Initially planned by Blue Sky Studios, then discarded after the death of the studio and resurrected by Netflix, Nimona is the new animated gem of 2023 that manages to be a fun combination between an enjoyable children's film and an animated work with a mature story behind it. This animated film presents a world that mixes medieval fantasy with futuristic science fiction. The story they present to us about someone accused of a crime that he did not commit and who must prove his innocence is somewhat cliché, but it comes with something else. What the film presents to us is a story with messages about social rejection and acceptance. Nimona is several aspects, she reflects some elements present in those who do not fit into a society and that makes her a very easy character to love. Chloë Grace Moretz brings a great personality to Nimona, making her fun and endearing. The relationship between Ballister and Ambrosius may be somewhat shocking because it is a film to enjoy with the family, but it gives both of them enough chemistry to reflect the strong connection between them. While Ballister was a villain in the comic, here they decided to give him a spin. While in the comic Ballister becomes a villain because of an incident that made him lose the opportunity to be a real knight, here Ballister becomes a villain in the eyes of society because of a mistake. It is clear that this change is to give rise to one of the film's messages about who society seeks to blame when something happens and who they decide to turn into a monster. This change even serves to empathize with Ballister following the formula used in Megamind and Maleficent about villains also being people like everyone else. The animation that mixes 2D with 3D gives a certain identity to the film, making watching it a good visual experience. Mostly, it is oriented toward comedy, but it becomes dramatic when necessary and especially in the last act. What it does not make clear is the truth about the legendary history that served to found the city, leaving open possible interpretations. In fact, the film is ambiguous regarding several things and Nimona's past. Despite the differences from the original comic, Nimona is definitely an animated work of art and one of the best productions on Netflix. My final rating for this movie is a 9/10.
Review of Nimona
