Nimona adapts ND Stevenson's beloved web series turned graphic novel for new audiences. Focusing on Nimona and Ballister Boldheart's unlikely partnership that slowly becomes a close bond (and a rebellious thorn in the side of the dangerous Institute that controls the fantastical realm), Nimona had a long road from development to release, surviving the shuttering of Blue Sky and being picked up by Netflix.
But it's a good thing, as Nimona is an absolute blast that manages to be emotionally impactful and hilarious at the same time. During an interview with CBR ahead of Nimona's June 30 premiere on Netflix, Directors Troy Quane and Nick Bruno sat down to discuss what appealed to them about the character in the first place, the trickiest element of bringing the character from comics to the screen, and why Nimona's silly transformation abilities speak to the strength of the story.
CBR: What was it about the original Nimona that caught your attention and made you want to bring it to the screen -- or I guess any screen, with it coming out on Netflix?
Troy Quane: Well, listen, we don't know what television you have in your household [laughing]. It could very well be a big screen. It really was the characters. It was the character of Nimona. I mean, you read the original graphic novel. She's funny, she's in your face, and she's not taking any crap. She's a character who knows who she wants to be and is looking for someone to see that truth.
Once we grabbed ahold of that, and we realized that was the cornerstone of this movie, this is what we wanted to really make the centerpiece of it. This idea that you get to know people [and] to see them for who they are, not judged by stories that have been handed down or judgments that other people have made. Once we had that, all the other elements of the film just fell into place. It felt like it represented the story in the graphic novel that ND [Stevenson] put together [and] could be its own thing as film.
Speaking of the graphic novel, it's such a free-form story that evolves as it goes along. What was the trickiest element of adapting that into a more traditional feature film?
Nick Bruno: I think the trickiest thing is we wanted to tell a story that was honest and truthful. Even though we're having fun, and there's this magical world and these incredibly cool animated characters -- we wanted the story to be true and authentic. We know the graphic novel really connected with the LGBTQ+ community. Back at Blue Sky, we had so many incredible members who [were] very trusting with their personal stories that helped us along the way with how to tell the story of Nimona.
What's your favorite Nimona form?
Quane: For me, the shark is easy. The shark in the comic book, reading that one comic. That one panel makes me laugh still to this day, so I'm going with the shark.
Bruno: I always stick with [Nimona]. Nimona's true spirit, we haven't seen. But she chooses to be the girl that we see through most of the movie, and I love that character. I love what it says. It's a nonconformist version of this punk kid [who] still really wants connection and sees that in humanity. I think that that says a lot, and it's pretty powerful.
Quane: Wow, that was really thoughtful. And I just said shark. [Laughing] I need a minute to think of a better answer.
Nimona is now streaming on Netflix.