Things are about to get metal in the first trailer for Netflix and Annapurna Pictures’ animated feature, “Nimona.”
The official synopsis is as follows: When Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), 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 (Chloë Grace Moretz), a mischievous teen with a taste for mayhem — who also happens to be a shapeshifting creature Ballister has been trained to destroy.
But with the entire kingdom out to get him, Nimona’s the best (or technically the only) sidekick Ballister can hope for. And as the lines between heroes, villains, and monsters start to blur, the two of them set out to wreak serious havoc — for Ballister to clear his name once and for all, and for Nimona to…just wreak serious havoc.
The film’s distinct animation style immediately stands out and feels at home with Netflix, especially since ND Stevenson, author of the “Nimona” webcomic, worked as showrunner on Netflix’s critically acclaimed “She-Ra” series. In fact, Lorraine Touissant, who was a part of “She-Ra,” is part of the voice cast here alongside Moretz, Ahmed, Frances Conroy and Eugene Yang.
“Nimona” has had a long journey to the big screen, initially starting in development over at Bluesky Studios with Patrick Osborne as director. When Disney acquired the studio — alongside everything owned by the former 20th Century Fox — in 2019 the movie was delayed and canceled outright, allegedly in part because of some of the film’s more overt LGBTQ themes.
Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures picked up the movie in 2020, with “Spies in Disguise” directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane at the helm and DNEG Animation working on the visuals. The pandemic continued to slow down progress but, eventually, Netflix picked up the finished product in 2022.
You can watch the full trailer above.
“Nimona” streams on Netflix June 30.
