A sharp, emotionally generous fantasy adventure that blends punk energy, shapeshifting spectacle, and a surprisingly tender queer-coded coming-of-age story. It’s funny, fast, and visually inventive, with enough bite to keep the action from feeling generic.
Nimona
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Animation · Family
Fri · 1h 39m
Director: Troy Quane, Nick Bruno
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang
Overview
A knight framed for a tragic crime teams with a scrappy, shape-shifting teen to prove his innocence.
Director
Troy Quane, Nick Bruno
Cast
Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, emotionally generous fantasy adventure that blends punk energy, shapeshifting spectacle, and a surprisingly tender queer-coded coming-of-age story. It’s funny, fast, and visually inventive, with enough bite to keep the action from feeling generic.
Best for
viewers who like subversive animated adventures
fans of queer and trans-coded storytelling
people who enjoy chaotic found-family dynamics
audiences looking for stylish, modern fantasy with heart
viewers who appreciate animation that mixes comedy with genuine emotion
Skip if
you want straightforward family fare with no edge
you dislike overtly queer themes or subtext
you prefer polished, traditional Disney-style storytelling
you’re looking for a purely light, low-stakes kids’ movie
Overview
Nimona is a gleefully unruly fantasy that uses its shapeshifting premise to push on identity, fear, and the stories societies tell about outsiders. It starts with a familiar framed-hero setup, then quickly turns into something more mischievous and emotionally pointed, with a lead duo whose chemistry gives the movie its warmth and momentum.
Worth noting
What makes it stand out is the way it refuses to behave like a standard prestige animation product. The tone swings from slapstick to melancholy to outright feral, and that instability feels intentional rather than messy. The action is lively, the world has a comic-book snap, and the film’s best ideas are baked into its character dynamics rather than explained away.
Bottom line
It’s also one of those animated films that feels like it has an audience beyond families with young kids. There’s a real bite to its anti-authoritarian streak, and its queer resonance is not decorative; it’s central to the movie’s emotional engine. If you want animation with personality, attitude, and a little chaos in its heart, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Kera McKeon (5★) · 15266 likes
Nimona needing 1000 years to get over her toxic homoerotic friendship with a straight girl is just like me fr
Melanie Duke (4★) · 11049 likes
arm ✍️ chopping ✍️ is ✍️ not ✍️ a ✍️ love ✍️ language ✍️
Rendy Jones (4.5★) · 9200 likes
Disney never deserved her.
jeaba (4.5★) · 7731 likes
be gay, (reluctantly) do crime
deadgayson (5★) · 6131 likes
Chloë Grace Moretz saying "If you don't, you'll die in this closet' is gay cinema at its finest
Themes
identity and self-acceptance, outsider solidarity, queer-coded romance, found family, anti-authoritarianism, shapeshifting, redemption, fear and propaganda
Topics
animated adventure, queer coming-of-age, fantasy comedy, shape-shifter, found family, punk energy, anti-authoritarian, action comedy, emotional, modern animation