On the run and seen by the world as a murderer, Bal is ‘recruited’ by the impish Nimona more accurately, she presumes to assert herself as his new sidekick, a pair of ‘villains’ ready to live by their own rules. That he and fellow knight Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang) – the direct descendent of Gloreth herself – are in love is portrayed matter-of-factly, though their romance faces considerable obstacles as the plot ploughs forward. That in itself sums up Nimona’s outlook – one foot in the past, the other stepping boldly forward.Ĭaught between tradition and modernity is Ballister Blackheart (a charismatic Riz Ahmed), not of noble birth but skilled enough to be a rare outsider admitted into the kingdom’s military ranks – until he’s framed for a heinous crime. The visual gleam is perfectly suited to Nimona’s distinctive world – a futuristic version of a high-fantasy realm, where daring heroes still don shiny gold armour (it begins with a dramatic turn at the kingdom’s excellently-monikered ‘Night To Knight Knights’) and the legacy of legendary warrior Gloreth lingers, but that over the course of a millennium has become a bustling metropolis in which neon-lit spaceships soar through the sky. Visually, it feels distinct from anything else in the current animation landscape, less radical than Spider-Verse and its ilk, but a stylish embodiment of the film’s sharp, modern outlook (and cartoonish sense of humour). But it’s the surface you’ll first notice – a beautiful blend of 2D-3D hybrid animation, cel-shaded textures, blocky colours, and geometric facial features. There’s daring stuff going on beneath the surface. Nimona herself is a blast, voiced exuberantly by Chloë Grace Moretz, clearly relishing the character’s rebellious spirit. But then, in its darkest hour, came a shining knight: Annapurna Pictures, who revived the film at Netflix (albeit not with true love’s kiss). When Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, the animation giant soon shut Blue Sky down, cancelling Nimona with it – despite the film reportedly being 75% complete. Then it was felled by, of all things, a mouse. Once upon a time, Nimona was being created by Blue Sky – the animation studio behind the Ice Age franchise and Spies In Disguise – adapted from ND Stevenson’s fairytale-trope-subverting graphic novel. That her story is finally hitting our screens is a minor miracle Nimona’s arrival on Netflix comes in the wake of studio switcheroos, a crushing cancellation, and a miraculous resurrection. More than anything, though, she’s a survivor. She’s a shapeshifter, able to transform into any animal – or any other human – you can imagine. She’s an instigator, a rabble-rouser, an agent of chaos.
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