Sightlines · reception
How Nimona was received
2023 · Troy Quane · Nimona on Sightlines
The arc
Famously left for dead when Disney shuttered Blue Sky Studios in 2021 with the film mostly finished, it was rescued by Annapurna and Netflix — and rode that survival story all the way to a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination in 2024.
What’s debated
Fans still argue over the adaptation itself — whether the film softens ND Stevenson's darker, thornier graphic novel or improves on it — alongside the perennial 'Netflix buried it' complaint.
Its footprint
It instantly became a queer-animation touchstone — 'the movie Disney tried to kill' — with Nimona's shark form and gleeful chaos-gremlin energy living on as fan-art and meme fuel.
Where it stands
A near-instant Letterboxd favorite and a fixture of the modern queer animation canon, cited as proof of what studio animation can be when it isn't sanded down.
Did you know? The film was reportedly around three-quarters finished when Disney shut down Blue Sky Studios in April 2021 and canceled it; Annapurna revived the project with DNEG Animation and Netflix released it in June 2023 — reporting on the Blue Sky version cited internal pushback over its queer content, including a same-sex kiss.