Nimona

Nimona is a 2023 animated science-fiction fantasy film directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane. It adapts ND Stevenson's graphic novel Nimona, published in 2015 by HarperCollins. Annapurna Pictures produced the film, with DNEG Animation completing it after Blue Sky Studios, its original home, closed in 2021 following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox. Netflix released Nimona on June 30, 2023. Set in a kingdom where medieval imagery coexists with futuristic technology, the story follows Ballister Boldheart, voiced by Riz Ahmed. Ballister becomes the first commoner selected to join the Institute's knights, an honor previously reserved for nobles. During his knighting ceremony, the queen is killed by a laser fired from Ballister's sword. Framed for murder, he escapes and becomes the kingdom's most wanted figure. His unexpected partner is Nimona, a rebellious teenager voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz. Nimona can shapeshift into animals, people, and enormous creatures, and she enthusiastically offers to help Ballister prove his innocence by embracing villainy. Ballister initially resists her destructive methods, but their alliance develops into a friendship. The film also centers on Ballister's relationship with Ambrosius Goldenloin, voiced by Eugene Lee Yang. Goldenloin is both the descendant of the kingdom's celebrated hero Gloreth and Ballister's former romantic partner. Frances Conroy voices the Director, the Institute's leader, while Lorraine Toussaint voices Queen Valerin. Beck Bennett plays Sir Thoddeus Sureblade, and RuPaul voices Nate Knight. The screenplay was written by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor, from a story credited to Baird, Taylor, Bruno, and Quane. Christophe Beck composed the score. Nimona premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2023, before its Netflix debut. Its visual design combines angular, storybook-like characters and architecture with high-tech vehicles, screens, and weapons. The film's conflict is tied to the Institute's official history: Gloreth is revered for defeating a monster a thousand years earlier, and the city's walls are defended as protection against a supposed threat beyond them. As Ballister investigates, that history proves central to the Director's actions and to Nimona's identity. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 96th Academy Awards. It was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film and won the Annie Award for Best Independent Feature. Its release followed a production journey: Blue Sky announced adaptation in 2015 before closing. The film retained material's queer themes, including Ballister and Goldenloin's romance.