According to ND Stevenson, the medieval/sci fi aesthetic is representative of how while this society has advanced technologically, they're still stuck in the same, medieval mindset and prejudices. So it's a cool design choice and it serves the movie's themes.
I love the "Oh, Goldenloin is probably the villain. Oh he's the love interest? Well now he's *definitely* the villain." To be fair, _ND Stevenson's last show was She-Ra._ Both was absolutely an option.
@@alexpineda5960 ND Stephenson wrote the original graphic novel Nimona. He is also the creator, showrunner, and executive producer for She-Ra. He's not just the one who completed the movie, he's the reason it exists.
"I don't know what's scarier. The fact that everyone in this kingdom wants to run a sword through my heart, or that sometimes I just wanna let 'em." Not gonna lie, that line broke me. I did not expect them to go that deep. This movie is an absolute masterpiece. I'm so glad Annapurna saved it and gave what was going to be Blue Sky's magnum opus a second chance. Another victory for the And a perfect way to end Pride Month.
Yeah, with that line, Nimona became the only movie to ever make me sob. I live in a very racist/colorist, misogynistic, and homophobic country, and I’m dark skinned, a girl, and gay. I’ve tried to take my life about 12 times now, and have been hate crimed, bullied, etc. It genuinely feels at times as if everyone wants me dead, and it’s terrifying that sometimes I just want to give up and let them win. I think I had to pause the movie for about an hour just to cry, because it’s a very real problem, and I have friends who have taken their lives because of the way we’re treated
Annapurna is an incredible company. They help projects that really MEAN something become a reality. They published Outer Wilds, which I am also so grateful to have experienced, and many more amazing works of art.
oh i just realised upon a rewatch that when ballister is given his sword in the beginning he gives it this studying look like he's thinking "this doesn't feel balanced the way I'm used to" THE SIGNS WERE THERE
you know If he was given the sword differently then Unironically it would have looked like the queen was trying to kill him and It would have messed up the whole director's plan
"Then we rise like a fiery phoenix from the ashes to overthrow the government!" Holy cow I didn't see the foreshadowing until I rewatched it. Now the ending makes sense.
Likely because the Director corrupted the entire government system all because she had a horrible childhood dream that knighting people like Ballistar would incite the kingdom's downfall, letting the so-called monsters pour in and destroy everything.
Other than the billboard, pretty much all the damage after Nimona entered the city was from the attacks against Nimona, either her falling as a result of being hit or her attackers missing. Even before the director turned the cannon inwards, they were already destroying themselves in their attempts to kill her.
That in particular is pretty different to the book, but then the book's a fair bit darker than the movie, and the themes are a bit different in a few ways. (she ends up killing a LOT of people during her rampage in the book. And mentions she's killed more in the past)
I wonder why Ambrosius cannot even see any of that happening until the last minute? Is he really proud of himself scapegoating and prejudicing Nimona when his actions became his undoing??
In the comic Nimona is never seen again. But Ballister thinks to himself that every time a Cat seems too intelligent or a stranger stares at him for too long that it could be Nimona watching him from a distance and it makes him happy.
Outside of it just being an excellent movie on its own, I love the fact that Nimona now exists as pure karma on Disney‘s behalf. All they would’ve had to do was say gay rights outside of June and all of this critical praise and probably several sequels could’ve been theirs, but instead they canceled the movie 75% through completion and then shut down blue sky studios so that there was no chance of it ever seeing the light of day, all just so that they could keep from losing a little money in China and Russia. I bet the last thing they expected was Netflix coming in to save it at the last second.
@@MarrowsRedemptionArc It's sad too, cause disney used to be my goto. This is because I'd usually have high expectations form them since there was a time that actual thought was put behind what they'd produce.
@@JVmono we all know how much Disney loves to market their first gay character in every single movie they put out. This would’ve been great for them. Too bad dumb prejudices and corporate greed got in the way.
There’s so many things I want to point out about this movie Glorith and Nimonas story shows that being scared of or not trusting something is taught to you as a child, Glorith trusted and loved Nimona for who she was but her parents told her she was dangerous and a monster, which made her see Nimona as a monster as well
There were also parts of the movie that sounded kinda like fascism. Reminds me of this video ; ruclips.net/video/E1SEquRAWRU/видео.html&pp=ygUZZmFzY2lzdCBzY2hvb2wgZXhwZXJpbWVudA%3D%3D
1:04 The real "monsters are always out there" monologue Nimona was referring to is the very thing you just refereed to... the indoctrination of close-minded bigotry, instilling generational hate.
@@MateoLeibowitz- Both of whom? Nimona still cared for Gloreth _a lot_ despite the betrayal, and never once actually makes it to _blaming_ the state of the city-kingdom on her specifically. And there’s a vague theory that Gloreth made the wall to protect those outside the walls _from_ fearful people (minding that they outright do not venture away, though that’s much closer to an alternate character interpretation, and never got stated to anyone who could pass the thought down).
I'm so glad disney didn't get their grubby hands on this masterpiece. They would have babied the themes, Ballister would only be implied to be gay, and Nimona wouldn't be this chaotic. We would have gotten a sad watered down version of this story in their attempt to appeal to extremely restrictive parents who complain about a little blood in a movie.
Big facts. I'm sick and tired of all those implied queer characters. Not to mention the wouldn't have even remotely tackled Nimona's mental heath issues and just how messed up the government is.
This movie is a not so subtle trans/non-binary allegory (written when the author was struggling with his own journey), it is a HUGE deal that it was saved and is doing well. So glad people are enjoying it.
I’m just so relieved to finally be seeing characters just like me in media. Nimona is incredible representation, I got attached the second she turned into a shark. It makes me feel less like a freak and more like somebody who deserves to see myself in stuff and be treated like everybody else. Nimona gets it
The comic series saved a lot of people, no cap. I'm glad the movie survived the no gay phsse Disney had two years ago. Probably part of the reason their CEO got fired. This move hurt their pro gay rep BAD
I mean it was actually pretty amusing to watch and didn’t feel woke or too much which is usually the problem when the answer is to always have it be natural not forced, 8.8/10
That ending in a PG movie blows my mind entirely. I’m literally gobsmacked. Nimona was going to walk into that blade in front of the entire kingdom, to prove a point and because she was exhausted. IN A PG MOVIE?!?? And then she paused, hugged the only person who understood her, and flew into that gun. WHAT THE HELL?! It’s a beautiful movie, one of my favourites ever probably, even after my very first watch of it, but it hit far too close to home for me and I’m still crying typing this out! For a PG movie to have this incredible of a story, to let everyone who watches it question things like the government and how we view others? Holy shit! I think I’m just so happy my body doesn’t know what else to do other than cry. Thank god a this movie finally exists
We used to get a lot more movies like this with darker themes, mostly in the late 80s/early 90s. I loved Across the Spider-Verse but I almost feel like Nimona should get the Oscar for breaking through such a glass ceiling for queer rep in animation and how emotionally deep and powerful it is. Maybe Beyond the Spider-Verse gets the Oscar to round out the trilogy instead?
Im gonna do a crazy thing. Im gonna ask my dad to let us watch it. My brother is 10 and my dad dosent want me to talk about gay couples (my best friend is in one) bcs "hes too young". Bro. Anyway im gonna watch it with them so they see the main gays >:) So they will accept the fact that gay doesnt necessarily imply sex and sucking dicks For the story but also for the gays :) I was about to ask my dad to watch it, then i remembered oh, i cant, there are homosexuals and my brother cant see them for some reason Then i was like >:) Im not gonna bring out the fact that theres a gay couple Im gonna treat it like the normal thing my parents refuse to see it as Idk if that made sense Btw, pls tell me if im about to get my as beaten or its a good idea
"Fun" Fact: This movie was originally going to be made by Blue Sky Studios (Studio that made the Ice Age Movies and) a few years ago, but it got axed after they shut down in 2021, which was actually a good thing since it was later revealed by former staff of Blue Sky that the film had a ton of pushback by Disney Execs at the time for what you saw in the movie
I learned it’s the same movie. What we are seeing today WAS partly produced by Bluesky before they dived. Disney didn’t want the movie. Netflix got their fingers on it and just finished it instead of starting over. This is now technically Blueskys last movie. Thank you annapurna
Yeah, Disney bought Blue Sky Studios and then just cancelled everything they were working on. Including this. (Blue Sky is given credit at the very end of the movie credits.)
