Review: Nimona is unapologetically queer in the best way
It’s a shame that Nimona struggled under the production circumstances it did. This bombastic, brilliant triumph of a film should be seen on the big screen. Yet because of bigotry and corporate powers, Nimona was mainly kept to a small screen. It’s almost ironic because tearing down the powers that be is a theme of the movie. This film could have been Disney’s success. This was the movie that they canceled when it was 70% finished. This was under Bob Chapek’s bigoted watch, so it is no surprise his higher-ups passed on this film.
That’s because Nimona is so unapologetically queer, which is no surprise coming from the mind of trans creator ND Stevenson. It is a gay story. It’s a trans story. It is a queer lens through and through and such a needed movie. It was the soothing balm on the final day of a turbulent Pride month, released on the same day the Supreme Court ripped fundamental human rights from LGBTQIA+ people. Nimona was a reminder of how we must keep fighting, and there is no peace until these racist, homophobic institutions are torn down.
Disney would never be this queer and creative because they are part of the problem. God forbid two men kiss and say they love each other.
Nimona is also a story for anyone who has ever been othered, resonating outside of being just a queer story. Ballister, played by Riz Ahmed, makes an off-handed comment while watching a zombie movie that he felt sorry for the zombies. It launched me back into Ahmed’s The Night Of press tour, stating as a child of immigrants, he always related to the aliens in movies. As a BIPOC man, he’s shared stories of being othered because of racism and even wrote songs about it. This story resonates with Ballister as an outsider coming into a noble institution, with Ahmed’s stunning performance backing up his journey. This movie is very much for everyone who ever felt this way.
This cast of characters is such a delight. Nimona is a powerhouse hero that is so fresh and unique. Chloë Grace Moretz perfectly balances Nimona’s chaos and subtle moments. While Nimona and Ballister’s growing friendship is the heart of the story, the drama between Ballister and his love interest Ambrosius, voiced by Eugene Lee Yang, is beautifully done. It plays on many classic romantic tropes, but it’s fresh simply because it’s a love story between two men in an animated movie.
More often than not, queer stories tend to be between two women or maybe non-binary people, as studio execs see them as “safer.” And, let’s be brutally honest here, the old cis het white guys in charge can get off on two ladies. It’s so incredibly rare to have Ballister and Ambrosius’ relationship at the forefront of the story and integral to the plot. There is no erasing their queerness from the narrative for a China cut like how other studios with Mouse mascots like to do. This is such a breath of fresh air and pretty groundbreaking in many ways.
The rest of the cast is a delight. As a DuckTales (2017) fan, I’m always happy to hear Beck Bennett. His character Sir Thoddeus truly was, as Nimona quotes, “punchable” in the most delightful, dumb bully kind of way. Frances Conroy brings measured gravitas to the Director. And I’m not surprised to see the always-talented Lorraine Toussaint portraying Queen Valerin. Toussaint worked with Stevenson on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and she brings just as much poise and grave to the Queen as she did with Shadow Weaver.
I love how the plot used familiar narrative tropes to quickly move through the movie's first half. A lot of shorthand is used to get through the crucial beats that need to be quickly established, like who Nimona is and what her powers are, what is Ballister and Ambrosius’ relationship, and how and why everything happens. These story beats fly by to get to the purpose of the movie, starting with the second act. The audience discovers who the villain is in the first half, which shifts the story of Nimona from a ‘whodunit’ to focusing on how society responds to the truth and will they shift their paradigm to accept people like Nimona and Ballister. It’s powerful storytelling at its finest, feeling so contemporary and needing to be told.
The climax of Nimona is profound. It left me shaken, dredging up particular emotions. It was like watching the pain of every child ever bullied for being different. It was the screams from generations of persecution. It was the tiredness of being closeted. It was the weight of existing in a society that doesn’t accept you. It was all of this personified in one sequence that was released with a single moment of love and acceptance. I cried.
The animation of Nimona is gorgeous from start to finish. The world is a creative blend of a futuristic Middle Ages, familiarizing many locations while still fantastical. I often have fears when animated movies use a modern soundtrack that can take me out of the moment, but the world-building never makes the music feel out of place. Unlike many animated films, which are crazy and bouncy for a swift, cheap route to pleasing a young audience, Nimona’s chaos was purposeful in driving characters and story. If not for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse defining animation for the next decade and probably sweeping every award show, Nimona would be a strong contender for the best-animated movie of the year.
If I had to pick a criticism about this movie, I wish the villain’s motivations were a bit more well-defined. Sometimes it felt like the person was acting evil for the sake of being evil. Even then, it didn’t bother me. The person was operating from the point of fear and not taking the time to understand why Ballister and Nimona were different. The motivations were based on bigotry, which is how people function in the real world. Hate is fueled by fear. The villain’s borderline religious undertones hating on the queer characters feel like it doesn’t need much explanation.
After the delays, the cancellations, switching studios, and finally landing on its feet, Nimona was worth the wait. It’s incredibly refreshing to have this unique, beautiful, heartfelt movie that smashes the norm. It is setting a new bar for what should be seen in an animated film and how to create thoughtful and needed queer content.
You missed the chance to do something really profound, Disney. Enjoy playing catch-up, Mouse.
