Tumblr webcomics, production hellscapes, and spunky shapeshifters seemingly have proven to be an unlikely recipe for streaming success, however the essence of a story is often found when the underrepresented feel heard.
Nimona (2023) is an animated sci-fantasy comedy adapted from the graphic novel of the same name. In the film, we follow a shapeshifter, Nimona, and her plan to not have a plan. She is determined to become Ballister Boldheart’s, a disgraced knight, sidekick while Boldheart intends to prove his innocence to the Institute.
Much conversation around Nimona has been its production limbo of 8 years. While not nearly as complicated, my experience with Nimona’s story is similar. Around 2015, I was given permission to have an Instagram account after months of begging. I began to consume a lot of content on my explore page and much of which were Tumblr screenshots. Scrolling through my feed, a very peculiar shapeshifter kept popping up. I was interested in this character, however the screenshots were rarely credited, and I wasn’t ‘old enough’ to venture to Tumblr yet, so the shapeshifter’s identity was a mystery.
In 2019, I was a freshman browsing the YA section at Barnes and Noble. I hadn’t thought about the shapeshifter in quite a while; I never found out her name and she soon faded into obscurity. Nonetheless, I came across a memoir while browsing. It stood out to me for many reasons because all I could do was ask questions. What’s a memoir in pictures? Who’s ND Steveson? Why does this art style look so familiar? These questions are mundane; however, I could not shake one feeling: I’d seen this before and I loved it.
After years of lying dormant, my question was answered. It was Nimona. That Christmas, I received ND Steveson’s memoir and a copy of Nimona. I dug deep into both copies, but I found myself deeper in love with Nimona than I did when I was 11.
With a connection as deep as this, I was thrilled to attend SCAD Film Festival’s screening and Q&A with directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane. I had seen Nimona in my bedroom surrounded by my stuffed animals, but having a reactive audience significantly elevated my viewing experience. With the film being an early screening and during class time, the crowd was smaller than what I had seen at others, however the passion and excitement facilitated by the audience conquered all expectations I had. A film that was history in the making for both me and general audiences seemingly lacked coverage in one regard: the filmmakers’ writing journey.
During the Q&A session, I was eager to learn from the visiting directors and listen to their journey with this film. I was thrilled when Troy Quane responded to my question about Nimona’s development with one statement sticking out, “Adaptation is never straight translation.” This struck me because both Nimonas are very different plot wise, but they still impacted me all the same. While the production behind the film was hectic, I still have the same fondness as I hold towards Steveson’s Nimona.
Nimona was meant to be a shared experience and I believe most other audience members felt the same passion and excitement I felt sitting in that theater. Whether it was their fifth viewing or their first, the audience had a moment of connection when the credits rolled and the cheering erupted. Nimona’s quest to completion was a love letter to creatives’ persistence; it was a love letter to those who could not get a sparky shapeshifter out of their head and this letter was penned by those who were dedicated to their vision and that’s, as Nimona would say, pretty metal.