No kidding to the "drowning in my tears" part... that was definitely me (especially upon RE-watches) which was SUCH a surprise to me.. I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me EIGHT TIMES (in the past WEEK since my own first watch). Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
Something I didn’t hear them talk about is how 99% of the damage to the city was caused by the people trying to protect it. It was the same with the fire in the village. Nothing is more destructive to us than fear.
One trope I enjoy from movies like Nimona, is when the ones trying to prevent a prophecy, creates the worst of the damage in the most self imposed way possible. Karma at its finest
As a person with a similar condition to tourettes, Nimona's explanation of how her shape shifting feels really spoke to me The more I try not to involuntarily tic, the more it builds up like that ticklish anticipation before a sneeze or shiver
I don't know if it's tourettes that I used to have, or if you could really every get rid of it, but I had this thing where when I was younger, I had to make this short hum noise or it'd feel uncomfortable. What Nimona described felt just like it
Kudos to the guys for allowing themselves to be vulnerable on screen and in the studio during the emotional parts of the movie. The movie as a whole is one of my favorites, I got broken up during those moments too. Really enjoyed this reaction video fellas!
YES, I totally agree...!!! And, you KNOW a movie is emotionally impactful when it "gets" an "entire TRIO" of reactors like these guys! I've actually NEVER seen a movie do that, but given what this movie did to ME, I shouldn't be surprised: I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me SEVEN TIMES in a ROW. Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
@@moistwrmonastring1017 You're DEFINITELY not the only one with THIS movie! Given how I typically react to tearjerkers (or, "not" react very much, usually)... I KNEW I would be finding LOTS of reactors who were emotionally affected when this movie pulled some serious tears from me! I actually never saw any movie affect an entire trio before- that is definitely impressive.
Honestly love how the Squire's actions make so much sense in the beginning after a rewatch. The way it initially seemed like he was handing the sword to Bal unsurely because of his status, but it was really because he knew the sword itself was an issue
I love that the fiery phoenix line comes into play when she blocks the cannon shot, coming back to life as the lore of the phoenix entails, such a smart play.
Yeah, even in the midst of absolute despair she would never intentionally hurt innocent people. She’s fundamentally a sweet being who has been hardened by 1000 years of ostracism and betrayal.
Headcanon: Nimona is clearly able to mass-shift as well as shape-shift (otherwise her otter form and her dragon form would weigh the same, which could get awkward), so at 13:13 when she's like "Huh. This floor is surprisingly stable", she's keeping her shape but making herself progressively heavier until the floor gives way like she wanted.
The more impressive aspect is the inheritance of abilities from forms they take, as when they took the form of the cereal dragon they got cereal breath, despite the fact that a cereal dragon is almost certainly a fully made up creature. This implies an ability far greater than standard mass and shape changing, and is used at the end of the film as nimona becomes a Phoenix and even after thier "ashes went out" nimona came back to life.
Given all the religious imagery, I wonder if Nimona is some sort of nature goddess in the movie universe. Even her monster form looks kinda like a salamander@@darkfossill2769
The way Nimona sacrifices herself then comes back in the end reminds me so much of The Iron Giant. Actually the whole movie has a lot of parallels to it now that I think of it
I saw people talking about this movie online, watched it, and sobbed through it. As a queer person, the entire movie's story is so relatable on a deep level. The fact that in literature, monsters and villains have traditionally been queer (and analyzed as such) makes this movie's twists on monsters and heroes so good. I'm so glad we've been finally given more animated films that deal with these topics and direct representation.
..............? monsters and villains have certainly NOT been "traditionally" queer. i dont know what youre reading or what buzz feed article you listened to, but there is no evidence to suggest what you said in any way shape or form is true. Stop making stuff up to sound smart please.
@@xhelan131 why do you assume that just because you've never experienced something it means other people are lying? Everyone has different lived experiences yknow. If you search up "queer coded villains" right now you'll get tons of resources. Wikipedia literally has a whole article on queer-coding and you can find lots of not "made up" examples there lmao.
@@xhelan131 watch old cartoons a classic one is the one person with the crab claws from the old power puff girls is very obviously trans coded or the the villain from the little mermaid trans coded villains were really common
This is a beautiful movie and I'm so glad u guys watched it. As for Nimona's original form, she doesn't have 1. She's Nimona no matter what form she takes. A lot of people see a metaphor for genderfluidity in her, though there's definitely many other people who can relate to her. And also, a cool detail in this movie is that we learn Nimona's true backstory throughout the movie. The 1st version (told by her voice) is a complete lie. The 2nd version (the 1 in the subway) mentions birds, fish, deer and well, but doesn't continue the story and misses a few key details. And the final version (the truth) is heard by no 1, but is instead Nimona's flashback, showing that the actual truth is deeply personal to those who were actually a part of this story.
I think the "not having one original form" phenomenon is one thing that helps this movie get ME extra-emotional for some reason, perhaps because, as a curious scientist, I am always thinking about the origin and interconnected-ness of all life forms, and as someone who loves and appreciates all life forms and finds the diversity just so immeasurably beautiful... seeing the torment and loss of such a mysterious, beautiful, and innocent shapeshifter definitely "got me" harder, longer, and more frequently than ANY other movie ever has.
@@sathvamp1 well if u think abt it, Nimona is just like life. Any species kinda doesn't have an original form, especially iff u consider that in evolution there r no precise moments when 1 species becomes another. The changes r so small that they r barely noticeable, yet rewind time a couple million years ago and u won't recognise the creatures that r basically our ancestors. And go far enough and u'll find out that even life itself doesn't have an original form. That's another thing I love abt Nimona, and that's smth that transphobes (and other people who try to put us in boxes) don't understand. Nimona is a beautiful celebration of trans rights and nature itself.
As an easy contender for Best Animated Movie of the year, arguably rivaling Across the Spider-Verse, and while not traditional published or released by them, this movie was a sensational and worthy send off for Blue Sky Studios to go off on a high note. 2:30 Me: 😏…..I’m gonna tell him. Everyone else: Don’t you dare…. Also The Queen’s voice is the same person who does Shadowweaver in She-Ra and ND Stevenson was Kwispy Dragon in the commercial.
It really felt like it, especially with her answer to "what are you" always being "I'm Nimona" (along with "I'm not a people" and "I'm not a girl"). Whether because she can't or just doesn't want to label herself, she makes it known how and as who she wants to be perceived, and I love it
@@theirishviking9278 From what I heard her being an allegory for trans people was the main thing, how society demonizes them and even forces some of them to internalize that hatred just for being who they are. Personally I do think that kind of allegory does work for gender-fluid people and really all sorts of marginalized groups society tends to demonize like that
@@47ratsinahoodie not really I'm genderfluid I've never once considered myself trans If I had to group it with something else if pick non-binary before I picked trans
As I'm sure you've heard, this movie started out as a webcomic on Tumblr, by an art student in college in 2012, ND Stevenson. Who you might recognize as the person who made Netflix's She Ra! The webcomic ran until 2014, then was released as a graphic novel the next year. Later that same year, it was announced that Fox had the rights to make it into a movie. In 2015. Then of course, Disney bought Fox, and in 2021, shut down Blue Sky studios, where the movie was being made. The next year, we hear that, after never giving up, they had found people who would help them finish the movie.
So many great details about this movie that weren't subtle at all. Like how Nimona, for all her chaotic murderous gremlin energy, never inflicts serious damage unprompted. And even when she is provoked, the worst damage to the city is caused by its so-called defenders trying to destroy the "monster" at all costs. The Director is the most obvious example with the gigantic laser turret, but even in the scenes leading up to that you can see the attacks on Nimona causing tons of collateral damage while she's mostly just enduring their attacks while trying to walk down the street.
Who also co-produced and was a voice in the movie. From the artists and studio work of Blue Sky Studios, the writer(s) of Big Hero 6 and Monsters University and Based on the award winning webcomic-graphic novel by ND Stevenson, the show-runner of She-Ra and the princesses of Power!
It's worth noting that ND did Nimona long before getting the She-Ra gig. In fact, Nimona was probably part of what launched his career (although he overall had a really solid body of work in addition to the Nimona graphic novel). So this is like... seeing someone who went on to big things, but here we get to see his first major work finally brought to the screen.
