This week I was planning to write a piece on how I still hadn’t forgiven Disney for its abandonment of Nimona. ND Stevenson’s fantasy graphic novel is a cute, touching, and unabashedly queer tale that so many people can see themselves in. I first read it as a girl firmly in the closet as I entered university, falling in love with its world and characters long before ND would change sapphic representation in animation forever with She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Nimona was the start of something, and we owe it so much.When it was announced that Blue Sky Studios was set to helm an animated adaptation I couldn’t have been more excited. It’s a story that isn’t afraid to explore the fragility of identity or breaking free from societal norms to embrace who you really are, and now it was set to reach an entirely new audience, to inhabit a stage deserving of LGBTQ+ storytelling without compromise. Sadly it met the fate of many queer stories that seek to pierce the mainstream veil, and was silenced.Disney bought Fox, cancelled Nimona, and shuttered the studio behind it for no reason beyond thinning its competitors, leaving a groundbreaking story behind in the process. Fans had already mourned the project, giving up hope that the film would ever be revived given Disney owned the film which at the time of its cancellation was roughly 75 percent complete.[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/Gingerhazing/status/1513676821266534400[/EMBED_TWITTER]All that work was thrown away, an act that broke myriad hearts with its sheer callousness. But now, against all conceivable odds, it’s making a comeback. ND Stevenson made the announcement via his Twitter yesterday afternoon and I couldn’t focus on work for the rest of the day because I was so thrilled, even sharing it with my colleagues who just smile and ignore me as I scream about gay cartoons in public channels. None of us expected this revival, let alone for it to be made possible by Netflix and Annapurna.The gays are winning once again, and I cannot wait to see Nimona realised in a new medium that will allow it to shine brighter than ever. If you aren’t familiar with the graphic novel, it follows a young human girl with the power to shrink, grow, and take on any form that enters her mind, regardless of whether it’s human, animal, or something else entirely. Many in this world view her as an oddity, but she soon befriends Ballister Blackheart, a former knight to the Institution who lost his arm in a battle against Ambrosius Goldenloin, who now reigns supreme as champion of his respective realm. The Institution is a troubled place, one ruled by fascistic powers willing to take advantage of those who differ from the norm and label them as oddities to be cast out, taken advantage of, or experimented upon.
I won’t delve any further into the narrative here since it’s worth seeking out for yourself, but Nimona was so groundbreaking in its exploration of queer themes because it wasn’t something plastered on the cover for all to see, but generously layered throughout. It touched on the nuanced portrayal of identity and otherness, with Nimona herself often seen as a monstrosity with no easily definable form. She might be a cutesy shapeshifter on the surface, but this initial impression paves the way for a story that challenges the toxicity of existing power structures and institutions that feel designed to put down those who don’t abide by the status quo, or slowly drift outside of it in order to find themselves. Our own world is one continually constrained by needless binaries that the majority abide by, unaware how suffocating these confines can be to those who have to operate within systems that seek to alienate and ostracise them at every turn. We seek out media that challenges that notion, and Nimona does so with an approach that young people can embrace.Nimona is both a thrilling fantasy epic and a meaningful exploration of social constructs and motivations, positioning a cast of diverse characters in a way where they are able to take back power from those above them and shape the world into something that welcomes who they are and will eventually want to be. Who knows if the upcoming film will do all of these themes justice, but with all of the love pouring out of every conceivable community following its revival I’m confident that the adaptation will be something special.
As Stevenson puts in his tweet cementing the announcement: “Nimona’s always been a spunky little story that just wouldn’t stop. She’s a fighter…but she’s also got some really awesome people fighting for her.”It’s a mantra that can be applied to so many queer stories. Regardless of where they come from or whatever audience they seek to reach, experiences like this are always a product of struggle, love, and perseverance in the most unexpected of circumstances. We won’t stop fighting for a better world, and one that can facilitate media where people can be seen and learn that they matter, and that somewhere there is someone looking out for them.