In the middle of summer Netflix unleashes a surprising card, Nimona, a new cartoon suitable for a very wide audience: here is our review
Summer is never the busiest time for new movie and TV series releases, especially if we think of the Netflix catalog which, apart from the release of the new season of Black Mirror, doesn’t have any important releases in sight for this period. Instead, with great surprise, the homepage of the on demand platform recommends a cartoon, Nimona produced by Annapurna Pictures and distributed precisely by Netflix in preview. A surprising cartoon, let’s find out the reasons together in our review!
The Trailer | Nimona review: an amazing animated film
The premise for this new cartoon is that the story is not totally new to the public, in fact it is taken from a graphic novel with the same title, published in Italy in 2016 by Bao Publishing. The author is ND Stevenson, who is also in the production team of the animated film for Netflix and who has already collaborated with the platform in 2018 by producing the animated TV series She-Ra and the warrior princesses, which lasted for five seasons with good success of public. Of this author, also knowing his previous works, one thing is very clear: original and solid writing and screenplays.
You can immediately perceive that this series is based on a graphic novel, because its script has no smudges and is fluid, with many surprise insertions, towards the second half. Even the “subject” is certainly original: the protagonist is Ballister one of the heroes of the Kingdom who is about to receive the appointment of Knight by the Queen, except that while receiving her recognition he becomes the victim of a conspiracy and kills her by mistake. From here, Ballister becomes the maxi wanted by the Kingdom and consequently also one of the baddest which leads to the entrance of Nimona. Nimona is a shapeshifter, a little girl who can become what she wants and she approaches Ballister because she believes him “bad” she wants to be his shoulder to take revenge against the kingdom.
Overwhelming fun | Nimona review: an amazing animated film
Before getting to the heart of the symbolic power of this animated film, it is good to underline one of its most evident characteristics, namely that it is an overwhelmingly entertaining film. The protagonist, Nimona, is a hurricane who immediately triggers one boisterous laugh after another: with the appearance of a bored punk teenager, shapeshifting on command, becoming the most absurd animals and beings, in every situation, even of danger, she is excessive, comical, exaggerated, bungling and trying to hide the pain behind all this hubbub of comedy. Ballister, who isn’t even a bit bad, is her perfect sidekick next to her: shy, a little awkward and with great moral ethics, she starts to let go thanks to this new friend of hers. These passages make Nimona a perfect film for the little ones precisely because it is hilarious, with a very tight comic rhythm that never gets boring.
What is behind the uproarious laughter | Nimona review: an amazing animated film
Behind the fun and uproarious laughter, obviously Nimona is a cartoon with some weight, otherwise it wouldn’t be so amazing and original. The weight of Nimona is her screenplay which inserts so many important themes around the characters she presents and revolves around the concept that the division between heroes and villains isn’t always so clear-cut and sometimes definitions just can’t be given. Nimona is defined as a “monster” and because of her estranged from society and people, Ballister is considered the baddest of all, but he has only been framed by a conspiracy and therefore they find themselves living on the margins of society without being able to make their voice. Until they find each other, complement each other and start making their voices heard through a punk, messy, comedic revolution. Nimona not only fully entertains, but puts us in front of a scenario in which it is easy to see each other again: because the society portrayed in this dystopian future is similar to ours, where the characters we see can be fearless and homosexual heroes and knights, as in the case of Ballister and Ambrosius and the protagonist and heroine can be a frightened girl, who does not control her strength.
The return to 2D graphics | Nimona review: an amazing animated film
All this interesting narrative weight is also supported by graphics that work a lot, that is, the return to 2D animation which is also supported by colors that adapt very much to the characters they portray: lively and bright for Nimona, soft pastels for Ballister, brighter and clearer colors for Ambrosius who should represent the ideal hero of Disney stories. A very harmonious whole and held together well by the fluidity of 2D. A graphic choice that is very reminiscent of the style of graphic novels and therefore pays homage to the original story from which it was inspired.
A cartoon that deserves to become one of the best in recent years
It can therefore be said that Nimona is perhaps one of the most interesting cartoons of recent years and also among the best in terms of the courage and originality of the script. A perfect product? Obviously there are some flaws and one of these is the somewhat hasty conclusion. Especially after the very captivating and emotional ending, it is as if the screenplay wanted to return to comic language, but it does so too sharply. And the other aspect is related to the character of Ambrosius that like all the princes of the Disney stories, acts a little too much like them: his indecision and his perennial doubts about what is good and what is bad don’t help the protagonist who eventually forgives him anyway. And this is perhaps the only little courageous passage of the film: he wants to end with a romantic happy ending and he does so even if throughout the film Ambrosius’ character was not really able to support the protagonist by challenging what society was giving him. imposing. This cartoon had to have some flaws, otherwise it would have been perfect and perfection, as this story teaches us, does not exist and is not even so fashionable.
In conclusion, Nimona it is a film in all respects, suitable for a wide audience because it manages to separate its languages of expression and empathize with the audience on multiple levels. And it’s also a film not to be missed!
What a surprise this Netflix animated film!
Plus points
- Overwhelmingly funny
- Storytelling languages suitable for a wide audience
- Immersive graphics
- Intense script that stimulates reflection
Are you looking for new movies and new TV series to watch? Discover the new Disney+ subscription, the streaming home of Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, National Geographic and now Star too. Subscribe now to only 8.99 euros per month on this page.