Me to, AND... you KNOW a movie is emotionally impactful when it "gets" an "entire TRIO" of reactors like these guys! I've actually NEVER seen a movie do that, but given what this movie did to ME, I shouldn't be surprised! I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me EIGHT TIMES (in the past week since my first watch). Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
I'm so glad I wasn't the only one who was suspicious to the Director from the beginning and the middle of the movie! Because in many scenes, she was always showing her presence than the rest of the other knight characters. I remember I was slowly realizing and I was like, "wait a damn minute-".
I also like that, since that reveal can indeed be obvious to some people, they don't build up to it the whole movie. They drop some hints, reveal it midway through, and the story goes on BEYOND that because it realizes that "finding out and revealing who did it" is actually never the END of the fight.
This movie is absolutely FANTASTIC! I'm so glad it got made! Disney scrapped it at like 75% completion when they shut down Blue Sky studios (Ice Age, the Peanuts movie, etc.) When people heard, Annapurna productions and Netflix picked up the film and saved it.
From what I understand, the 75% figure is a bit overstated. Blue Sky had done 75% of the initial stages of the animation (so they had not even started with adding details, etc), and thats very different from ‘the movie is 75% complete’. It doesnt make Disney’s actions any better though.
Something i love about your reactions is that i rarely have to rewind to see each in turn because you always make faces right after eachother at a shocking scene lmao 5:55
44:55 I love the background shot of the big tv screen saying "MONSTER ATTACK" and just showing a shot of a teenaged girl getting a hug. Such monster. very attack. wow.
Monopoly was originally called "The Landlord's Game" and was developed by Elizabeth Magie to satirically illustrate the banal evils of capitalism and its negative impact on a society: The game doesn't end until as many as possible live in poverty while as few as possible have amassed all the wealth... Ballister saying that he's still going to take the 600 shows that he still just wants to retake his place in the city as a knight. This is followed by Nimona rather burning the game down than losing it, reflecting her position that a society that relies on systems designed to create victims need to be unmade. Ballister taking it in stride when Nimona burns the game shows, in turn, how his perspectives have started to change, and how he's starting to see that she has a point.
I have to leave a comment to raise engagement with this video. You guys saw it for what it was, reacted well, weren't over-reacting, and put pieces of the plot together. Not to mention that the film itself is amazing. Keep making content, and I hope Nimona gets the attention it deserves.
I kinda notice a few funny parallels with this movie and "Venom", in which Riz Ahmed (Boldheart) played the villain, but here he's essentially the Eddie Brock to Nimona's Venom energy. The constant back and fourth between them is so much like Eddie and Venom; he's even wearing black armor.
I'd like to remind anyone who sees this that the Queen died without ever knowing that the man she supported was framed. She died believing she was betrayed.
I’m not so sure about that, because she could see the confused look in his eyes as the sword transformed. Most likely she too stunned to come to any conclusions before she died.
Me too, and, you KNOW a movie is emotionally impactful when it "gets" an "entire TRIO" of reactors like these guys! I've actually NEVER seen a movie do that, but given what this movie did to ME, I shouldn't be surprised! I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me EIGHT TIMES (in the past WEEK since my own first watch). Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
25:23 In a behind the scenes video, Chloe Grace Moretz did such a great job recording her lines for this scene ON THE FIRST TAKE that they used it. They LOVED her! (And now, so does everyone who watches her performance as Nimona 🥰)
Such amazing parallels between Nimona knowing what Bal is going through from her past and yet still standing by him when he trys convince people he's not a villain even though she knows they'll never listen.
@@syabilaazri7834 Gloreth felt a bit like a subversion of a She-Ra like character. Portrayed as a golden-haired heroine with a sword + had a childhood friend who was considered undesirable by everyone else...AND then by Gloreth as well, and her legacy had a negative influence on the world.
Nimona wanting to just be done with everything and the monsterous scream sent me crying because I felt that level of pain so deeply. Like you just want to NOT exist just to allow people to be happier.
That scream is one of many things that seriously got me in this movie... it never ceases to amaze me thinking about how these producers really did their tear-jerking homework... It's actually notoriously difficult to find ANY movie that makes me cry, and until THIS one, no movie has done it more than once. But THIS one made me cry on 8 separate occasions, most of the subsequent times even harder than the first.
Just wanna say thank you for saying “impulsive thoughts” rather than “intrusive.” I know it seems like such a minor, unimportant distinction, but as someone with OCD who’s struggled with horrific intrusive thoughts since early childhood and never had the language to explain what was constantly happening in my head, I appreciate the distinction a lot.
This movie made me cry SO much more than i thought it would. During **and** after i had watched it. First off: a mlm couple in an animated film (that's not r-rated or hidden behind subtext) is so rare. Plus, there was no big deal made out of the relationship. It just was what it was, a couple. And SECOND: Nimona. Its not lost on me that Nimina is a metaphor for trans people. Im trans myself. Finding representation that doesn't seem forced or feel cheap is incredibly hard. Nimons says it themselves: they wouldn't be living if they didn't shift. For many trans people, in the best case scenario, this is the truth when they choose to ignore who they are. Other times it literally IS life or death. Having good dialogue really helps nimona as a character here, because their personality can still shine through while accurately representing and discussing certain people society refuses to understand, throwing slurs and violently attacking. I could keep going, but i feel like i should stop before this gets too long.
I read the original graphic novel for the first time my freshman year of high school, i remember being on the emotional rollercoaster that was this movie’s development- seeing people who had no context at all for the story react to the movie was wild. I knew most of the big twists from reading the novel when i first watched it, so this was a treat
This has a solid chance of winning the animated feature Oscar. I realize the Academy's been going out of their way to ignore whole damn medium, but seriously, this won't be ignored.
This movie seriously got me too, and lthough it's notoriously difficult to find ANY movie that makes me cry (and until THIS one, no movie has done it more than once). But THIS one made me cry on 7 separate occasions, most of the subsequent times even harder than the first. As a curious scientist who loves and appreciates all life forms and finds the diversity just so immeasurably beautiful... seeing the torment and loss of such a mysterious, beautiful, and innocent shapeshifter definitely "got me" harder, longer, and more frequently than ANY other movie ever has.
Fun Fact: This was made by the same person who created She-Ra! They're incredible and the process of this movie being made was INCREDIBLY strenuous and hard! Would reccomend a video like Negative Legend's detailing it's history, symbolism, and meanings for Queerness/Transness/Genderfluidity that can explain it wayyyy better than I can!
Finally, someone else calling out the ADHD energy of this movie! As a nonbinary person with ADHD, Nimona's character just feels so... familiar. Like a character that I grew up watching, even though this movie is my introduction to her. (I haven't read the graphic novel but I'm going to as soon as possible!) Even the way she describes shapeshifting is so relatable to me. There's the intended meaning of being uncomfortable in your own body, but for me it's also a great description of ADHD. This slowly building, uncomfortable nervous energy. Anyway, this is definitely a solid contender for my favorite movie!
11:55 Holy shit this reaction of Nimona makes so much sense. Like why would she say 'Nemesis' here? Maybe cuz she thinks that anyone you had a close bond with, and you break up or are divided like that, will just betray you and become your Nemesis. Like what the world has done to her and Gloreth
23:32 Wait... If fruits don't belong on pizza why are we using tomato sauce and ketchup-? YES, you read correctly. By definition tomato is classified as a fruit. AND what's more tomato is classified as a berry.
AMAZING reaction guys, thanks SO SO much for doing this one!!! And, yup... you KNOW a movie is emotionally impactful when it "gets" an "entire TRIO" of reactors like yourselves! I've actually NEVER seen a movie do that, but given what this movie did to ME, I shouldn't be surprised: I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me SEVEN TIMES in a ROW. Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
THEY WERE BEING LIVESTREAMED BTW, so the people are aware that the director chose to sacrifice the people in order to kill nimona, so yeah, they're all pretty much on Bal's side at that point even before nimona rushed in to take the hit just in case y'all didn't notice
Nimona's story is such a great deconstruction of how societies use scapegoats to alienate and degrade people they deem as "monsters". Also, how these societies can brainwash masses of regular people to physically threaten the people they deem as "monsters". Nimona throughout the story is always questioning how people demonize others because it always leads to suffering and death. I mean Nimona literally had to almost unalive herself, then throw herself at a big-fucking-gun for everyone in the kingdom to see her humanity and value. She shouldn't have to sacrifice herself for us to see her humanity or value, but unfortunately she had to because sometimes that's what it takes for ignorant people to change their minds. As a sidenote, Nimona's shape-shifting can be seen as an allegory for transgender and gender-fluid/gender non-conforming people.
the problem is that some people ARE monsters that do absolutely monstrous things but get "protected" by people who are too afraid of being criticized for questioning someone's actions. Also, there is no such thing as gender fluidity or gender non conforming people. please do not spread misinformation. thank you.
