“They grow up believing that they can be a hero if they drive a sword into the heart of anything different. And I’m the monster?!”

In a distant land, the noblewoman Gloreth once stood her ground when a monster came to call: “Go back to the shadows from whence you came.” A thousand years later, a futuristic medieval city has risen from the villages of old, protected by a great wall to keep the monsters out and patrolled by a lineage of armored knights. Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) is special, selected by Queen Valerin (Lorraine Toussaint) to train for knighthood — not by lineage but by earning the right. Ballister worries about his acceptance as lowborn, even after proving himself and in spite of assurances from Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang), a direct descendant of Gloreth herself. At the knighting ceremony attended by Ambrosius and the Director (Frances Conroy), the Queen is struck dead as the kingdom watches… with Ballister the obvious assassin. With the disgraced knight suddenly a wanted fugitive, Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) smiles.

Based on the webcomic and graphic novel “Nimona” by ND Stevenson, this production by Blue Sky Studios — known for the Ice Age films, Robots, Rio, and The Peanuts Movie — was absorbed into Disney but soon after dissolved in 2021 following of the 20th Century Fox merger. The production might have still been completed, but rumors persist the “feature-length film with a queer lead met disapproval from studio parent Disney” and its “gender-nonconforming lead heroine,” resulting in an acquisition by Annapurna Pictures with Netflix distribution. Co-directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, some have pigeonholed Nimona as an average animated adventure different only for having openly queer characters, but this shortchanges the truth. As printed in The New York Times: “At its heart, it’s a pointed allegory about politicians who build their national profile on the backs of queer and transgender children… a big message film that wants audiences to reflect on social paranoia.” With so many animated projects out there, what makes Nimona stand out?

As a deconstruction of both a hero’s journey and a villain’s origin, Ahmed and Moretz bring Ballister and Nimona endearingly to life; these characters need each other in ways they don’t first understand in the context of a bad guy needing a hench-worthy sidekick. There’s a mischievous childlike energy about Nimona, a demonic Peter Pan who’s never been human but yearns for kinship all the same, risking exposure and rejection for just a chance. As a consummate shapeshifter and force of nature, Nimona’s human form is a choice, such as when Ballister remarks, “And now you’re a boy,” to which Nimona darkly replies, “I am today.” As kindred spirits with nothing left to lose, the self-aware mustache-twirling banter is as entertaining as their setbacks are heartbreaking, but confronting the assumptions people make about others and themselves are the most devastating parts of the narrative. This is where the film shines, daring viewers to let Nimona unconditionally into their hearts.

This is the kind of world building we used to see from Pixar (before being co-opted by Disney) and now being spearheaded by other studios like Sony Animation, DreamWorks, and Illumination. From the Glorodome district to Evil Larry’s hideout lair, the production layers in Easter-egg details and pun-intended products and advertising, like a children’s cereal (set to the Banana Splits “Tra la la” theme song) passively suggesting to kids slaying “monsters” is always the right thing to do, even with a dragon mascot. “Protecting our way of life,” a wall of morality endangered by breaking tradition, and even a kingdom-wide monster alert system ensure every happy day contains just enough fear to keep everyone on the straight and narrow… and the powerful in power. It’s worth mentioning women in power or two knights showing affection is neither questioned nor shunned in this setting, yet the mere suggestion of something being “a monster” earns immediate ire, unworthy of redemption and to be destroyed without explanation.

While viewers are given backgrounds for both Ballister and Nimona, there’s a greater swath of untold story for the latter that feels like an intentional omission, possibly held back for a sequel but most likely condensed for time; many story elements were changed from ND Stevenson’s original work to fit into the running time. As an approachable family-oriented adventure film with strong LGTBQ+ and nonbinary representation commenting on othering and acceptance, some of you aren’t ready for that yet… but your kids are gonna love it.

Nimona is rated PG for violence and action, thematic elements, some language, rude humor, and letting fear of the unknown rule your heart.

Four skull recommendation out of four