How ‘Nimona,’ a Conn. animated movie, was canceled, revived and is now up for an Oscar
In April 2021, the Greenwich-based animation studio, Blue Sky Studios, responsible for box office hits like “Ice Age” and “Rio,” closed down after three decades in the movie business. After acquiring the rights to 21st Century Fox, which oversaw Blue Sky Studios, the Walt Disney Company had decided to close it down.
At the time, a spokesperson from the Walt Disney Company cited the “current economic realities” behind the closure of the studios.
For Blue Sky Studios co-president Robert Baird, the shuttering of the studio not only meant the end of their work, but also the dissolution of a “family” comprised of roughly 500 employees.
Some ongoing projects were canceled, including “Nimona,” an animated movie based on a 2015 graphic novel of the same name. The plot follows a shape-shifting teen who must help prove the innocence of a knight from a futuristic medieval world.
Baird said that a 90minute story reel had been made for the movie right before the team received the news that Blue Sky Studios was being dissolved, and as a celebratory send-off, Baird and his team screened the reel for all of the employees of the studio.
However, this was just the start of the next life for “Nimona.”
After being shopped around studios and revived by Annapurna Pictures,
A Knight (Riz Ahmed) is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona (Chloe Grace Moretz), a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he’s sworn to kill in the animated film “Nimona.”
“Nimona” has seen the light of day and has been nominated this year for “Best Animated Feature Film” at the Oscars.
“I feel like 10 different lifetimes happened in the making of this movie,” Baird said, adding that it’s been a “roller coaster of a journey to get this movie to the finish line.”
“Nimona” is competing in a category alongside the likes of DisneyPixar’s “Elemental” and Studio Ghibli’s “The Boy and the Heron.” “It’s the most unlikely nomination ever because the movie should not exist,” Baird said. “The story of how the movie survived and got made, and wouldn’t die, is worthy of a 10-part Ken Burns documentary.”
Baird said that he and a team of 25-30 former Blue Sky employees were
Robert Baird, left, Karen Ryan, Julie Zackary and Andrew Millstein attend a “Nimona” special screening at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on June 24 in New York City.
able to get the movie in front of Megan Ellison, the founder of Annapurna Pictures, who “loved” the reel and wanted to be the one to make the movie happen. Work resumed on “Nimona,” and
it was released on Netflix in June.
As the movie was being made, Baird along with Andrew Millstein, the former president of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Blue Sky
Studios, worked with Annapurna Pictures to create Annapurna Animation, a new animated division for the company. Baird and Millstein serve as co-heads of the new division.
“Nimona” has been critically lauded, boasting a 94 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes among critics. Critics have noted that its animation style, voice casting (which includes the likes of Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed and RuPaul) and strong LGBTQ themes contribute to the movie’s overall success.
“It is an unapologetically queer movie,” Baird said, adding that he hopes the movies inspires people that have felt marginalized or not understood. “I think the best movies and the best animated movies try to add a little light to the world, and a little empathy
and understanding. I think Nimona does that at such a high level.”
Annapurna Animation, which is now housed on Stamford’s High Ridge Road, is looking ahead to the future, reviving old Blue Sky Studios projects while conjuring new ideas for movies. Baird said the division has three or four movies currently in development, including a project from one of the directors of “Nimona.”
Baird said that the division’s core leadership team is comprised of many Connecticut residents including Julie Zackary as well as those who live just over the state line like Nick Bruno.
“We are proud Connecticutians. We are Blue Sky refugees. And now, we are Annapurna Animation employees,” Baird said.