What did we think of the animated film “Nimona”, adaptation of the eponymous graphic novel, to discover now on Netflix?
A new animated production arrives this week on Netflix, an event in more ways than one. The adaptation of the graphic novel Nimona by ND Stevenson is now available on the platform, the epilogue of a nightmarish production having almost prevented the release of the feature film.
Originally developed by the company Blue Sky (Ice Age), Nimona saw its production be definitively interrupted following the closure of the animation studio by Disney, shortly after its takeover by the group 21st Century FOX.
Directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (The Incognitos) then moved heaven and earth to try to revive the project, before producer Megan Ellison, the British animation studio DNEG and the Netflix platform played the roles of angels guardians to allow Nimona to be completed in keeping with its designers’ original vision.
Nimona’s story is set in a futuristic medieval world, as the knight Ballister Blackheart is wrongly accused of murdering the queen. Rebellious at heart and in possession of the power to change her appearance, Nimona decides to come to the aid of the most wanted man in the kingdom.
It would have been a shame if Nimona never hit the screens, because the world would never have been able to discover this absolutely delightful nugget of animation. The work serves both as a pastiche of the world of fairy tales, but also as a striking portrait of adolescence, via a title character facing an identity crisis.
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A first in a mainstream production
Nimona’s power to change her appearance echoes the personal life of the graphic novel’s author, ND Stevenson. The character was born from his pen when he, then nineteen years old, was going through a similar crisis that preceded ten years later his transmasculine and non-binary coming-out (he has since specified to use the pronouns masculine).
The peculiarity of Nimona is that the word “normal” does not apply to the character. No one knows her true appearance, and her features as a girl with pink hair is only one transformation among others, most often animal: ostrich, rhinoceros, shark, dragon etc…
Important fact about Nimona is that they use neutral pronouns, and this element was completely respected by the Netflix adaptation, including in the subtitles of the original version.
Never before has a production of this magnitude had a non-binary protagonist as the main person, and even less associated with a character who is openly gay.
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Nimona’s inclusive subtext blends perfectly with the film’s humorous tone. Difficult to remain unmoved in the face of the incessant mimicry of the title character, his multiple transformations – including that of an absolutely terrifying little boy.
The film’s soundtrack is made up of titles from metal and punk rock bands (The Dickies, The Dollyrots, Judas Priest…) in perfect harmony with Nimona’s rebellious attitude.
Inventive in form, and as entertaining as it is profound, the animated film Nimona is an undeniable success. And despite the many problems encountered during its production, its arrival on Netflix will certainly allow it to make its message of tolerance heard to a larger audience.
A few months after the triumph of Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro at the 2023 Oscars, Netflix now seems ready to conquer the general public market with this feature film whose success would only be a fair reward both for its undeniable qualities and for the state stubborn spirit of its directors!
The animated film Nimona, adapted from the eponymous graphic novel, can be discovered now on Netflix.
Discover the list of all the films currently available on the platform!