The voice actress for the Queen is the same one as ShadowWeaver in the Netflix She-Ra reboot, which was produced by Nate Stevenson (under his deadname) as was the Nimona graphic novel and this movie. And Nate himself has a cameo voice role in the movie as Kwispy the cereal dragon.
The Movie is based on a Comic created by Nate Stevenson, who was also the person who created She-ra and The Princesses of Power... The show that you are currently watching.
YEESS NIMONA!!! I absolutely loved this movie so seeing that you reacted to it fills me with joy!! I'm only a minute into the reaction but I know this is gonna be great!
I’m just so happy that Nimona is finally getting seen for what it is! Because the graphic novel was absolutely amazing!! And now it has its own movie!!!!
This movie REALLY laid the message on thick about the trans umbrella/non-binary/genderfluid/genderqueer/questioning and lots of things you could think of that people fear. People turn against each other and do irrational things, but if they realize that LGBTQIA+ people are just human beings like everyone else and we deserve love too, they wouldn't be so afraid to accept us.
Me too! This movie was a HUGE surprise for me regarding the tears it pulled from me.. And, you KNOW a movie is emotionally impactful when it "gets" an "entire TRIO" of reactors like these guys! I've actually NEVER seen a movie do that, but given what this movie did to ME, I shouldn't be surprised! I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me EIGHT TIMES (in the past WEEK since my own first watch). Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
IDK if this is the actual reason, but it makes sense to me: The part of Nimona's arm that rested on the saw blade was where her gauntlet looking thing is, and some of those blades have a safety to prevent them from cutting flesh when they detect the electric currents that human bodies produce. So I genuinely think it just has that feature and Nimona didn't do anything fantastical to not be hurt.
It's so fun seeing your guys' reaction! Also, small thing, but I super appreciate that you pause when you discuss something for longer! It always stresses me out that you'll miss something important haha
Fun fact: the head producer of the movie, who also created the original story this is based on, was also the head showrunner on the new She-Ra series from a few years ago.
43:35 The most Nimona did as the monster intentionally was defend against the knights attacking her, and destroyed the one billboard playing the monster slayer game ad. There was a fair amount of DAMAGE, but she wasn't doing it intentionally, a lot of it was just from her falling when she was blasted by the drones or what-not.
Let this be a movie be a lesson to you all. Don't be prejudiced against lonely little changelings or your offspring will spend a thousand years growing a family tree with no branches. Embrace the changeling.
Love seeing your guys' genuine reaction to Nimona! So beautiful to get to experience people seeing the story for the first time through, as someone that read the webcomic and knew what was going to happen this was just awesome to experience with you all!
I did NOT expect this to be such a good movie. It has literally everything!!! A great story, likable characters, a message that (while predictable) doesn’t feel forced, surprisingly good comedy, an expressive art style, a gay relationship that’s not fuckn cringe and is believable. 10 out of fuckn 10 will be watching it again
I LOVE the Banana Splits theme references in this film to Chloe Moretz's time as Hit-Girl in the 'Kick-Ass' films based on the graphic novel series of the same name.
That was when I STARTED to get emotional too, but what got me EVEN more was her impending sacrifice, her rescue, certain lines (you probably know there ones)... overall this movie REALLY surprised me: I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me EIGHT TIMES (in the past WEEK since my own first watch). Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
Nimona is such a good movie I just want everyone to see it. Also, shoutout to the tumblr post that started the very concept of a nonvillainous villain with a devil of a sidekick.
Y'know, despite all the jokes and drawings Nimona did about killing and hurting people, she never actually hurt anyone (at least not badly.) She pretty much just pulled pranks on people, tied them up, slapped them around a bit, and hit some soldiers with giant cereal spheres. The only person she killed was the Director, and that was mostly from the cannon blas the Director herself fired at Nimona and the blast partially redirected. It killed both the Director and Nimona, but Nimona was a phoenix so she could just resurrect from her ashes later.
According to ND Stevenson, the medieval/sci fi aesthetic is representative of how while this society has advanced technologically, they're still stuck in the same, medieval mindset and prejudices. So it's a cool design choice and it serves the movie's themes.
God that’s good
I freaking love that
He called it "monk punk" lol
I was thinking that was the point but even if it hasn't been the mix of medieval and advanced technology was done so well ❤
Ya I was thinking even thought thry advanced tech their still stuck with the same mindset and beliefs
I love the "Oh, Goldenloin is probably the villain. Oh he's the love interest? Well now he's *definitely* the villain." To be fair, _ND Stevenson's last show was She-Ra._ Both was absolutely an option.
He's stated Enemies to Lovers is one of his favorite tropes.
Wait the person who made nimona made she-ra before omg I remember watching she-ra on Netflix and loving it.
@@lexi1031 well, the person who ended up completing this movie was the person who made She-Ra.
@@alexpineda5960 oh okay
@@alexpineda5960 ND Stephenson wrote the original graphic novel Nimona. He is also the creator, showrunner, and executive producer for She-Ra. He's not just the one who completed the movie, he's the reason it exists.
"I don't know what's scarier. The fact that everyone in this kingdom wants to run a sword through my heart, or that sometimes I just wanna let 'em." Not gonna lie, that line broke me. I did not expect them to go that deep.
This movie is an absolute masterpiece. I'm so glad Annapurna saved it and gave what was going to be Blue Sky's magnum opus a second chance. Another victory for the And a perfect way to end Pride Month.
You can say that again.
Yeah, with that line, Nimona became the only movie to ever make me sob. I live in a very racist/colorist, misogynistic, and homophobic country, and I’m dark skinned, a girl, and gay. I’ve tried to take my life about 12 times now, and have been hate crimed, bullied, etc. It genuinely feels at times as if everyone wants me dead, and it’s terrifying that sometimes I just want to give up and let them win. I think I had to pause the movie for about an hour just to cry, because it’s a very real problem, and I have friends who have taken their lives because of the way we’re treated
Annapurna is an incredible company. They help projects that really MEAN something become a reality. They published Outer Wilds, which I am also so grateful to have experienced, and many more amazing works of art.
oh i just realised upon a rewatch that when ballister is given his sword in the beginning he gives it this studying look like he's thinking "this doesn't feel balanced the way I'm used to"
THE SIGNS WERE THERE
And there was the guy trying to show him the footage on his phone
the director saying "the whole kingdom will see you for who you really are" directly to Ballister before walking out
you know If he was given the sword differently then Unironically it would have looked like the queen was trying to kill him and It would have messed up the whole director's plan
I love how Ambrosius and Ballister are hiding in the shadows at the beginning, but at the end, they’re kissing in broad daylight.
"Then we rise like a fiery phoenix from the ashes to overthrow the government!"
Holy cow I didn't see the foreshadowing until I rewatched it. Now the ending makes sense.
sameeee
Omg now I understand 😮😮😮
Omg ur right☠️
OH crabs!!
Likely because the Director corrupted the entire government system all because she had a horrible childhood dream that knighting people like Ballistar would incite the kingdom's downfall, letting the so-called monsters pour in and destroy everything.
Other than the billboard, pretty much all the damage after Nimona entered the city was from the attacks against Nimona, either her falling as a result of being hit or her attackers missing. Even before the director turned the cannon inwards, they were already destroying themselves in their attempts to kill her.
and you can argue the bilboard is represented as an emotional/verbal attack against her.
Just like when she was little and the village was sent on fire from their own weapons and they blamed her
That in particular is pretty different to the book, but then the book's a fair bit darker than the movie, and the themes are a bit different in a few ways. (she ends up killing a LOT of people during her rampage in the book. And mentions she's killed more in the past)
I wonder why Ambrosius cannot even see any of that happening until the last minute? Is he really proud of himself scapegoating and prejudicing Nimona when his actions became his undoing??
“Oh so they’re like buddies?”
Oh my god they were buddies…
roommates, even
Less than five feet apart in a hot tub kind of buddies
@@redhoneysugarorange6290two bros, chillin' in the rafters.
God these damn historians
I'm laughing way too hard at this 🤣
Fun Fact: This movie was based on a book by ND Stevenson, the creator of She-Ra. Also, the queen was voiced by Shadow Weaver.
And ND himself voices Kwispy Dragon in the commercial.
