A few months ago at the Oscars, Netflix did the unthinkable, toppling Disney to take the award for Best Animated Feature, courtesy of "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio." Netflix continues to make a nice home for fabulous cartoons.
I recently penned an article about Netflix raising a film project from the dead, and now comes time for me to tell you ... there's another winner for the streaming giant. The movie is "Nimona."
The film starts out with a squire about to be knighted by his queen. His name is Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed). "Nimona" is set in a futuristic city where medieval backdrops are mixed with advanced technology. Its creator calls it "monk punk."
Ballister's story is that of a poor child rising through the ranks because his queen saw good in him, making him the first night without a famous bloodline or family to back him. It's the exact opposite origin of Ballister's boyfriend, Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang), who is the descendant of the city's most famous protector.
As the televised ceremony begins, Ballister steps forward to receive a sword from the queen and be officially knighted. But to everyone's horror, the weapon activates and explodes, killing the queen with Ballister right there.
In front of the entire city, Ballister appeared to kill the queen, and they turn on him in a heartbeat. Naturally, because he's innocent, Ballister flees into the sewer, now exposed because of the giant explosion. But before the suspect can escape, Ambrosius severs Ballister's arm.
Hiding out in his lair, Ballister builds himself a robotic arm and soon sets out to prove his innocence. That's when a shapeshifter named Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) appears and offers to be his sidekick. She's enamored of the fact he's the most-hated man in the city, and being a "monster" herself, she's eager to team up. Nimona is a bouncy and eager little ball of chaos, and I absolutely adore her.
Nimona can change herself into any animal or person -- from a mouse to a whale -- and soon finds herself helping Ballister clear his name. Meanwhile, Ambrosius is tasked with hunting down the city's most dangerous fugitive.
"Nimona" is a story about perceived monsters, and the external "threats" society focuses on while the real monsters commit heinous acts and atrocities in the name of protecting the populace.
Ballister and Nimona are both different. He's got a dark olive complexion and a goatee. He has no noble background or name to fall back on. And she's painted as a literal monster. She does things that are unnatural and doesn't conform to what the city wants her to be. So they make excellent targets for an authoritarian government trying to keep its people focused on the "monsters" that want to hurt their city.
Just about any gay person watching this movie is going to identify with these characters, and not just because the protagonist is a gay man. Nimona demonstrates the psychological pain she carries isolated as a shapeshifter, vilified for expressing herself in ways society finds unacceptable.
There's a line she says that cut right to my heart. "I don't know what's more disturbing, that everyone in this city wants to run a sword through my chest, or that sometimes, I want to let them."
"Nimona" isn't afraid to tackle themes that come with a taboo like mental health and self-harm. And it communicates the prevalence of these pains in targeted minorities beautifully. As I said, it'd be extremely difficult for any LGBT individual to watch this and not come away feeling something.
The film is further bolstered by a unique 3DCG art style that seems to behave, at times, more like traditional 2D animation, which earned it bonus points from me. The way this movie's artists brought Nimona to life is spectacular, and because she's smartly colored red in a film with shades of gray and black, you can follow her no matter what form she takes.
"Nimona" borrows that from the graphic novel it's based on. Having read it and watched the movie, I think fans of the comic will find plenty of similar ideas and themes, even if its more simple art style has been changed quite a bit and the story tweaked for cinema.
This isn't a mindless cartoon full of pop music and a minimalistic story to put on in the background. "Nimona" deserves your full attention. It's important and it's still an absolute blast of action and fun even for those who aren't LGBT.
Having seen "Elemental" and "Across the Spider-Verse," I can say "Nimona" will rank among the best cartoons of the year. If it's not in the top slot, it'll be right below it.
"Nimona" is out on Netflix today, and y'all need to see it.