The trailer for Nimona, a new queer animated film from Netflix and ND Stevenson, creator of the brilliant She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, is finally here, and it’s fantastic — but it almost didn’t happen. The film has a complicated history of making it to the screen, but thankfully, like the best of fairytales, this one has a happy ending.
Nimona is based on the National Book Award-nominated, New York Times best-selling graphic novel by Stevenson. The film was initially set to be released by Disney, but representatives of the company at the time expressed “concern” over multiple queer elements in the story. They proposed cutting a queer kiss that Blue Sky Studios (who developed the film) hoped to sneak into the final cut. The studio showed Disney a rough cut of the film, which was about 75% complete, but the studio was unexpectedly shut down due to the pandemic, and Nimona was shelved along with it. Fortunately, the film was picked up by Annapurna Inc. who, along with Netflix, revived Nimona — queer elements included.
The story follows Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), a knight in a futuristic medieval world who is framed for a crime he didn’t commit. He needs help to be exonerated and it comes in the least likely of forms — or rather forms — Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz). She’s a mischievous teen with a taste for mayhem — who also happens to be a shapeshifting creature. More specifically, a creator Ballister has actually been trained to destroy. However, when he finds himself facing off with an entire kingdom out to get him, Nimona is the best (or technically the only) sidekick Ballister can hope for.
Soon, the lines between heroes, villains, and monsters start to blur as the two of them set out to wreak serious havoc. While Ballister is driven to clear his name once and for all, Nimona is delighted to, well, just wreak serious havoc.
What unfolds is an epic tale about finding friendship in the most surprising situations and accepting yourself and others for who they are.
Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
