Netflix is going all-in on animation over the next couple of years, with nine major animated titles on the way. It can be argued that animation has been where Netflix has found the greatest critical acclaim, led of course by Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio. The streamer’s next big hit could be Nimona, an adaptation of ND Stevenson’s award-winning graphic novel phenomenon set in a futuristic medieval world.
Riz Ahmed and Chloe Grace Moretz lead the voice cast in this story of a brave knight in a futuristic world who teams up with a mischievous, shapeshifting teen to clear his name of a crime he didn’t commit. Oh, and the two are basically mortal enemies, but must join together to do what’s right to save the kingdom.
The voice cast also includes Eugene Lee Yang, Frances Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint, Beck Bennett, Indya Moore, RuPaul Charles, Julio Torres, and Sarah Sherman.
Nick Burno and Troy Quane, known for 2019’s Spies in Disguise, team up as co-directors.
The film was originally set to open in 2020, but became a casualty of Fox’s acquisition by Disney, who balked at the film’s extensive LGBTQ themes. The release date kept getting pushed back until finally it was dropped altogether. Eventually, Annapurna Pictures swooped in for the rescue, and joined with Netflix to complete and distribute it, and based on this trailer we should all be grateful.
Nimona hits Netflix on June 30th.
When Ballister Boldheart, 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 with a taste for mayhem — who also happens to be a shapeshifting creature Ballister has been trained to destroy. But with the entire kingdom out to get him, Nimona’s the best (or technically the only) sidekick Ballister can hope for. And as the lines between heroes, villains, and monsters start to blur, the two of them set out to wreak serious havoc — for Ballister to clear his name once and for all, and for Nimona to…just wreak serious havoc.
