Nimona

I had to travel a very long way to catch this in the cinemas as it will only be a week and it's gone, but really worth the long journey for his super fun, super fantastic animated film from Annapurna and Netflix. Animation by Blue Sky Studios who were shut down, but finished by DNEG Animation.

Ballister Boldheart voiced by the brilliant Riz Ahmed, is framed for murder, he goes on he run, and a girl, called Nimona, played with such comic energy by Chloë Grace Moretz, wants to help, total chaos rains.

Like Spiderverse, it comes out firing, with such great fun, a simple great story along with some stunning great visuals, all thanks to the production design, which a mix of classic Disney of 'Sleeping Beauty" done in a French pastel like animation style, and it is just brilliant.

Chloë Grace Moretz, really went mad fun doing, the nutty but loveable Nimona, Riz Ahmed plays it cool and quirky, Frances Conroy is very stern, Lorraine Toussaint, is royal like.

The hour and 41 minutes runtime goes quick, it's very lean and does not, like a great deal of films need any editing. I just wish this was showing in IMAX as this would look and sound epic, some great action sets and great soundtrack.. Worth the hunt at the cinema. Based on a Graphic novel which I have to check out.

Nimona is a heavier movie than expected, but for the most part in a good way. One character is severely wounded early in the film, which sets the tone for an animated film that isn't quite aimed at young-young kids but is more aimed at a "ready for the Lion King" age range. That was surprising given the trailer, but not bad.

The character of Nimona is fascinating; she's a shape-shifter character who doesn't clearly have a "base form" but takes advantage of that characteristic in the full range. Whale, Gorilla, Ostrich--it's all fair game, and she enjoys the transformations and causing chaos generally. If you enjoyed the shapeshifting in the Dungeons and Dragons movie, this will be right up your alley.

It's based on a comic by Nate Stephenson, who is the same creator that made She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. So, think the energy and vibe of She-Ra if you happened to see that, but with a much better animation budget. (And if you end up liking this film, and haven't seen She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, that might be a good follow-up).

I went in knowing nothing of the comics or the troubled production history, so I didn't have any expectations. I thought this would be just an entertaining animation movie on par with most Pixar products as I thought it would have more of an edge than Disney movies. So I was very pleasantly surprised by the originality and quality of Nimona! Yes, some parts are a bit predictable but in this day and age that's almost impossible to avoid so that's not an issue for me. But the rest, from the story to the directing and of course the gorgeous animation, is top notch and made me sad it was already over when the end credits rolled out! Highly recommended!

There is no doubt that Nimona is a movie aimed at a younger audience. That being said, I, as a 32 year old man, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Aside from the usual action packed high jinks you would expect from a fast paced story such as this, there are a number of twists in the story that I didn't see coming, as well as a few humorous moments that caught me off guard. Usually, movies like this fall under the banner of "fun, but predictable". That label does not apply to Nimona. The story feels refreshing. It takes things that feel familiar and gives them a new twist. Kudos to the writers.

Speaking of Nimona, the titular character of this movie, she is definitely the big draw of this movie. Watching Nimona, it's clear that a lot, if not most of the animation budget went into animating her character specifically. Add to this the voice acting of the very talented and experienced Chloë Grace Moretz and you have quite a gem on your hands. Her voice is like bubblegum. It feels like she can do just about anything with it. Her character is tragic in a way, and you really empathise with her sense of loneliness. All the other characters are well voiced and animated as well, with the character of Ballister functioning as the "straight man" (ironic term I know) to her wacky antics. This balance, though it's definitely been done before, works well.

As for the visual style and the animation. It's all computer work (no motion capture on the faces far as I could tell), and at times it does look a little "video gamey" to me. This seems to have become a standard in the industry, especially when it comes to platforms like Netflix, so I won't complain about it for too long. The animation itself is definitely very well done. It's always lively and never feels stilted. I read that Nimona faced some production issues, so I suppose we should all be glad it even got made. I must say I really enjoyed the soundtrack as well. It really hit during some of those more somber beats in the story especially.

I would recommend this movie to just about anyone.

Directed by the makers of Spies In Disguise, Nimona is a film that had to face a lot of roadbumps before it saw the day of light.

To say that the fact this movie got released is a miracle, would be an understatement.

But I am glad to say that even after all those hiccups, they delivered with the end product. It's funny, heartfelt and everything you want from a movie about a shapeshifting-sadistic-sarcastic teen. Though the plot is somewhat predictable, the way it is directed and executed does leave you wanting more. The "2 and a half D" animation style that this movie features, might be my new fav artstyle.

Rare Netflix W.