I didn’t know much about NIMONA before I learned that Eugene Lee Yang was in it. But the story and queer characters grabbed me right away. Then I heard it’s based on a graphic novel by Nate Stephenson, writer of the latest She-Ra and multiple of my other favorite animated series. So, with Yang tweeting (X-ing?) that the entire film was now available on YouTube, I jumped right into it!

Nimona’s Story

When a knight in a futuristic, medieval world is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona — a mischievous teen who happens to be a shapeshifting creature he’s sworn to destroy.

The animation is glorious, with a script that dances through slapstick, sci-fi, rom-com, and buddy villains before landing squarely on themes of acceptance, appearances, and friendship. Each character is caught between becoming the hero or villain they’re told they are and always will be.

Queer Knights, Nonbinary Sidekicks, and a City Obsessed With a Wall

I can’t tell you more details because I greatly enjoyed my discovery. Riz Ahmed (the scrambled pilot in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Chloë Grace Moretz (seasoned voice actor and Carrie in the updated film of Stephen King’s Carrie) star, with the aforementioned Yang as our handsome knight-ingenue.

Stephenson’s webcomic was optioned by Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age), then bought by Disney via 21st Century Fox with approximately 75% of the film completed, before production shut down. After shopping it around, directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane found hope with Megan Ellison from Annapurna Pictures. Then Netflix acquired NIMONA; we were supposed to see it in theaters in 2020, but it took almost three years to finish and distribute the film. Still, I was pleasantly surprised to see it appear for free on Netflix’s YouTube channel today, as NIMONA deserves a wider audience.

Nex’s Peers Needed Nimona

With news on Monday that 16-year-old nonbinary Nex Benedict was allegedly beaten to death by three of their peers, NIMONA can’t come at a better time. What sometimes stays in allegory and metaphor, NIMONA says out loud: gay love stories aren’t a big deal, monsters are often misunderstood, and not everyone different from you is a monster. Those who say they’re heroes learn they’ve been manipulated into that belief, and the heroes might just be the villains.

We spent a month exploring evil on the podcast and what it means to be the villain, but believe you are the hero in The Marvels. Those are good places to start with these conversations, but the first step is taking advantage of Netflix’s excellent strategy of placing NIMONA in the very place where kids go to feel so not alone — YouTube.

Our world is not black and white. Every main character in NIMONA feels stuck in the story that others tell about them, and they must open their hearts to one another — and themselves — for acceptance. NIMONA is a good companion piece to Percy Jackson – when we stop looking to our parents to learn who we are, how can we choose the right friends?

Read more: How “The Bad Guys” Teach Kids Empathy

Photo/Image Credit: Canva & Netflix

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Sources:

• “Chloë Grace Moretz and Eugene Lee Yang Go Behind the Animation for Nimona | Netflix,” uploaded to the channel Netflix: Behind the Streams, 4 July 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmp8aI_yFYs.
• Schaefer, Sandy, “Netflix’s Nimona Had a Long, Hard Road to the Screen,” SlashFilm, 8 July 2023, https://www.slashfilm.com/1332231/netflix-nimona-long-road-to-screen/.
• Spehar, V, Under the Desk News, https://www.instagram.com/p/C3jG2sZPkLm/, 19 February 2024.