FIRST-TIME WATCHING *Nimona* and Benji GUESSED the ending...

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First-Time Watching the Netflix original film "Nimona" starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang, Frances Conroy, Beck Bennett, Lorraine Toussaint, RuPaul Charles, India Moore, Sarah Sherman || Based on the graphic novel by ND Stevenson
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🎞️ Edited by Josiah J. Rizzo
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[@PinkPopcast]

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[@arinahfatini3161]

doe sit work for non Americans?

[@alexconverse4839]

Nimona is more of an analogy of gender identity/expression rather than sexuality, the most direct comparison being gender fludity.

[@PinkPopcast]

And she’s still a fun character at the end of the day. Rizzo (myself) is showing off how on the spectrum he is by questioning the logic 😂

[@Cl0udlight]

​@@PinkPopcast​ I'm also autistic but I'm on the other end of that perspective! I'm nonbinary (bc gender is a social construct and wtf are those) and being both gender non-conforming and autistic has taught me that people get real uncomfortable real fast with anything they can't relate to 🙃 I don't think questions on their own are malicious, but when you're so aggressively villainized just for being different it becomes necessary to avoid sharing anything about yourself. You can't trust that people won't take what you give them and use it against you somehow, so you just don't give anyone anything. It's not fair to the people who sincerely want to learn, but safety comes first, so Nimona's defensiveness makes perfect sense to me.

[@onionloaf2804]

aaand it's written by a trans person 😌

[@The_Real_Prinzessin]

as a gender-fluid person this movie made me sob my eyes out the first, actually no, every single time, i watch it. its perfect.

[@God.Of.Mischief_1]

@@onionloaf2804fr we love Nate

[@Yamismol]

My favorite part about the movie is that in the comics Nimona doesn’t come back. They are hinted at being alive but it’s an all around sad ending. The creator said this was a reflection of how he said about himself and his trans identity at the time. So now Nimona does come back and there is more of a happy ending for them, basically a sign that the creator is now in a much healthier headspace :D

[@m00n_beetle]

that's so sweet 🥹 thanks for sharing this!

[@PinkPopcast]

That is BEAUTIFUL 😍

[@helioghostt]

sobbing over this oh my god

[@ShinuuuSh]

an interesting fact is that the combination of technology with the Middle Ages was more important. To convey that even though we are in the future, sometimes we still remain in the Middle Ages with some beliefs

[@PinkPopcast]

HOLY CRAP THAT’S SO GOOD!

[@besupaaa]

Rizzo, I can see how you're frustrated about Nimona answering "I'm Nimona" to the questions, but to me it always reads like the perfect answer. Seeing myself in Nimona, as someone who's your existence is "not normal" or "weird", I don't need an explanation to exist. I am just me, don't owe anyone some crazy story that's gonna validate my existence. And also, being able to just be yourself (I'm Nimona) should just be enough because... That's all that matters isn't it? Why Nimona is or what Nimona is... You know?

[@applejuice0000]

Real

[@PinkPopcast]

No exactly but you don’t threaten anyone’s existence (that’s the battle we’ve been fighting in the real world for centuries). You’re a human being… Nimona is a shapeshifter who brags about being violent and killing and forces her quest for revenge on Ballister. He ain’t crazy for being concerned 😂

[@alisond929]

⁠@@PinkPopcast on the other hand, her questionable words never matched her actions in the movie.

[@PinkPopcast]

@@alisond929 fair… still think Ballister isn’t out of pocket for questioning their motives!

[@alisond929]

@@PinkPopcast that’s also fair

[@ichbinben.]

The thing about Nimona is, she's not actually a monster. She was just a kid who could shapeshift, she didn't use it for anything bad. But society rejected her anyway. The villagers' first reaction was calling her a monster, they didn't even try to understand, didn't hestitate before they attacked her. Nimona wasn't a monster, and they branded her as one anyway, so with time she just started to go with it, lean into it. Like "If they're gonna see me as a monster, I might as well be one" I read that as part of the allegory on oppresion. People are marginalized not for anything they've done, but for who they are. They're shamed, disenfrachised, attacked, and when they lash out, it's taken as proof that the oppressors had a reason to oppress them all along. But they didn't. It's like if Jack hits Paul and then Paul hits him back, and Jack claims "See, that's why I hit you, I knew you were gonna hit me, too" It's completely backwards.

[@rjturnipsauce]

+

[@PinkPopcast]

@@rjturnipsauce like I for SURE understand the real life allegory and find it beautiful, especially knowing more about the writer… … in the ‘film world tho’, I would still be cautious. He didn’t see their whole backstory, all he knows is Nimona to be a pushy, “bloodthirsty”, unpredictable non-human that talks about murder AND has a power set beyond any human being… I don’t think his questions are “small minded” in the context of the story removed from all real world analogies 😂

[@ichbinben.]

@@PinkPopcast I wasn't talking about the "small-minded" thing or anything "in-world", but more about the stuff Rizzo (I don't know which one of you wrote this comment) was saying, it sounded to me like he was saying that she kinda is a monster. No hate though, I just really relate to Nimona.

