On February 9th, 2021, The Walt Disney Company suddenly announced that they would be shutting down Blue Sky Studios (which they had acquired as part of the merger with 20th Century Fox almost two years earlier) in April, not only laying off 450+ employees in the process, but halting production on what was to be Blue Sky's next film, which was set to be their most unique and groundbreaking project to date: a feature-length adaptation of Noelle Stevenson's graphic novel, Nimona. The film was reportedly already 75% finished and was on track to be completed by October of this year, but now it's fate remains uncertain.

Set in a unique fantasy setting with a fusion of medieval and futuristic elements, the film would've told the story of Nimona (who was to be voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz), a hyperactive teenage shape-shifter who becomes the sidekick of the villainous Lord Ballister Blackheart (Riz Ahmed), and followed their rising conflict with Blackheart's nemesis and former ally, Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin.

The cancellation of the film is a heartbreaking loss for a number of reasons:

• It would've been stylistically different than anything Blue Sky had ever done before, utilizing a unique art style said to have been similar to that of the Disney short films Paperman and Feast (the latter of which was directed by Patrick Osbourne, who served as director on Nimona before exiting the project last March).
• It also presumably would've been darker in tone than any of Blue Sky's previous work, presenting a character-driven, emotional modern fantasy epic that likely would've made for their most mature film to date.
• In addition, the film's cancellation dealt a MAJOR blow to the LGBTQ+ community by robbing them of what would've been a landmark level of LGBTQ+ representation on film, as Nimona not only would've featured a "gender-nonconforming" protagonist, but it also would've included a groundbreaking first for theatrical studio animation: an open declaration of love and an onscreen kiss between Blackheart and Goldenloin, two leading characters of the same sex.

With all of the above taken into account, the film's cancellation is an absolutely devastating loss, and the knowledge that it was SO CLOSE to the finish line before it was scrapped makes it even more unfair.

In the two months leading up to their official shutdown, Blue Sky attempted to shop the film around to other studios in the hopes of it being acquired and ultimately completed, but they were sadly unsuccessful. With the studio now closed, the film's fate is now uncertain.

You may ask, couldn't Disney simply complete the film themselves?

Well, not only is that highly unlikely, but even if it weren't, they more than likely wouldn't do it justice. While they have shown admirable progression in their queer representation in their TV content, most notably a bisexual lead character and onscreen bisexual relationship in The Owl House, their track record with handling queer content in their theatrically released films, on the other hand, has been less than stellar. Their attempts at queer representation on film have amounted to little more than inconsequential throwaway lines (ie. Onward, Avengers: Endgame) and/or blink-and-you'll-miss-it background events (the lesbian kiss in The Rise of Skywalker), all of which can easily be edited out for releases in foreign countries where such content is frowned upon. This "queerbaiting" has not reflected well on Disney, and as such, they'd likely be unwilling to take it upon themselves to complete Nimona, a film where the LGBTQ+ content was to have been prominent and integral to the story.

What this petition hopes to accomplish is to raise awareness for the project and get the attention of other studios in the hopes that it will convince them that there is a big enough audience for the film that wants to see it completed, and to persuade Disney that this project would be better suited to be revived by another studio that can be trusted with such a queer-focused project. Potential candidates include Dreamworks Animation (who have previously worked with Noelle Stevenson on the Netflix series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Sony Pictures Animation, and Netflix.

It's up to us to make our voices heard and prove that there is an audience who wants this film to get the second chance it deserves. With any luck, we can help save a project that would be monumental to LGBTQ+ audiences and the animation landscape as a whole.

#SaveNimona

Remember to follow the @SaveNimona account on Twitter to help spread the word even more!