Remember when Disney dumped an animated movie based on a beloved work by an acclaimed creator… because it was too queer? No? Well, you should.
The movie in question is Nimona, as based on the popular webcomic series of the same name by ND Stevenson (Lumberjanes). To cut a long story short: Once upon a time, Nimona was developed by Blue Sky Studios at 20th Century Fox. However, a big bad wolf named Disney then swallowed up the Fox and proceeded to can the project due to concerns over its strong LGBTQ+ themes. However, in April 2022 — a year after its initial death — gallant hero Netflix stepped into finish up Nimona and release it worldwide. And everyone lived happily ever after.
Or, at least, they will do once Netflix finally lets us see some footage from the film. Just a few weeks ago, we got our first look at Nimona via a still — which was great at the time, but now Netflix dropping a second still isn’t hitting quite the same sweet spot. With the movie arriving next month, would it kill ya to share some actual footage, Ted Sarandos?
The new still spotlights titular character Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), a teenage shapeshifer living in a techno-fantasy world who — as you can see — becomes a wanted fugitive and so teams up with notorious supervillain Ballister Blackheart (Riz Ahmed) to defeat goody two-shoes knight Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang).
The original comic tackles weighty themes like how queer identity can be threatened — and yet still flourish — under societal oppression so, with any luck, the film will be something really special. Netflix is likely a much better home for it, too, considering Stevenson’s previous partnership with the streamer — She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, one of the finest all-ages animated series of the past decade (if you don’t believe me, that’s just because you haven’t seen it yet).
Nimona is coming to Netflix on June 14, and if I have to wait much longer for a trailer to drop that will be my villain origins story.