[@PinkPopcast]

Fully understand! They are an amazing character 💖

[@rayrayl.4087]

I personally don't think Glorith was evil- she was just a kid who was misguided by her parents. She didn't have a problem with Nimona until her parents told her to. If you remember at the beginning of the story, Glorith is first introduced to us as a grown woman fighting a monster. But in actuality, she was a child when she met Nimona. This tells me that the adults in power used her story to reshape society. Who knows if she actually approved or if they forced her to become a silent figurehead.

[@PinkPopcast]

Ooo that’s true! I thought maybe she had chased after Nimona once she grew up but that makes more sense!

[@emmaothorell]

Both me and Benji as soon as we saw the Director: "It's her." 🤣

[@PinkPopcast]

CALLED! IT!

[@reablu4562]

Literally dying because I get in trouble for predicting the villain too 😂

[@ErinnPG]

Me watching any movie with a twist: Hey do you think x person is evil? and being right 99% of the time hahaha

[@WindowPains]

Ambrosius is voiced by Eugene from the Try guys which I LOVE. I love this movie. Also, I love the line "lets finish this before the whale gets here."

[@PinkPopcast]

I love how fixated they all were on the whale! 🐳

[@tangally]

If I had a nickel for every time Chloe Grace Moretz wreaked mass destruction to the The Dickies cover of The Banana Splits theme, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice…

[@PinkPopcast]

Yes it is!

[@LM-gm9yo]

I love being a dumb*ss cause I never pick up on foreshadowing in movies and the plot twists genuinely always has me dramatically gasping lol

[@PinkPopcast]

Right!? Wait… are you saying Rizzo is a dumbass!? 🤔🥺👀

[@LM-gm9yo]

​@@PinkPopcast I was taking about myself but if the hat fits.... 👀👀

[@LM-gm9yo]

jk, he's a very smart man love u Rizzo

[@PinkPopcast]

@@LM-gm9yo HOW DARE!

[@LM-gm9yo]

@@PinkPopcast HAHA I’M SORRY RIZZO 😭🫶🏻🩷🩷🩷

[@lorettabes4553]

9:43 After Nimona's backstory, it makes so much sense she would think of someone you have these feelings for as a 'nemesis'

[@PinkPopcast]

Oooo true!

[@jtm881]

That it is a good observation I didn't clock until now

[@-shiloh]

I feel like Nimona as a character represented an idea of trans culture. The questions Bal asked in a sense were kind of small minded : “why can you just be normal” or “just be a girl, it’ll make it easier for you”. I think Nimona shapeshifting represented transitioning where people always say, just be normal, it’ll be easier for you but at the end of the day, you don’t feel like you’re truly living if you don’t. Theres this whole stigma of trans people being dangerous and small minded people wanting to just get rid of the community just because they don’t understand it and I think that’s the similarities they were trying to pull. Nimona mainly resonates with me because everyone is trying to define her and push her into a box of what she is (“what are you”) and every time she says “I’m Nimona” and that’s enough for her.

[@eleven-hopper]

I never read the book but I'm pretty sure that Nimona is written more to be non-binary

[@daro8414]

I'm pretty sure the author of the original book is Trans and created the character while in high school (on Tumblr lol) so that interpretation probably the intention I'd say

[@PinkPopcast]

No that’s absolutely beautiful. It’s definitely not a 1-to-1 since transphobic media paints an enemy and danger where there IS NO DANGER! You’re human and owe NO ONE an explanation for your existence! Nimona is… ??? Who has dangerous super powers and a violent streak she forces on Ballister that I don’t blame him for questioning 😂

[@alexs.5871]

@@PinkPopcast She doesn't really force it onto him though? she rescues him from prison and even gives him the choice whether he wants to be freed from the closet (lol). She barely instigated any fight but mostly defended herself and ballister from the knights who attacked them. Also, how are her shapeshifting powers more 'dangerous' than the knights' swords and crossbows, the flying cars or the literal laser cannons? The giant monster she becomes in the end is a culmination of all the hatred thrown at her over the last 1000 years and even in that form she doesn't attack anybody except herself.

[@vapoet]

@@PinkPopcast Here is the issue, Ballister was more interested in what Nimona was than what her motivations were. He was going from the viewpoint of Nimona being a monster. He never asked Nimona why they wanted to cause chaos. And in some ways, Nimona was explaining why very early. He simply wasn't listening, or through it out the window when he saw what Nimona could do.

[@FeJCisme]

The early people of the kingdom: “oh no the greatest evil! Genderqueer people!”

[@PinkPopcast]

😭😭

[@samuelsommar8393]

Nimona is Nimona, and that's enough. I am who I am, and that's enough of an answer.

[@PinkPopcast]

I agree with humans… Nimona still turned into a kauji when they were angry/sad and that’s legit scary 😂 also they love to scream about murder

[@sumeetkumarbordoloi4512]

You're human she's not.