41:39 Madame Razz cameo?
I KNEW I RECOGNIZED THAT VOICE!!!
@@S00NERD0GTHANK YOU THANK YOU I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE I KNEW THE CHARACTER'S GLASSES DESIGN FROM AND MY BRAIN WASNT PLACING IT
Who’s Shadow Weaver?
In the comic Nimona is never seen again. But Ballister thinks to himself that every time a Cat seems too intelligent or a stranger stares at him for too long that it could be Nimona watching him from a distance and it makes him happy.
IM SOBBING
Wtf noooooo
Thanks for breaking my heart 😢 now I'm sobbing 😭
we need new end.
Honestly I really like that
Outside of it just being an excellent movie on its own, I love the fact that Nimona now exists as pure karma on Disney‘s behalf. All they would’ve had to do was say gay rights outside of June and all of this critical praise and probably several sequels could’ve been theirs, but instead they canceled the movie 75% through completion and then shut down blue sky studios so that there was no chance of it ever seeing the light of day, all just so that they could keep from losing a little money in China and Russia. I bet the last thing they expected was Netflix coming in to save it at the last second.
Disney missing this was the mess up of the year, and it's so funny 😂
@@JVmono and this isnt even the first time they dropped the ball like this, they never learn
@@MarrowsRedemptionArc It's sad too, cause disney used to be my goto. This is because I'd usually have high expectations form them since there was a time that actual thought was put behind what they'd produce.
@@JVmono we all know how much Disney loves to market their first gay character in every single movie they put out. This would’ve been great for them. Too bad dumb prejudices and corporate greed got in the way.
They did let the guy go who made this decision at Disney, but too late. Disney so missed an opportunity on a great movie!
There’s so many things I want to point out about this movie Glorith and Nimonas story shows that being scared of or not trusting something is taught to you as a child, Glorith trusted and loved Nimona for who she was but her parents told her she was dangerous and a monster, which made her see Nimona as a monster as well
And the perception of the other as bieng a monster made both of them hate each other, making both of them monsters
There were also parts of the movie that sounded kinda like fascism. Reminds me of this video ; ruclips.net/video/E1SEquRAWRU/видео.html&pp=ygUZZmFzY2lzdCBzY2hvb2wgZXhwZXJpbWVudA%3D%3D
1:04 The real "monsters are always out there" monologue Nimona was referring to is the very thing you just refereed to... the indoctrination of close-minded bigotry, instilling generational hate.
@@MateoLeibowitz- Both of whom? Nimona still cared for Gloreth _a lot_ despite the betrayal, and never once actually makes it to _blaming_ the state of the city-kingdom on her specifically.
And there’s a vague theory that Gloreth made the wall to protect those outside the walls _from_ fearful people (minding that they outright do not venture away, though that’s much closer to an alternate character interpretation, and never got stated to anyone who could pass the thought down).
@@MateoLeibowitz- both?????????????
I'm so glad disney didn't get their grubby hands on this masterpiece. They would have babied the themes, Ballister would only be implied to be gay, and Nimona wouldn't be this chaotic. We would have gotten a sad watered down version of this story in their attempt to appeal to extremely restrictive parents who complain about a little blood in a movie.
Facts.
Big facts. I'm sick and tired of all those implied queer characters. Not to mention the wouldn't have even remotely tackled Nimona's mental heath issues and just how messed up the government is.
The thing i hate most is that they call disney "woke" and this is exactly what disney would do to an amazing actually woke movie
They would've also straight up cut the anti establishment themes or rewrite it so that it's only the result of a few bad apples.
Please, this film is so queer coded, they would have sabotaged it harder than Treasure Planet. It wouldn't have even made the screen.
This movie is a not so subtle trans/non-binary allegory (written when the author was struggling with his own journey), it is a HUGE deal that it was saved and is doing well. So glad people are enjoying it.
I’m just so relieved to finally be seeing characters just like me in media. Nimona is incredible representation, I got attached the second she turned into a shark.
It makes me feel less like a freak and more like somebody who deserves to see myself in stuff and be treated like everybody else. Nimona gets it
That's amazing.
I'm sort of glad Disney didn't take over Nimona because they ABSOLUTELY would have botched the nb/trans messages and probably the gay ones too
The comic series saved a lot of people, no cap. I'm glad the movie survived the no gay phsse Disney had two years ago. Probably part of the reason their CEO got fired. This move hurt their pro gay rep BAD
I mean it was actually pretty amusing to watch and didn’t feel woke or too much which is usually the problem when the answer is to always have it be natural not forced, 8.8/10
That ending in a PG movie blows my mind entirely. I’m literally gobsmacked.
Nimona was going to walk into that blade in front of the entire kingdom, to prove a point and because she was exhausted. IN A PG MOVIE?!??
And then she paused, hugged the only person who understood her, and flew into that gun. WHAT THE HELL?!
It’s a beautiful movie, one of my favourites ever probably, even after my very first watch of it, but it hit far too close to home for me and I’m still crying typing this out! For a PG movie to have this incredible of a story, to let everyone who watches it question things like the government and how we view others? Holy shit!
I think I’m just so happy my body doesn’t know what else to do other than cry. Thank god a this movie finally exists
Youre also describing The Iron Giant pretty well. But I like Nimona even better, especially since im queer
We used to get a lot more movies like this with darker themes, mostly in the late 80s/early 90s. I loved Across the Spider-Verse but I almost feel like Nimona should get the Oscar for breaking through such a glass ceiling for queer rep in animation and how emotionally deep and powerful it is. Maybe Beyond the Spider-Verse gets the Oscar to round out the trilogy instead?
@@chazharris yeah I totally agree Nimona should come out on top even as a huge Spider-Man nerd! It really is a groundbreaking film
This could have been Blue Sky’s Spiderverse moment!
But NO….Disney cancelled it for being “TOO GAYYY”
Im gonna do a crazy thing. Im gonna ask my dad to let us watch it.
My brother is 10 and my dad dosent want me to talk about gay couples (my best friend is in one) bcs "hes too young". Bro.
Anyway im gonna watch it with them so they see the main gays >:)
So they will accept the fact that gay doesnt necessarily imply sex and sucking dicks
For the story but also for the gays :)
I was about to ask my dad to watch it, then i remembered oh, i cant, there are homosexuals and my brother cant see them for some reason
Then i was like >:)
Im not gonna bring out the fact that theres a gay couple
Im gonna treat it like the normal thing my parents refuse to see it as
Idk if that made sense
Btw, pls tell me if im about to get my as beaten or its a good idea
"Fun" Fact: This movie was originally going to be made by Blue Sky Studios (Studio that made the Ice Age Movies and) a few years ago, but it got axed after they shut down in 2021, which was actually a good thing since it was later revealed by former staff of Blue Sky that the film had a ton of pushback by Disney Execs at the time for what you saw in the movie
I learned it’s the same movie. What we are seeing today WAS partly produced by Bluesky before they dived. Disney didn’t want the movie. Netflix got their fingers on it and just finished it instead of starting over. This is now technically Blueskys last movie. Thank you annapurna
Yeah, Disney bought Blue Sky Studios and then just cancelled everything they were working on. Including this. (Blue Sky is given credit at the very end of the movie credits.)
There's even a neat little Easter egg at some point in the movie where a billboard was graffiti'ed to say "blue sky never dies"
Yeah, and some of Blue Sky’s animation stayed in the film! But now it has some new touches thanks to DNEG
@@TheDerpyBoiat least they ended with a bang
This movie had my drowning in my tears and dying of laughter at the same time
"Hey, Boss."
"Holy shi-"
That is 100% cliffhanger sequel vibes!
No kidding to the "drowning in my tears" part... that was definitely me (especially upon RE-watches) which was SUCH a surprise to me..
I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me EIGHT TIMES (in the past WEEK since my own first watch). Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
Something I didn’t hear them talk about is how 99% of the damage to the city was caused by the people trying to protect it. It was the same with the fire in the village. Nothing is more destructive to us than fear.
One trope I enjoy from movies like Nimona, is when the ones trying to prevent a prophecy, creates the worst of the damage in the most self imposed way possible.
