Nimona is now streaming on Netflix and if you’ve seen it you know the long wait for its arrival was incredibly worth it. (If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll be delighted.) In celebration of the animated film — adapted from the graphic novel by ND Stevenson (She-Ra and the Rebel Princesses) — Netflix shared a featurette in which it spoke to the visuals employed style that brought the story to life.
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Creator and co-producer Stevenson, directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, and others appear in The Art of Nimona, which you can watch below.
The Art of Nimona | Netflix
“People are so much more than what you see on the surface,” explains Stevenson. “Each of these characters seems to be an archetype, and when you peel off those layers, you realize that this is not the perfect hero, not the perfect villain, not a monster.”
This idea was carried over into the film’s artwork. “Everything in the style language and design tone supports the story,” says Quane, and Bruno emphasizes, “It’s a bit reminiscent of the classic animated films we loved as kids, but also the modern advances in technology.”
As production designer Aiden Sugano explains, “We wanted to take expectations of classic 2D princess fantasy animation and shatter them to appeal to Nimona’s spirit.” He later mentions how the film actually uses lighting to underscore the film’s acceptance theme , and the importance of the color scheme used throughout.
“The very best animated films challenge our idea of what children’s films can be and what themes they can address,” says Stevenson. “And Nimona does.”
Nimona is now available on Netflix.
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