Agent Palmer

It is an animated tale about an unlikely hero in a time of chivalry and knights. Its humor is across all age groups, and it feels like it’s telling an underdog story while also talking about being an outcast, trying to find one’s place and one’s self.

And for all the love that I have for Shrek, Nimona may be better.

The 2023 animated film is fantasy and science fiction. We’re talking knights and chivalry along with hovering carriages and lasers. It is based on the 2015 graphic novel of the same name.

As with Shrek, also based on a book, I was unfamiliar with the source material. The animated feature caught my attention from the beginning and held it through to the end.

Again, to me these stories are similar. While a lot of time has passed and there have been quite a few Shrek movies and other animated features that have targeted as large a swathe of the age demographics as they could possibly paint, this feels like the first one that might reach that level of fame. It may ultimately be slightly less because it was released as a Netflix-distributed feature and didn’t get a massive theatrical run. Those are the breaks in this modern age when more than half of all features find a platform and not a proper release.

So, if I’m being a little coy with the description, it’s because I don’t want to give too much away. I didn’t even watch the trailer before I pressed play, but I know that’s not enough for some people.

Netflix’s own description is, “A knight framed for a tragic crime teams with a scrappy, shape-shifting teen to prove his innocence. But what if she’s the monster he’s sworn to destroy?”

Yeah, I still probably would have watched it, but I think for me, had someone suggested a Shrek-like animated feature, I’d be down with just that.

And, for clarity, I’m speaking here of the original Shrek, though I’m sure the powers that be will try to make a series or at least a trilogy out of this one, too. If one is good, more must be better, right?