Karma at its finest
As a person with a similar condition to tourettes, Nimona's explanation of how her shape shifting feels really spoke to me
The more I try not to involuntarily tic, the more it builds up like that ticklish anticipation before a sneeze or shiver
I do have tourette's and it was perfect, i was so excited at how she described it
I don't know if it's tourettes that I used to have, or if you could really every get rid of it, but I had this thing where when I was younger, I had to make this short hum noise or it'd feel uncomfortable. What Nimona described felt just like it
Kudos to the guys for allowing themselves to be vulnerable on screen and in the studio during the emotional parts of the movie. The movie as a whole is one of my favorites, I got broken up during those moments too. Really enjoyed this reaction video fellas!
It made me really happy knowing I wasn’t the only one crying at that ending. It got me right in my feels
YES, I totally agree...!!! And, you KNOW a movie is emotionally impactful when it "gets" an "entire TRIO" of reactors like these guys! I've actually NEVER seen a movie do that, but given what this movie did to ME, I shouldn't be surprised:
I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me SEVEN TIMES in a ROW. Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
@@moistwrmonastring1017 You're DEFINITELY not the only one with THIS movie! Given how I typically react to tearjerkers (or, "not" react very much, usually)... I KNEW I would be finding LOTS of reactors who were emotionally affected when this movie pulled some serious tears from me! I actually never saw any movie affect an entire trio before- that is definitely impressive.
Honestly love how the Squire's actions make so much sense in the beginning after a rewatch. The way it initially seemed like he was handing the sword to Bal unsurely because of his status, but it was really because he knew the sword itself was an issue
I love that the fiery phoenix line comes into play when she blocks the cannon shot, coming back to life as the lore of the phoenix entails, such a smart play.
"A modern policing force that still uses horses?"
Canada: What's your point?
Nimona's "rampage" was stepping on a kiosk, punching a billboard, and getting shot 20 times.
Yeah, even in the midst of absolute despair she would never intentionally hurt innocent people. She’s fundamentally a sweet being who has been hardened by 1000 years of ostracism and betrayal.
Headcanon: Nimona is clearly able to mass-shift as well as shape-shift (otherwise her otter form and her dragon form would weigh the same, which could get awkward), so at 13:13 when she's like "Huh. This floor is surprisingly stable", she's keeping her shape but making herself progressively heavier until the floor gives way like she wanted.
The more impressive aspect is the inheritance of abilities from forms they take, as when they took the form of the cereal dragon they got cereal breath, despite the fact that a cereal dragon is almost certainly a fully made up creature. This implies an ability far greater than standard mass and shape changing, and is used at the end of the film as nimona becomes a Phoenix and even after thier "ashes went out" nimona came back to life.
Given all the religious imagery, I wonder if Nimona is some sort of nature goddess in the movie universe. Even her monster form looks kinda like a salamander@@darkfossill2769
@@SethRGray ive heard a theory that Nimona is more or less change personified and I like that idea
The way Nimona sacrifices herself then comes back in the end reminds me so much of The Iron Giant. Actually the whole movie has a lot of parallels to it now that I think of it
Ikr
Now that you point it out it does holy shit
I saw people talking about this movie online, watched it, and sobbed through it. As a queer person, the entire movie's story is so relatable on a deep level. The fact that in literature, monsters and villains have traditionally been queer (and analyzed as such) makes this movie's twists on monsters and heroes so good. I'm so glad we've been finally given more animated films that deal with these topics and direct representation.
..............? monsters and villains have certainly NOT been "traditionally" queer. i dont know what youre reading or what buzz feed article you listened to, but there is no evidence to suggest what you said in any way shape or form is true. Stop making stuff up to sound smart please.
@@xhelan131 why do you assume that just because you've never experienced something it means other people are lying? Everyone has different lived experiences yknow. If you search up "queer coded villains" right now you'll get tons of resources. Wikipedia literally has a whole article on queer-coding and you can find lots of not "made up" examples there lmao.
@@xhelan131 lmao have you ever seen a disney movie before? all those men are so queer-coded and Ursula was literally based on a drag queen
@@xhelan131 watch old cartoons a classic one is the one person with the crab claws from the old power puff girls is very obviously trans coded or the the villain from the little mermaid trans coded villains were really common
@@xhelan131 I think they meant it the other way round: That traditionally most queers in literature have been a bad guy.
This is a beautiful movie and I'm so glad u guys watched it. As for Nimona's original form, she doesn't have 1. She's Nimona no matter what form she takes. A lot of people see a metaphor for genderfluidity in her, though there's definitely many other people who can relate to her. And also, a cool detail in this movie is that we learn Nimona's true backstory throughout the movie. The 1st version (told by her voice) is a complete lie. The 2nd version (the 1 in the subway) mentions birds, fish, deer and well, but doesn't continue the story and misses a few key details. And the final version (the truth) is heard by no 1, but is instead Nimona's flashback, showing that the actual truth is deeply personal to those who were actually a part of this story.
I think the "not having one original form" phenomenon is one thing that helps this movie get ME extra-emotional for some reason, perhaps because, as a curious scientist, I am always thinking about the origin and interconnected-ness of all life forms, and as someone who loves and appreciates all life forms and finds the diversity just so immeasurably beautiful... seeing the torment and loss of such a mysterious, beautiful, and innocent shapeshifter definitely "got me" harder, longer, and more frequently than ANY other movie ever has.
@@sathvamp1 well if u think abt it, Nimona is just like life. Any species kinda doesn't have an original form, especially iff u consider that in evolution there r no precise moments when 1 species becomes another. The changes r so small that they r barely noticeable, yet rewind time a couple million years ago and u won't recognise the creatures that r basically our ancestors. And go far enough and u'll find out that even life itself doesn't have an original form. That's another thing I love abt Nimona, and that's smth that transphobes (and other people who try to put us in boxes) don't understand. Nimona is a beautiful celebration of trans rights and nature itself.
As an easy contender for Best Animated Movie of the year, arguably rivaling Across the Spider-Verse, and while not traditional published or released by them, this movie was a sensational and worthy send off for Blue Sky Studios to go off on a high note.
2:30 Me: 😏…..I’m gonna tell him.
Everyone else: Don’t you dare….
Also The Queen’s voice is the same person who does Shadowweaver in She-Ra and ND Stevenson was Kwispy Dragon in the commercial.
Absolutely agreed!!!
The whole thing with Nimona was actually an allegory for trans people and the kind of struggles they deal with for being “different”
It really felt like it, especially with her answer to "what are you" always being "I'm Nimona" (along with "I'm not a people" and "I'm not a girl"). Whether because she can't or just doesn't want to label herself, she makes it known how and as who she wants to be perceived, and I love it
I think Genderfuild is a better fit
But eh if you get a better message for it being trans go for it
@@theirishviking9278 From what I heard her being an allegory for trans people was the main thing, how society demonizes them and even forces some of them to internalize that hatred just for being who they are. Personally I do think that kind of allegory does work for gender-fluid people and really all sorts of marginalized groups society tends to demonize like that
@@theirishviking9278 Genderfluid is kinda under the trans umbrella so the idea's still there
@@47ratsinahoodie not really
I'm genderfluid I've never once considered myself trans
If I had to group it with something else if pick non-binary before I picked trans
As I'm sure you've heard, this movie started out as a webcomic on Tumblr, by an art student in college in 2012, ND Stevenson. Who you might recognize as the person who made Netflix's She Ra!
The webcomic ran until 2014, then was released as a graphic novel the next year. Later that same year, it was announced that Fox had the rights to make it into a movie. In 2015.
Then of course, Disney bought Fox, and in 2021, shut down Blue Sky studios, where the movie was being made.
The next year, we hear that, after never giving up, they had found people who would help them finish the movie.
So many great details about this movie that weren't subtle at all. Like how Nimona, for all her chaotic murderous gremlin energy, never inflicts serious damage unprompted. And even when she is provoked, the worst damage to the city is caused by its so-called defenders trying to destroy the "monster" at all costs. The Director is the most obvious example with the gigantic laser turret, but even in the scenes leading up to that you can see the attacks on Nimona causing tons of collateral damage while she's mostly just enduring their attacks while trying to walk down the street.
0:13 It's based off a graphic novel that was made by the same person that made She-Ra. Of course it's gonna be good.
Who also co-produced and was a voice in the movie.
From the artists and studio work of Blue Sky Studios, the writer(s) of Big Hero 6 and Monsters University and Based on the award winning webcomic-graphic novel by ND Stevenson, the show-runner of She-Ra and the princesses of Power!
It's worth noting that ND did Nimona long before getting the She-Ra gig. In fact, Nimona was probably part of what launched his career (although he overall had a really solid body of work in addition to the Nimona graphic novel). So this is like... seeing someone who went on to big things, but here we get to see his first major work finally brought to the screen.
