Blue Sky Animation's 'Nimona' Shelved By Disney, Rescued By Netflix: An LGBTQ+ Animated Film Starring Chloë Grace Moretz And Riz Ahmed
There has been a sad tendency we have had as a culture that's reared its head recently, of not talking openly about LGBTQ+ issues with the youth of the United States. Disney was guilty of it a few weeks ago, when CEO Bob Chapek had to backtrack on his support for Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill after backlash from the public, which lead to much of the company's staff to stage a walk out in protest of his ignorant actions.
It seems Blue Sky Animation has faced similar scrutiny with their animated film Nimona after the House of Mouse acquired 20th Century Fox and closed the studio, thus shelving the film.
Nimona, for those not in the know, is based on the graphic novel by ND Stevenson and tells the story of a shape-shifting teenager named Nimona (played by Chloë Grace Moretz) who sets out to help a Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) who was framed for a crime he didn't commit.
What made the film controversial was a kiss shared between Boldheart and his male love interest, Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang). Also, Nimona would be the representation of a character who doesn't live her life defined by typical identity - gender or otherwise - given her ability to shapeshift whenever she sees fit.
There was pressure from Disney, while the film was still in production, to omit the kiss - and after the studio pushed back, Disney later shelved the film when they shut down Blue Sky. Animators on the project felt slighted by the move, not only because of their hard work being for nothing, but also because of the idea that such a forward-thinking narrative would never see the light of day.
A piece by Business Insider quoted a former staff member for Blue Sky:
"When the biggest entertainment company in the world creates content for children and systematically censors queer content, they are pushing queer children to dark places."
Enter Netflix, who were more than happy to pick up the film - which was 75% completed - with the help of Annapurna Pictures.
This is an important step in the fight for LGBTQ+ community, a group who has made great strides to be seen as a "normal" part of society by everyone, especially through representation in entertainment, which reaches the masses nearly every minute of every day.
The more books, films, shows, and music become inclusive, the more society will change with the times. Not saying there won't be push back by the ignorant few who deny the rights of certain people over others, but creating inclusive content will bring about a subtle change, which will help us all grow to accept one another over time. Bravo to Netflix for putting this important film into the ethos.
Nimona will premiere on Netflix in 2023.
