Nimona (2023)

​"Nimona" stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang, Francis Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint, Beck Bennett, RuPaul, Indya Moore, Julio Torres, and Sarah Sherman. Released on Netflix on June 30, 2023, the film has a shapeshifter helping a knight prove his innocence.

The film was directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, who also directed "Spies in Disguise". Quane served as a storyboard artist for "The Wild", "Enchanted", "9", "Arthur Christmas", and "Hotel Transylvania". Bruno was an animator for Blue Sky Studios, working on films like the "Ice Age" sequels, "Rio", and "The Peanuts Movie". It is based on the graphic novel by ND Stevenson. A sidekick is always good for getting you back on your feet whenever you're in a rut. However, when your sidekick happens to be a mischievous shapeshifter, you probably need to hope that they do more than cause trouble at your expense. If Krakens battling mermaids isn't your thing regarding animated content, Netflix has just the thing to quench your thirst for immersive animation and fast-paced action. Considering that I was more interested in this movie than a teenage Kraken, this seemed like a good film beverage for me to try out.

This movie was initially produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Patrick Osborne, with a target release date of 2020. However, its journey to its release had plenty of bumpy roads to endure following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox. It got delayed multiple times due to production pushback, a change in directors, and the most "shocking" one: the movie's LGBTQ themes. It eventually shut down when Disney closed Blue Sky Studios in April 2021, leaving the film in development limbo. Disney may have created our childhoods, but it also loves to push our buttons with its insane choices. Thankfully, the film was later picked up by Annapurna Pictures through its animation division in 2022 for a Netflix release. Based on the trailers and images we got for the film, it's a shame I won't be able to see it on the big screen. It was released in select theaters a week before its Netflix release, but it's not enough to fill this empty void caused by Disney's negligence toward this ambitious project. Regardless, it's finally here, so let's see if this latest animated adventure is worth the wait.

The story takes place in a medieval-futuristic kingdom, where its inhabitants are protected by the Institute for Elite Knights, descended from the heroine Gloreth and her knights. Ballister Boldheart (Ahmed) is a commoner chosen to be part of the Institute with his lover, Ambrosius Goldenloin (Yang), Gloreth's descendant. During the knighting ceremony, the kingdom's ruler, Queen Valerin (Toussaint), is murdered by a laser shot from Ballister's sword. Framed for the crime, Ballister is now hunted by the Institute and the Director (Conroy). After encountering Nimona (Moretz), a shapeshifting troublemaker, Ballister must join forces with her to clear his name.

I first heard of this source material when they announced its film adaptation a few years ago. Before that, I didn't even realize it existed, as I was busy reading something else like schoolbooks and adult novels. Regardless, reading about its concept was enough to convince me that a film version could work with the right ambition, especially when it was at the hands of Blue Sky Studios. Again, this would've been another film to put Blue Sky on the animation map alongside "Ice Age" and "Peanuts" had Disney not shot itself in the foot by disposing of it. But I don't want to waste my time discussing that studio's poor decisions, as that job belongs to the Disney-hating Youtubers. Besides, this is a movie review of a long-awaited project that's visually unique and undeniably sublime, not a rant on how a big-name studio almost destroyed it.

As far as storytelling goes, "Nimona" may seem like a straightforward family movie about a disgraced knight attempting to prove his innocence. You also got its frenetic hijinks from the action scenes and the film's comedy involving dialogue and physical slapstick. However, there's more to this story than just a knight dealing with a sly shapeshifting teen. Amid its animated adventure, the film is a visual allegory that tears apart the classic hero-vs-villain formula in every fairy tale known to man. Like "Shrek", "Nimona" satirizes this formulaic trend through its humor, well-rounded characters, and emotional depth. It showcases Nimona and Ballister being misjudged for their black-and-white actions and personalities based on what people learned in the world's history. They're branded as villains because of what they did that people see as nefarious, mainly Nimona for her past.  

The film reflects that not everything is black-and-white, and people should understand others instead of unthinkingly discriminating against them. Along with the film's LGBTQ+ elements and minor subtexts that might be a bit dark for young viewers, "Nimona" effectively expresses this thought-provoking metaphor amid its hip and infectious fun plot. The story is a delirious and punky ride that's highly entertaining and hysterical. It's also well-written by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor, with enough ambition, boldness, and heart to revitalize its by-the-numbers narrative. Yes, that includes the movie's antagonist, which I won't spoil in case you haven't watched it yet. It's another example of an animated feature using its simple concept to explore mature themes while distracting kids with colorful characters and vibrant surroundings. It's also a massive step up from Bruno and Quane's previous directorial effort, "Spies in Disguise", another movie with a similar good-vs-evil subtext regarding their direction.

Now that I know how great the story was, how about the voice cast? Unsurprisingly, the cast is one of the best parts of "Nimona" because their performances are as sincere and consistently amusing as their characters. Chloë Grace Moretz undoubtedly steals the show as the titular bad girl/shapeshifter. Her performance captures the wildness and unhinged anarchy of Nimona that's carefully balanced with her vulnerable side, especially during the film's third act. Moretz is no stranger to animated roles, with her last ones being the animated "Addams Family" films, so it's not shocking to hear her voice this character flawlessly. Out of all the voice work she's done in her filmography, I would say that this is her best one so far. Riz Ahmed was also great as Ballister, and Eugene Lee Yang had some excellent moments regarding his performance as Ambrosius. Beck Bennett, as Sir Thoddeus Sureblade, is someone who could've been the most annoying part of the movie due to his personality, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.

The film's animation is another scenario that transcends beyond the traditional CGI or 2D animation we usually see. It combines the two to create something distinctive but also immensely captivating. Influenced by Eyvind Earle and Charley Harper, the style balances the 3D animation's fluidity with the geometric and simple shape base to resemble its unique character designs and backgrounds. While it may look unfinished at times, like an indie video game, it's intentional to express its quirky presentation. It may not come close to what "Spider-Verse" accomplished regarding its visual storytelling and world-building, but without comparing it to that animated superhero masterpiece, it's another impressive feat for the art form that's heavily immersive and vibrantly imaginative. The lighting effects, textures, and fluidity blend seamlessly together, especially Nimona's expressions, which were understandably creepy, but also irresistibly charming. I don't know whether to run away from her or hug her. I would go with the latter for the sake of my safety.

The last thing I want to mention is Christophe Beck's score. Beck is another composer who can do no wrong in providing solid music in many movies like "Frozen", the "Ant-Man" trilogy, and "Free Guy". His music in "Nimona" is no exception, with the music delivering the punk rock essence and "riot grrrl" energy to the movie's medieval-futuristic soul. It's hard to tell how it fares compared to Beck's other scores since I barely remember all of them. However, I do remember that the music in "Nimona" is just as great as Beck's score in "The Peanuts Movie".

Overall, "Nimona" is as chaotic and wild as the titular character, but it's also a sincere and thought-provoking display of animation storytelling that successfully achieves knighthood. Its simplistic narrative effectively delivered a fun, irreverently hilarious, and inspiring reflection of a fairytale's traditional formula and the people questioning these roles. From its superb voice cast to the unique and immersive animation, the film is a knight worthy enough to join the animated hall of fame. This movie could've been Disney's chance to turn its luck around, but instead, the studio gave that win to Netflix. So you can say that Disney has made another "oopsie". If you're familiar with the source material or looking for another film to watch at home with the family, this film is worth checking out.  

A-