That’s what I’m here for, grown men crying ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Me to, AND... you KNOW a movie is emotionally impactful when it "gets" an "entire TRIO" of reactors like these guys! I've actually NEVER seen a movie do that, but given what this movie did to ME, I shouldn't be surprised!
I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me EIGHT TIMES (in the past week since my first watch). Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
I'm so glad I wasn't the only one who was suspicious to the Director from the beginning and the middle of the movie! Because in many scenes, she was always showing her presence than the rest of the other knight characters. I remember I was slowly realizing and I was like, "wait a damn minute-".
I also like that, since that reveal can indeed be obvious to some people, they don't build up to it the whole movie. They drop some hints, reveal it midway through, and the story goes on BEYOND that because it realizes that "finding out and revealing who did it" is actually never the END of the fight.
I feel like I caught on so late 😭 I kept teetering back and forth between thinking it was her and thinking it was someone we hadn't met
For me it was when she talks to goldenloin after the whale incident
30:00 The creator has both ADHD and bipolar, and the source comic was written at an earlier point in his life when he was struggling a lot, so yeah.
This movie is absolutely FANTASTIC! I'm so glad it got made! Disney scrapped it at like 75% completion when they shut down Blue Sky studios (Ice Age, the Peanuts movie, etc.) When people heard, Annapurna productions and Netflix picked up the film and saved it.
From what I understand, the 75% figure is a bit overstated. Blue Sky had done 75% of the initial stages of the animation (so they had not even started with adding details, etc), and thats very different from ‘the movie is 75% complete’. It doesnt make Disney’s actions any better though.
@@omegastar19😊l
@@omegastar19😅
Something i love about your reactions is that i rarely have to rewind to see each in turn because you always make faces right after eachother at a shocking scene lmao 5:55
44:55 I love the background shot of the big tv screen saying "MONSTER ATTACK" and just showing a shot of a teenaged girl getting a hug. Such monster. very attack. wow.
Gotta love that their version of Monopoly is literally called WORLD DOMINATION
Monopoly was originally called "The Landlord's Game" and was developed by Elizabeth Magie to satirically illustrate the banal evils of capitalism and its negative impact on a society: The game doesn't end until as many as possible live in poverty while as few as possible have amassed all the wealth... Ballister saying that he's still going to take the 600 shows that he still just wants to retake his place in the city as a knight. This is followed by Nimona rather burning the game down than losing it, reflecting her position that a society that relies on systems designed to create victims need to be unmade. Ballister taking it in stride when Nimona burns the game shows, in turn, how his perspectives have started to change, and how he's starting to see that she has a point.
YESSS I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH THANK YOU SO MUCH😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶
**Everyone starts clapping for Ballister**
“Oh I feel less stressed now :)”
Famous last words LMAO
I have to leave a comment to raise engagement with this video. You guys saw it for what it was, reacted well, weren't over-reacting, and put pieces of the plot together. Not to mention that the film itself is amazing. Keep making content, and I hope Nimona gets the attention it deserves.
I kinda notice a few funny parallels with this movie and "Venom", in which Riz Ahmed (Boldheart) played the villain, but here he's essentially the Eddie Brock to Nimona's Venom energy. The constant back and fourth between them is so much like Eddie and Venom; he's even wearing black armor.
This is so real
I'd like to remind anyone who sees this that the Queen died without ever knowing that the man she supported was framed. She died believing she was betrayed.
WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME ???? 😭
I’m not so sure about that, because she could see the confused look in his eyes as the sword transformed. Most likely she too stunned to come to any conclusions before she died.
i want a second one so bad
Same!
I don't see where the story can go from here, but if they make it work, i am here for it
@@YoelSchwarz easily, they could explore something outside the walls of the castle. practically limitless ways to go
@@caramelcopcat i mean with the themes of the story
This movie was astounding. So glad you were all as emotionally struck by it as I was.
Me too, and, you KNOW a movie is emotionally impactful when it "gets" an "entire TRIO" of reactors like these guys! I've actually NEVER seen a movie do that, but given what this movie did to ME, I shouldn't be surprised!
I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me EIGHT TIMES (in the past WEEK since my own first watch). Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
25:23 In a behind the scenes video, Chloe Grace Moretz did such a great job recording her lines for this scene ON THE FIRST TAKE that they used it. They LOVED her! (And now, so does everyone who watches her performance as Nimona 🥰)
Such amazing parallels between Nimona knowing what Bal is going through from her past and yet still standing by him when he trys convince people he's not a villain even though she knows they'll never listen.
I'm surprised nobody noticed that the queen was voiced by Shadow Weaver
I did. But only later after two-three days after it released but I was like, “I thought that she sounded familiar…”.
So....who She-ra of this story? Nimona or her new dad?
@@syabilaazri7834 🤷
@@syabilaazri7834 Gloreth felt a bit like a subversion of a She-Ra like character. Portrayed as a golden-haired heroine with a sword + had a childhood friend who was considered undesirable by everyone else...AND then by Gloreth as well, and her legacy had a negative influence on the world.
Goldenloin is Adora and Ballister is Catra, just with the role of protagonist reversed.
Nimona wanting to just be done with everything and the monsterous scream sent me crying because I felt that level of pain so deeply. Like you just want to NOT exist just to allow people to be happier.
That scream is one of many things that seriously got me in this movie... it never ceases to amaze me thinking about how these producers really did their tear-jerking homework...
It's actually notoriously difficult to find ANY movie that makes me cry, and until THIS one, no movie has done it more than once. But THIS one made me cry on 8 separate occasions, most of the subsequent times even harder than the first.
Just wanna say thank you for saying “impulsive thoughts” rather than “intrusive.” I know it seems like such a minor, unimportant distinction, but as someone with OCD who’s struggled with horrific intrusive thoughts since early childhood and never had the language to explain what was constantly happening in my head, I appreciate the distinction a lot.
I don’t usually care if movies get sequels but I NEED ONE!!!!
I would not mind a sequel.
Same I need more!
This movie made me cry SO much more than i thought it would. During **and** after i had watched it. First off: a mlm couple in an animated film (that's not r-rated or hidden behind subtext) is so rare. Plus, there was no big deal made out of the relationship. It just was what it was, a couple.
And SECOND:
Nimona. Its not lost on me that Nimina is a metaphor for trans people. Im trans myself. Finding representation that doesn't seem forced or feel cheap is incredibly hard. Nimons says it themselves: they wouldn't be living if they didn't shift. For many trans people, in the best case scenario, this is the truth when they choose to ignore who they are. Other times it literally IS life or death. Having good dialogue really helps nimona as a character here, because their personality can still shine through while accurately representing and discussing certain people society refuses to understand, throwing slurs and violently attacking.
I could keep going, but i feel like i should stop before this gets too long.
Me too! This movie was a HUGE surprise for me regarding the tears it pulled from me..
I read the original graphic novel for the first time my freshman year of high school, i remember being on the emotional rollercoaster that was this movie’s development- seeing people who had no context at all for the story react to the movie was wild. I knew most of the big twists from reading the novel when i first watched it, so this was a treat
Nimona gave me feral cat energy when she was just knocking stuff over 😂
This has a solid chance of winning the animated feature Oscar. I realize the Academy's been going out of their way to ignore whole damn medium, but seriously, this won't be ignored.
God, as someone who's struggled with depression before, and as a queer person... this movie made me cry so freaking much.
This movie seriously got me too, and lthough it's notoriously difficult to find ANY movie that makes me cry (and until THIS one, no movie has done it more than once). But THIS one made me cry on 7 separate occasions, most of the subsequent times even harder than the first.
As a curious scientist who loves and appreciates all life forms and finds the diversity just so immeasurably beautiful... seeing the torment and loss of such a mysterious, beautiful, and innocent shapeshifter definitely "got me" harder, longer, and more frequently than ANY other movie ever has.
Watched this movie with my wife and kids on 3rd July...it is such an excellent movie. The plot twists and the characters...love it all.
That scream she let out by the statue always gives me chills and brings me to tears
Fun Fact: This was made by the same person who created She-Ra! They're incredible and the process of this movie being made was INCREDIBLY strenuous and hard! Would reccomend a video like Negative Legend's detailing it's history, symbolism, and meanings for Queerness/Transness/Genderfluidity that can explain it wayyyy better than I can!
