Why Netflix saving canceled Disney film ‘Nimona’ is good for queer representation

After years of development, and even being scrapped entirely, the animated fantasy film Nimona has found a home at Netflix.

Based on the graphic novel by ND Stevenson, creator of Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Nimona is the story of a knight who’s been framed for a crime he didn’t commit and the titular young shapeshifter who can help him prove his innocence. The film adaptation has been in the works since 2015, when it was set to be produced by Blue Sky Studios, the subsidiary of 20th Century Fox Animation that brought us films like Ice Age.

Disney’s 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox threw Nimona‘s future into question. The film’s release date was delayed several times before Disney announced in February 2021 that it was shutting down Blue Sky Studios. The shutdown meant that Nimona was officially canceled.

However, on April 11, 2022, Stevenson announced on Twitter that Nimona is set to be released on Netflix in 2023, writing, “Nimona’s always been a spunky little story that just wouldn’t stop. She’s a fighter…but she’s also got some really awesome people fighting for her.”

Tweet may have been deleted

Nimona‘s move to Netflix is wonderful news not just for fans of Stevenson’s graphic novel, but for queer representation in animation. Queerness is at the heart of Stevenson’s She-Ra, which features multiple same-sex relationships and the nonbinary character Double Trouble (voiced by Jacob Tobia). The entire series hinges on the love story between female foes, Adora (voiced by Aimee Carrero) and Catra (voiced by AJ Michalka). Queerness is similarly essential to Nimona, which is full of queer-coded and gender-nonconforming characters and centers on a same-sex romance.

‘Nimona’s move to Netflix is wonderful news not just for fans of Stevenson’s graphic novel, but for queer representation in animation.

Animated TV shows, including ones targeted at younger audiences, have recently been leading the charge in LGBTQ representation. In addition to She-Ra, series like Netflix’s Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts and I Heart Arlo feature queer lead characters, as have Nickelodeon’s The Legend of Korra, Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe and Adventure Time, and Disney Channel’s The Owl House. The same can be said of animated films like LAIKA’s ParaNorman and Netflix/Sony Pictures Animation’s The Mitchells vs. The Machines. Missing from that list? Disney films.

If Nimona had remained a Disney release, its explicit queerness would have been a welcome departure from the studio’s usual underwhelming “exclusively gay moments.” From a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it same-sex Star Wars kiss to a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him gay character in Avengers: Endgame, Disney has consistently missed the mark when it comes to LGBTQ representation in its films. It’s telling that of the five animated films nominated for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars, only the two non-Disney/Pixar films — Mitchells and Flee — have queer representation. Queer subtext is arguably present in all three Disney/Pixar nominees — Encanto, Luca, and Raya and the Last Dragon — but it remains just that: subtext.

In March 2022, Disney faced criticism for funding the backers of Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill and their subsequent (and lackluster) response to the discriminatory anti-LGBTQ legislation. Pixar employees spoke out, stating in a letter that, “Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest.” After the letter’s release, a same-sex kiss was reportedly restored to the upcoming Lightyear.

Disney’s pressure to scrub LGBTQ content from films wasn’t just limited to Pixar. Former Blue Sky staffers told Business Insider that before Nimona was scrapped, Disney leadership disapproved of its queer elements, including a same-sex kiss.

“We need more queer stories, but we also need to call out how nefarious it is when you don’t tell queer stories,” one staffer told Insider. “When the biggest entertainment company in the world creates content for children and systematically censors queer content, they are pushing queer children to dark places.”

The reaction to Nimona‘s initial cancellation emphasized just how much seeing queer stories means to queer audiences. Responses to a Change.org petition titled “Get Nimona picked up by another studio” include comments like, “I want others to see the Lgbtq+ characters I didn’t get to see growing up so that maybe life is just a bit less confusing” and “I want queer film representation.”

Resurrecting Nimona is a step in the right direction, but that it was scrapped in the first place still proves the media industry has a long way to go. Hopefully, the fight to release Nimona will break down doors for more animated films that celebrate queerness, which, given legislation like the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, we need desperately.