Nimona is a 2023 American animated science fantasy action film directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane from a screenplay by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor.

Originally a production of Blue Sky Studios, it was set to be directed by Patrick Osborne, with an initial release date of 2020.

As Ballister crafts a prosthetic replacement arm, he is visited by Nimona, a teenage outcast who has faced persecution for her shapeshifting abilities.

Seeing a "villainous spirit" in Ballister, as he is facing similar treatment for his commoner origin and the murder of the Queen, Nimona declares herself to be his sidekick.

Stopping at an abandoned well, Nimona reminisces about her past: a thousand years ago, she wandered the world and transformed into other animals to try and fit in with the wildlife, but none of the creatures she encountered accepted her.

Other members of the production crew who voice knight versions of themselves include directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, Julie Zackary, Christopher Campbell, and Randy Trager; Bruno, Quane, Zackary, and Trager also provide additional voices, alongside Wesley Turner.

Maurissa Horwitz—who also provides additional voices—and former Blue Sky editor Tim Nordquist voice the zombies in a movie Nimona and Ballister watch.

Nimona creator ND Stevenson, who also served as a co-producer and additional screenplay material for the film, has a voice cameo as Kwispy Dragon, a cartoon cereal mascot.

"[32] The film was set to be the first use of Blue Sky's Conduit, a system that allowed artists to "find, track, version and quality control their work.

A former animator at Blue Sky, Rich Fournier, stated that the studio was "very very close" to getting the film finished, but that they "found out it simply was not doable".

[35] In March 2021, it was reported that Chloë Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed were to have voiced Nimona and Ballister Blackheart, respectively,[36] and that the film was being shopped around to other studios to be completed.

"[37] In March 2022, amid the controversy of Disney's involvement in Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill and lack of criticism from CEO Bob Chapek until after the bill had passed, three former Blue Sky staff members stated the film received pushback from Disney leadership, centered around the film's LGBT themes and a same-sex kiss.

[38] On April 11, 2022, it was announced that Annapurna Pictures and Netflix had picked up Nimona earlier in the year, and would be releasing on its streaming service in 2023.

[44] On April 24, 2023, Frances Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint, Beck Bennett, RuPaul, Indya Moore, Julio Torres, and Sarah Sherman were announced as part of the cast.

They also had to incorporate the novel's style as well, including circles for the free-form Nimona, squares for the traditionalist Ballister, and diamonds for the rigid Institute.

"[27] Aidan Sugano serves as production designer on the film, and described it as having elements of "sci-fi, medieval fantasy, knights, lasers, monsters, dragons, dramatic lighting, [and]...

[47] Quane later clarified that the film was approximately "70% through layout": they had completed five fully animated sequences, along with character models, story reels, and locations at the time of Blue Sky's shutdown.

[48] The finished footage was shown to various people in the animation business, and convinced Megan Ellison at Annapurna Pictures to complete the project.

"[69] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

[72] In The Hollywood Reporter, Frank Scheck called it "a consistent delight" and commended the screenplay, direction, animation, score, and lead performances.

[73] In Screen International, Wendy Ide called it a "slick, enjoyable package" with "a couple of distinctive selling points that should set it apart" and opined: "Whether or not they understand the film's subtext, younger audiences will no doubt relish the exuberant mischief and humour that Moretz brings to her voice performance—as well as Nimona's gleeful disregard for authority and her appetite for destruction".

[74] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film a score of 3 out of 5 stars and concluded: "Nimona is likable and engaging entertainment that finds its way through self-created chaos to some humane life-lessons".

[75] Associated Press critic Lindsay Bahr called it a "fantasy adventure with riot grrrl energy" and praised the animation, soundtrack and lead performances.