Finally, someone else calling out the ADHD energy of this movie! As a nonbinary person with ADHD, Nimona's character just feels so... familiar. Like a character that I grew up watching, even though this movie is my introduction to her. (I haven't read the graphic novel but I'm going to as soon as possible!)
Even the way she describes shapeshifting is so relatable to me. There's the intended meaning of being uncomfortable in your own body, but for me it's also a great description of ADHD. This slowly building, uncomfortable nervous energy.
Anyway, this is definitely a solid contender for my favorite movie!
Too true
Nimona: The movie that makes grown men cry.
25:15 when she is explaining she "wouldnt die but I sure wouldnt be living" regarding to being herself, look whats a little above between both of them
11:55 Holy shit this reaction of Nimona makes so much sense.
Like why would she say 'Nemesis' here? Maybe cuz she thinks that anyone you had a close bond with, and you break up or are divided like that, will just betray you and become your Nemesis.
Like what the world has done to her and Gloreth
23:32 Wait... If fruits don't belong on pizza why are we using tomato sauce and ketchup-?
YES, you read correctly. By definition tomato is classified as a fruit. AND what's more tomato is classified as a berry.
The animation style gives me huge Breath of the Wild vibes
Yes! So true, that’s why i love it so much! So soft and smooth looking, texture purely in the clothes. Oh it’s lovely
AMAZING reaction guys, thanks SO SO much for doing this one!!! And, yup... you KNOW a movie is emotionally impactful when it "gets" an "entire TRIO" of reactors like yourselves! I've actually NEVER seen a movie do that, but given what this movie did to ME, I shouldn't be surprised:
I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing.
Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me SEVEN TIMES in a ROW. Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
THEY WERE BEING LIVESTREAMED BTW, so the people are aware that the director chose to sacrifice the people in order to kill nimona, so yeah, they're all pretty much on Bal's side at that point even before nimona rushed in to take the hit just in case y'all didn't notice
Nimona's story is such a great deconstruction of how societies use scapegoats to alienate and degrade people they deem as "monsters". Also, how these societies can brainwash masses of regular people to physically threaten the people they deem as "monsters". Nimona throughout the story is always questioning how people demonize others because it always leads to suffering and death. I mean Nimona literally had to almost unalive herself, then throw herself at a big-fucking-gun for everyone in the kingdom to see her humanity and value. She shouldn't have to sacrifice herself for us to see her humanity or value, but unfortunately she had to because sometimes that's what it takes for ignorant people to change their minds.
As a sidenote, Nimona's shape-shifting can be seen as an allegory for transgender and gender-fluid/gender non-conforming people.
the problem is that some people ARE monsters that do absolutely monstrous things but get "protected" by people who are too afraid of being criticized for questioning someone's actions.
Also, there is no such thing as gender fluidity or gender non conforming people. please do not spread misinformation. thank you.
@@xhelan131 tomboys and femboys are gender non conforming...🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
I love that at the beginning they were like "oh he's gay?? Okay so he's not the villain"
The voice actress for the Queen is the same one as ShadowWeaver in the Netflix She-Ra reboot, which was produced by Nate Stevenson (under his deadname) as was the Nimona graphic novel and this movie. And Nate himself has a cameo voice role in the movie as Kwispy the cereal dragon.
The Movie is based on a Comic created by Nate Stevenson, who was also the person who created She-ra and The Princesses of Power... The show that you are currently watching.
YEESS NIMONA!!! I absolutely loved this movie so seeing that you reacted to it fills me with joy!!
I'm only a minute into the reaction but I know this is gonna be great!
I’m just so happy that Nimona is finally getting seen for what it is! Because the graphic novel was absolutely amazing!! And now it has its own movie!!!!
Im sorry but all the annoyed faces collecteviley as soon as Todd appeared on screen lmao 16:30
This movie REALLY laid the message on thick about the trans umbrella/non-binary/genderfluid/genderqueer/questioning and lots of things you could think of that people fear. People turn against each other and do irrational things, but if they realize that LGBTQIA+ people are just human beings like everyone else and we deserve love too, they wouldn't be so afraid to accept us.
This shit right here is enough to make any grown ass man cry and let me tell you it had me crying as if it was a Pixar movie!😂😂
Me too! This movie was a HUGE surprise for me regarding the tears it pulled from me..
And, you KNOW a movie is emotionally impactful when it "gets" an "entire TRIO" of reactors like these guys! I've actually NEVER seen a movie do that, but given what this movie did to ME, I shouldn't be surprised!
I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me EIGHT TIMES (in the past WEEK since my own first watch). Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
IDK if this is the actual reason, but it makes sense to me: The part of Nimona's arm that rested on the saw blade was where her gauntlet looking thing is, and some of those blades have a safety to prevent them from cutting flesh when they detect the electric currents that human bodies produce. So I genuinely think it just has that feature and Nimona didn't do anything fantastical to not be hurt.
"Rise like a fire Phoenix to overthrow the government"
OMG the foreshadowing I just realized 😅
It's so fun seeing your guys' reaction! Also, small thing, but I super appreciate that you pause when you discuss something for longer! It always stresses me out that you'll miss something important haha
Fun fact: the head producer of the movie, who also created the original story this is based on, was also the head showrunner on the new She-Ra series from a few years ago.
43:35 The most Nimona did as the monster intentionally was defend against the knights attacking her, and destroyed the one billboard playing the monster slayer game ad. There was a fair amount of DAMAGE, but she wasn't doing it intentionally, a lot of it was just from her falling when she was blasted by the drones or what-not.
Let this be a movie be a lesson to you all. Don't be prejudiced against lonely little changelings or your offspring will spend a thousand years growing a family tree with no branches.
Embrace the changeling.
Love seeing your guys' genuine reaction to Nimona! So beautiful to get to experience people seeing the story for the first time through, as someone that read the webcomic and knew what was going to happen this was just awesome to experience with you all!
I did NOT expect this to be such a good movie. It has literally everything!!! A great story, likable characters, a message that (while predictable) doesn’t feel forced, surprisingly good comedy, an expressive art style, a gay relationship that’s not fuckn cringe and is believable. 10 out of fuckn 10 will be watching it again
I LOVE the Banana Splits theme references in this film to Chloe Moretz's time as Hit-Girl in the 'Kick-Ass' films based on the graphic novel series of the same name.
I really hope this movie gets a sequel or some sort of series
Me too, my fingers and toes are crossed
I want a sequel so bad
Everyone just sh*tting on Todd is hilarious, even more that I agree with them XD
Nimonas backstory made me cry. That caught me off guard. It was just so saddddd
That was when I STARTED to get emotional too, but what got me EVEN more was her impending sacrifice, her rescue, certain lines (you probably know there ones)... overall this movie REALLY surprised me:
I've only recently become a tearjerker-seeker (ever since the movie "Inside Out" when I firsthand felt the feel-good brain endorphins that often come with tears), BUT I soon discovered it was notoriously difficult to find movies that could do that to me. I also discovered it was (for a WHILE) literally impossible for me to cry to a RE-watch of ANYthing. Then along comes Nimona to my personal watch-list... and if you count not only the actual movie, but also my watching of reactions, and even reading or writing comments to reactions, the most touching of these scenes / lines actually managed to pull serious tears from me EIGHT TIMES (in the past WEEK since my own first watch). Given my history (or lack thereof), I was absolutely flabbergasted!
thank you so much for not being homophobic you have no idea how hard it is to find a good group of youtubers to watch who are not homophobic
I didn’t notice Launchpad’s VA at first but now that you said it, I can’t unhear it
When Ruff says “ So they’re like buddies “, as if Ballister and Ambrosious are more than buddies ^ ^
I adore this film so much. So beautiful and breathtaking.
YES! I was just hoping the other day you would watch this, it's quickly become one of my favorite movies.
Blue Sky’s Studio may have died but they rose back up like a phoenix with Nimona
Nimona is such a good movie I just want everyone to see it. Also, shoutout to the tumblr post that started the very concept of a nonvillainous villain with a devil of a sidekick.
The real monster was the friends we made along the way.
Y'know, despite all the jokes and drawings Nimona did about killing and hurting people, she never actually hurt anyone (at least not badly.) She pretty much just pulled pranks on people, tied them up, slapped them around a bit, and hit some soldiers with giant cereal spheres.
The only person she killed was the Director, and that was mostly from the cannon blas the Director herself fired at Nimona and the blast partially redirected. It killed both the Director and Nimona, but Nimona was a phoenix so she could just resurrect from her ashes later.