Nimona (2027 film)

Nimona would be a 2027 animated buddy fantasy film written and directed by Sabrina Cotugno in their directorial debut, with Wade Wisinkski producing. Based on the webcomic of the same name by Noelle Stevenson, the film would be produced by Disney Television Animation in their first original non-pilot film. The film would center on the friendship between the title character and Ballister, a villain with a moral code. The film would star the voices of Nive Nielsen, Jia Xing, Anna Lambe, Lana Condor, and Marisa Quinn.

Attempts at a film adaptation of Nimona date back to 2014, when 20th Century Animation and Blue Sky Studios announced work on an animated film directed by Patrick Osbourne. However, the film was eventually cancelled when Disney closed Blue Sky in 2021. In January 2024, it would be reported that a new film adaptation of Nimona would be developed by Disney Television Animation for Disney+, with Stevenson executive-producing. Catungo would be hired as director and writer shortly after. Nielsen and Xing would join the cast in the lead roles in mid-2024, with Lambe and Condor joining in early 2025, and Quinn joining in mid-2025.

Cotugno would draw inspiration in buddy movies like Disney's Zootopia for the film's plot. She would also want to establish the main themes as "trusting others and not letting others label you", and would change the cast to be enterily female to provide more gender diversity within the characters. Animation services would be provided by Rough Draft Korea and NE4U, with in-house Disney TVA animators Dana Terrace, Spencer Wan, and Kofi Fiagome supervising the animation for certain sequences. Animators would try to create character designs that followed closely the webcomic's drawings while also keeping "a Disney-esque feeling".

The film would be released on Disney+ in July 27, 2027, and would become a critical success, particularly for Cotugno's direction, writing, vocal performances, musical score, themes, and animation. The film would also be one of the most streamed original films in 2027.

Trivia

 * This would be the second film produced by Disney Television Animation for Disney+, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe (2020).
 * This would also be the first original film produced by Disney Television Animation produced for Disney+.
 * The film would mark the first time Disney Television Animation has produced an original film that is not a pilot for a TV series.
 * According to director Sabrina Cotugno, the scene where Nimona turns into a dragon at the end would be inspired by Maleficent's transformation at the end of Sleeping Beauty (1950).