Nimona had some development woes but finally landed on Netflix… and good on them for saving it. I hit play without any expectations having not really paid much attention to the backstage drama. I’m happy to report that it was a worthy save. This is a fantastic little film.

The flick is about your standard issue fantasy kingdom that vanquished evil a thousand years ago. Now with 24 hour news and smart phones, our fantasy kingdom still needs its knight protectors. But one of the new knights is in for a surprise during his induction ceremony and now must team up with a demented teen girl to save the kingdom.

The film offers up one of the best new animated characters in years with the teen girl Nimona. She’s blood thirsty with a devilish smile and a likely diagnosis of deep psychopathy. The film revels in her delighted smirk, appreciation for heavy metal, and love of wanton destruction. I laughed out loud at her antics and attitude… but also figured the character had to grow or risk being one-note and tiresome. And that growth would probably result in the standard-issue lessons that cartoons dole out on the regular.

Well… yes and no. This film gives us character growth but on its own terms. We get interesting, mature themes of creating our own villains, misguided devotion, and even a little warning about hero worship. In other words, this is the kind of film for kids that the adults can love too. Imagine that.

Riz Ahmed does the voice of the knight and Chloe Grace Moretz is our bundle of crazy. Both do a fantastic job and the CGI-animation-to-look-hand-drawn art does as well. These are believable characters operating in an attractive and imaginative world.

I was surprised by how moved I was by this film’s revelations and final act. It starts off feeling a little penned in by its ideas but evolves past that.

This is a pretty special and surprising film with honest and earned emotions. A good morally and socially complex message that doesn’t feel like a lecture. I rather loved it.

Score: 90