remains intact, as Netflix and Annapurna did not start from scratch. Additionally, Goldenloin was changed to be Asian. Animation wrapped on October 1, 2022.
In December 2022, it emerged that the film would serve as the first release of Annapurna's new division, Annapurna Animation.
In March 2023, Aidan Sugano, a production designer on the film, told Animation Magazine that he was "thankful" to be part of the project, and described it as having elements of "sci-fi, medieval fantasy, knights, lasers, monsters, dragons, dramatic lighting, [and]... style". On April 24, 2023, Frances Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint, Beck Bennett, RuPaul Charles, Indya Moore, Julio Torres, and Sarah Sherman were announced as part of the cast.
=== Music ===
In May 2023, it was confirmed that Christophe Beck had composed the film's score.
== Release ==
Nimona was originally scheduled to be released in theaters on February 14, 2020 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through their 20th Century Studios banner, but it was delayed mutiple times to March 5, 2021 and then for January 14, 2022. The film was pulled from Walt Disney Studios' release schedule and cancelled after the closure of Blue Sky Studios on April 10, 2021. It was revived by Annapurna Pictures with Netflix handling the distribution and was scheduled for the summer 2023 release. Ut premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2023, and will release digitally on Netflix on June 30.
== Reception ==
The film received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 103 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Tapping a rich emotional vein with its splendid animation and thoughtful allegory, Nimona is a deeply lovable animated adventure." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Reviewing the film following its premiere at Annecy for Variety, Peter Debruge called Nimona "such subversive fun", praising the "hip and impulsive" character of Nimona, "outside-the-box" animation, LGBTQ+ themes and vocal performances—particularly that of Moretz, which he remarked as a "delicious sense of anarchy". Ben Travis of Empire compared the film to Shrek (2001) in their "satirical subversions of the fairytale formula" and wrote: "Both enthusiastically irreverent and deeply sincere, Nimona is a revisionist fairytale that forges its own path visually and narratively to beautiful effect". In The Hollywood Reporter, Frank Scheck called it "a consistent delight" and commended the screenplay, direction, animation, score, and lead performances.
In Screen International, Wendy Ide called it a "slick, enjoyable package" with "a couple of distinctive selling points that should set it apart" and opined: "Whether or not they understand the film's subtext, younger audiences will no doubt relish the exuberant mischief and humour that Moretz brings to her voice performance—as well as Nimona's gleeful disregard for authority and her appetite for destruction". Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film a score of 3 out of 5 stars and concluded: "Nimona is likable and engaging entertainment that finds its way through self-created chaos to some humane life-lessons". Associated Press critic Lindsay Bahr called it a "fantasy adventure with riot grrrl energy" and praised the animation, soundtrack and lead performances.
== Awards ==
The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards but lost to The Boy and the Heron.
== Videos ==
Nimona - Official Teaser - Netflix
Nimona - Official Trailer - Netflix
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