Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1513434
o c t o b e r • n o v e m b e r • d e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 c g w 7 F ollowing the journey of a fearless shapeshiing creature in futuristic medieval world, Netix's Nimona under- went a similarly epic path from the page to the screen. Adapted from a popular web comic and National Book Award-nominated, New York Times best-selling graphic novel by ND Stevenson, the animated feature lm was originally in production at Blue Sky Studios. Aer the studio's sudden shuttering, the project was le in limbo with an uncertain future. Impressed with Nimo- na's early animatics, Annapurna Pictures resurrected the lm and brought DNEG on board to nish the animation. Directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, the lm tells the tale of Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), a knight who is framed for a crime he did not commit. The only way he can prove his innocence is by forging an unlikely friendship with Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), a mischievous teen with a penchant for mayhem—who also happens to be a shapeshiing creature that Ballister has sworn to destroy. The story's stunning visuals are animated in dynamic 3D CG blended with distinctive 2D stylization. At the 2023 VIEW Conference, creator ND Stevenson, directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, and animation director Ted Ty discussed the creative workow behind Nimona and shared advice from their careers. v, Dts Nick Bruno • •r•y•ua• CGW: ND, what was it like to watch your graphic novel come to life on screen? ND Stevenson: It was wild. It started out as such a personal project, and it was just really me by myself. I wrote and drew and colored and lettered and did everything. At rst, I really didn't know if anyone was going to like it except for me. I started getting an audience for the web comic and people started tuning in each week and having con- versations about what they thought was going to happen. Already, that was bigger than I thought it would get. And then it became a graphic novel, and it reached this whole new audience again. Surely that must be the height of this comic. Then suddenly, I'm having talks about it becoming an animated movie. And then eight years later, here we are. To take something that was just this little almost private piece of my soul and have it be- come something that so many other people saw themselves in and put themselves in, and just transforming those characters, shape- shiing that story into something totally new. And here we are. It's been pretty awesome. CGW: Troy and Nick, what were you most excited about when you rst came on board as directors? Troy Quane: When you read the graphic novel, the characters just come to life in such an amazing way. I think the thing that attracted both Nick and I is the journey of this character of Nimona, who was not like anybody you'd ever seen before. She was funny and she had these really wonderful, heartfelt moments. And in between all that, she was just murdering everybody around her. There was just something so refreshing about a character who Nimona is based on a best-selling graphic novel by ND Stevenson.