There are some projects that deserve all celebration they can get when the time finally comes to check them out. For Nimona, the trajectory between getting adapted to the screen and actually making it to viewers' homes is about to end, but it was a long one for sure. After an extensive production delay, Netflix finally revealed when we can expect to see the animated movie in the catalog: June 2023.
The title character is voiced by none other than Chloë Grace Moretz (The Peripheral), and Nimona is a shape-shifting adventurer whose life gets in danger after being targeted for assassination. Ballister Blackheart (Riz Ahmed) is the one who has to carry out the mission, but the tables are turned when the knight gets framed and his target is the only one that can help him clear his name.
Nimona coming to life is a huge deal, since the movie is set to be a landmark animated title released by a mainstream platform and features explicit same-sex affection, as well as characters whose identities and romantic interests are fluid. Needless to say, Nimona represents a huge stride in terms of LGBTQIA+ representation, and all the more important because it hails from a production team that is as diverse as the characters they created.
The Sky Was Blue, And Nimona Almost Got Killed
The problems with the Nimona production run even deeper than it seems. Originally, the animated movie came to life through Blue Sky Studios, the animation division from then-named 20th Century Fox Studios that brought us titles like Rio and Ice Age. However, after Disney purchased Fox in 2019, the animation division got axed and animated projects got shelved, including Nimona — a title that the Mickey Mouse company seemed to have no interest in at all. This angered the production team, since at the time the movie was already more than halfway through production. A little over a year ago, however, Netflix announced that it was teaming up with Annapurna Pictures in order to see the production through and release it on the platform.
Nimona is based on the best-selling graphic novel by author ND Stevenson, and it is co-directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, who also co-directed 2019 animated movie Spies in Disguise. Aside from Moretz and Ahmed, the voice cast also features Eugene Lee Yang (Classified), Frances Conroy (American Horror Story), Lorraine Toussaint (The Equalizer), RuPaul Charles (RuPaul's Drag Race), Indya Moore (Pose) and Saturday Night Live alumni Beck Bennet, Julio Torres and Sarah Sherman.
Netflix premieres Nimona this June. The streamer is yet to unveil the first trailer for the adventure. You can check out the movie’s official synopsis below:
A Knight is framed for a crime he didn't commit and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona, a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he's sworn to kill. Set in a techno-medieval world unlike anything animation has tackled before, this is a story about the labels we assign to people and the shapeshifter who refuses to be defined by anyone.