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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nimona <\/em>(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\u2019s, a disgraced knight, sidekick while Boldheart intends to prove his innocence to the Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Much conversation around Nimona<\/em> has been its production limbo of 8 years. While not nearly as complicated, my experience with Nimona\u2019s 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\u2019t \u2018old enough\u2019 to venture to Tumblr yet, so the shapeshifter\u2019s identity was a mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2019, I was a freshman browsing the YA section at Barnes and Noble. I hadn\u2019t 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\u2019s a memoir in pictures? Who\u2019s ND Steveson? Why does this art style look so familiar? These questions are mundane; however, I could not shake one feeling: I\u2019d seen this before and I loved it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After years of lying dormant, my question was answered. It was Nimona. That Christmas, I received ND Steveson\u2019s memoir and a copy of Nimona<\/em>. I dug deep into both copies, but I found myself deeper in love with Nimona<\/em> than I did when I was 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a connection as deep as this, I was thrilled to attend SCAD Film Festival\u2019s screening and Q&A with directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane. I had seen Nimona <\/em>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\u2019 writing journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/em>\u2019s development with one statement sticking out, \u201cAdaptation is never straight translation.\u201d This struck me because both Nimona<\/em>s 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\u2019s Nimona<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nimona<\/em> 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<\/em>\u2019s quest to completion was a love letter to creatives\u2019 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\u2019s, as Nimona would say, pretty metal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":7430,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[265,530,32],"tags":[410,1309,576,104,129,408,97],"yoast_head":"\n