A fairy tale set in a techno-medieval world, where armored knights occupy the same space as smartphones, flying ships, and curly fries, Nimona is an inspired blend of genres and ideas, delivered with a punkish voice. Central to the story is the shape-shifting miscreant Nimona, voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz, a sprightly antihero who embraces a “metal” attitude of wanton destruction, rebellion, and a vision board she calls a “murderwall.” She’s a firebrand outsider in otherwise orderly surroundings, which are so dependent on traditions that its warriors still look like the stuff of Arthurian legend, apart from the presence of laser guns, flat-screen televisions, and the matriarchal society. Longtime storyboard artists Nick Bruno and Troy Quane direct their second feature—after Spies in Disguise (2019)—delivering a Netflix original that’s edgier and, ultimately, more affecting and socially conscious than most other disposable animated titles. With fast-paced storytelling that leads to a moving finale, Nimona celebrates difference and challenges orthodoxy, imparting a lesson that conventions should be questioned and not blindly followed.

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