Nimona movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Nimona

This deep animation is now available on Netflix.

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 41 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A

IN A NUTSHELL:

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 film was directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane. Writing credits go to Robert L. Baird, Lloyd Taylor, Pamela Ribon. The story was based on a the graphic novel Nimona by ND Stevenson.

Blue Sky Studios had completed this film by about 75% but then were shut down. Annapurna and Netflix rescued and finished it.

THINGS I LIKED:

I’ve been a fan of Chloe-Grace Moretz for years. She does a great job with her voice talents, and the animation for her character is adorable. There’s a scene when Nimona is fighting other knights in the form of Kwispy the cereal dragon during the “Tra-La-La Song” from the Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968), which is the same song that played during an action scene that Chloe-Grace Moretz did in her 2010 movie Kick Ass.
Do you remember back in 2015 when a rat was caught on camera dragging a slice of pizza down the stairs into a subway station? If you look carefully, you’ll see Nimona as a rat doing the same thing. Actually, there are quite a few shots of pizza in this movie. I like the one with pineapple the best.
The animation and story are very imaginative. They’re able to convincingly blend futuristic world-building with a medieval vibe. That sounds weird, but it works.
The dialogue is snarky, witty, and clever.
The film has a lot of heart and you will feel all the feels.
If you enjoy the movie, there’s a window at the end that opens enough for a sequel. I’d love to see more of this.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Because it’s an animated movie that kids would be interested in watching, some parents might be bothered that an unmarried gay couple is featured in the story.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Two main characters are gay. We see them kiss, hug, and hold hands.
High dead-body count, but bloodless
Lots of destruction.
People are in dangerous situations.
One of the characters starts to swear but gets cut off. It reminded me of the last scene in the recent Flash movie with Batman.

THEMES:

The heart of a hero
Belonging
Earning what you want
Conforming to the norm
Entitlement
Justice
Friendship
Redemption
Prejudice
Loneliness
Small-minded questions
Everyone just wants to be seen and accepted for who and what they are.

FUNNY LINES:

“This guy looks extremely punchable.” – Nimona (Chloe-Grace Moretz)
“This is the plan: I break you out, chaos, destruction, something, something, something, we win!” – Nimona (Chloe-Grace Moretz)
“Evil Larry. That’s a great villain name!” – Nimona “Never gonna happen.” – Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed)
“I hate to say it, but you make a pretty good bad guy.” – Nimona (Chloe-Grace Moretz)
“They were like this when I got here.” – Nimona (Chloe-Grace Moretz)
“Metal!” – Nimona (Chloe-Grace Moretz)
“Oh my Gloreth!” and “What the Gloreth!” – several people

INTERESTING LINES:

“I don’t know what’s scarier: that everyone in this kingdom wants to run a sword through my heart or that sometimes, I just wanna let them.” – Nimona (Chloe-Grace Moretz)