Nimona

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details of classification and consumer advice lines for Nimona
• a review of Nimona completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 17 July 2023.

Overall comments and recommendations

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• themes
• use of violence
• material that may scare or disturb children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie’s message

A synopsis of the story

Ballister Boldheart (voice of Riz Ahmed) rose from obscurity to become one the most brilliant knights the kingdom had ever known, much to the displeasure of the Director (voice of Frances Conroy), who didn’t like the way the Queen (voice of Lorraine Toussaint) favoured him or their shared liberal beliefs. When Ballister is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, he is forced to live in the shadows while he attempts to evade capture and figure out where it all went wrong. When Nimona (voice of Chloe Grace Moretz), a teenage girl with unique shape shifting powers, begs to be his sidekick and help him get revenge on all those who have harmed him, Ballister wants nothing to do with her. However, Nimona’s help and abilities soon prove indispensable and, as the pair begin to unravel a twisted plot of deception and betrayal, Ballister must turn to former, fellow knight and love interest Ambrosius Goldenloin (voice of Eugene Lee Yang) for assistance. As Nimona and Ballister work together, an unlikely friendship begins to form and slowly Nimona’s facades begin to slip, revealing who she truly is. Will Ballister be able to see past the indoctrinated prejudice of countless generations, or will he, like everyone else, view Nimona as a monster that must be feared and destroyed?

Prejudice and assumptions; Blindly following the beliefs and ways of previous generations; Self-sacrifice; Homosexual relationships; Deceitfulness and Intrigue; Social paranoia; Searching for your true identity.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

• Ballister’s sword goes rogue. A laser beam comes out of its hilt which directly hits and kills the Queen.
• Ambrosius cuts off Ballister’s arm with his sword.
• Nimona talks about murdering people.
• Guards repeatedly shoot at, attack, and attempt to restrain Ballister and Nimona.
• Nimona repeatedly wants to engage in dangerous, vengeful, and murderous behaviours.
• Nimona slaps or hits Ballister on a number of occasions.
• Nimona transforms into a rhino and smashes guards out of the way. She shapeshifts into numerous different creatures, attacking the guards in a variety of ways, as she and Ballister attempt to evade capture.
• Nimona smashes over trash bins, attempts to eat a rat, and sabotages a video game.
• Nimona throws rubbish and objects at guards and then lures them away from a train station.
• A man shoots at a woman.
• Nimona jumps on a car trunk, squashing the abducted man inside.
• The guards shoot at Ballister and Nimona who have just stolen a car. Numerous arrows hit the back of the vehicle and Nimona later discovers that she has an arrow lodged in her leg.
• A phone is shot out of Ballister’s hand and destroyed.
• Ambrosius holds Nimona and Ballister at knife point.
• Nimona transforms into numerous animals to attack the guards who are threatening them, kicking, knocking, biting, hitting etc.
• Ballister is grabbed, smashed in the face and beaten on the head with a stick. He then watches the guards capture and electrocute Nimona, in rhino form, as they attempt to subdue her.
• Nimona transforms into a large dragon and blasts her attackers with what appear to be either large balls of cereal or rocks.
• A small child points a sword at Nimona and calls her a monster. This has a more devastating effect on Nimona than any weapon the guards used.
• The Director confesses to framing Ballister and killing the Queen.
• Nimona recalls how, as a small child in human form, she had a village turn on her, poking her with fiery torches and pitch forks as they drove her away.
• People scream as Nimona, in monster form, approaches the city. Drones shoot at her, her back looks like it is on fire at one point, a woman is nearly crushed and a guard screams in terror that: “It is going to kill us all”.
• Guards crash into each other. There is an airborne collision, and a flying vehicle is knocked into a sign which crashes to the ground.
• Nimona, in monster form, is shot at and she screams as she takes hit after hit. People throw things at her as she slowly and painfully makes her way forward.
• Nimona is about to impale herself on a giant sword when Ballister stops her.
• The Director orders that a cannon be fired at the monster to kill it. She does not care that countless civilian lives will be lost in the blast as well.
• The order is given and Nimona races off towards the cannon, flying into it so that the people are saved, and she alone is killed.

Material that may scare or disturb children

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

• Nimona often changes shape, transforming into different people or animals at will. Sometimes, even in her usual form, she looks slightly possessed and demonic. In an effort to frighten people she will flash glowing eyes and fang-like teeth.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

• When Ballister calls Nimona a monster, something inside her breaks and she turns into the monster that everyone believes she is; transforming into a sinister creature with a massive body made of jet-black smoky wisps, her eyes are glowing and appear to be evil and devoid of emotion. She heads to the city and wreaks havoc, destroying and crushing things along the way, while armies attack her by every means possible. Her ultimate goal, however, seems to be to end her own life on the sword of her friend that stands as a symbol in the fight against monsters.
• Nimona is ready to end her life on a sword because she doesn’t see any point to living when people will not truly see her for who she is. When she sacrifices herself to save others (dying in a fiery explosion) and when the people finally see her not for the monster they thought her to be but for the hero she became, they erect a memorial to her, filled with notes of love and appreciation, with flowers and childish drawings, all things Nimona would have loved while she was alive. These scenes are not scary, but they are emotional and may be upsetting or distressing for some viewers.

• Nothing further noted.

Product placement

• None noted.

Sexual references

There are some sexual references in this movie, including:

• A comment is made about how, “it must be cold in here”, in response to which a character looks very embarrassed as he quickly brings his legs together and covers his crotch with his hands.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

• Ambrosius and Ballister are openly gay and occasionally share longing looks and quiet, tender moments. The couple kiss passionately at the end.

Use of substances

• None noted.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

• Dumb
• Freak
• Vile
• Stupid
• Monster
• Dork
• Dang
• Demon baby
• Holy sh--.

In a nutshell

Nimona is an animated adventure based on the best-selling graphic novel by ND Stevenson. Featuring a distinctive animation style and a fast-paced plot, the film is best suited to older tween and teen audiences.

The main messages from this movie are to treat other people with kindness, no matter where they come from, what they look like or how different they may be; to face the things you are afraid of; and to always be true to yourself.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

• Empathy
• Truth
• Honour
• Acceptance of those who are different.
• Compassion
• Love.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

• Framing someone for something that they didn’t do.
• Treating others badly because they are different.
• Living in fear of the unknown instead of attempting to understand the ever-changing world we live in.
• Turning into what people believe you to be instead of staying true to yourself.