[@Denf0]

The issue I have with Rizzo's take on the metaphor is that you can say Nimona's potential for harm is greater than a human's, but at the end it was a human about to do something exactly as monstrous as what Nimona is capable of. Obviously it's with the aid of systems and technology but given enough determination and resources humans can be as destructive as anything non-human. They aren't exactly the same, but imo it's enough to give more validity to the metaphor than he's giving it credit for. Loved the reaction though, of course. I was so surprised with how well-done the humorous moments were in this movie and how well it balanced the absurdity of its setting with the gravity of its message.

[@PinkPopcast]

I can fully agree with you! I’m still a cis man at the end of the day so it’s easier for me to nitpick some that that doesn’t hit home for me as hard as it does for someone else! Just wanna make sure films aren’t still comparing queer/trans/POC to something inhuman who craves violence 😂

[@Denf0]

It's a good critique, generally. In this case, I believe it's less comparing queer/trans people to a character and more of designing a character around the narrative about queer/trans people, if that makes sense. The idea that queer/trans people are dangerous or not human is still super prevalent in a lot of places, and many people who experience that trauma will use negative self-talk and violent pretense as a way of "beating people to the punch" before they can claim that about them without really knowing them as a way to make it less painful.

[@springdemon.w.]

It gets me emotional as well is seeing the credits, where there's a whole section dedicated to the people at Blue Sky (miss them o7) who iirc started the production of the movie b4 Disney disbanded the studio

[@PinkPopcast]

🥺

[@QueenOfTheZombieApocalypse]

To your point Rizzo: I don’t think Nimona (the story) was actually meant to be a one to one comparison (not how I read it anyway). I think Nimona (the character) was a representation for people who are socially different and have been othered or made to feel like they have no place in the world. Her character was for people in the minority groups who have felt like they were being treated like a “monster” just for existing. The comparison about how society treats those who are different wasn’t her, it was the wall. It’s shown/not directly stated that there were literally never any monsters outside the wall. The people of the city had built up walls and trained guardian knights for a thousand years for absolutely no reason. It’s interesting that you referenced using nature Rizzo, because that’s actually what they did - the fear was directed at the dangers of the forests “outside the wall” which is why nobody ever went outside. But as soon as the wall was destroyed, they realized there was never anything dangerous out there to begin with. Just trees, rocks, rivers and nature.

[@PinkPopcast]

Oh my god, what a notice! You’re totally right about what was beyond the wall!

[@DarleneLesmana]

eugene absolutely slaying the sad gay role

[@PinkPopcast]

Yes! Glad he… TRYd it out 😜

[@nireus2299]

i don't really know why Ambrosius parents gave him the name of a Grindr profile but it's so funny

[@PinkPopcast]

Right!? Kinda inappropriate mom and dad… or dad and dad… or mom and mom… or whoever else…

[@tp9829]

In the comic at least they got to choose their names when they were young and he wanted to call himself Goldenlion but mispelled it.

[@beth12svist]

​@@tp9829 Huh. I don't remember that part. I do, however, remember that in the comics he was far more of a pompous ass the comics was (at least originally) making fun of, so having an unfortunate name was just part of that characterisation.

[@shanajeangedeon9060]

This entire reaction is just Benji being psychic and Rizzo screaming at him for it😂 "BENJI!!😩" had me dying every time🤣

[@PinkPopcast]

😂😂😂

[@rachelruff8029]

Nimona is more about Genderfluid/Transgender than about sexuality. The point of this movie is to show this important message about people being people despite what we see as “differences”, and to say that “animation movies need to stop trying to tackle stuff like this” gives the impression that you think that animation is only for kids/ that using a story to convey something is worse than just saying the thing.

[@raelrojas5263]

I mean it does apply to Zootopia or the even worse Zombies (not animation but the same). Because in those they make the minority be responsible for the oppression they receive. Which is fricked. The issue is authors in those movies were white and centrists, who wanted to make the racists not the bad guys, but missguided souls that come from past trauma. But the only real trauma racism has caused, is on racialized minorities, actively forced into poverty and exploited, then justify their oppression on any lashing out this communities do after years of abuse. Buuuut that doesn't apply to Nimona, completely innocent from the start, just punk, tired of having to use "the masters tools", and opposing only acceptability. She never does any actual evil act in the movie, she just is. I prefer the comics ending and story by A LOT, but the movie at least respected what Nimona was, different "powerful" but power doesn't make you dangerous. I think the best way to compare it (outside of the genderqueer allegory) is how black men are treated in society, how their abuse is justified on how big and imposing they are "How powerful"

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I’ve heard great things about this. Also, such a momentous occasion with Eugene being in it.

[@PinkPopcast]

Guess we had to TRY it out ;)

[@JessIrais]

I get what Rizzo is saying about gay analogies in animation, but I think Nimona is still a nice representation. Everyone involved had good intentions (plus, the comic author is trans). I attended a webinar with the Head of Animation, and he said he wished Nimona win the Oscar because being an Oscar winner will get more people to watch the movie and the message will spread. He wanted it to win for the benefit of the queer community, and I think that's so sweet ❤

[@PinkPopcast]

Rizzo is being humbled in the comments remembering he is just a grump cis man nitpicking a good-intentioned kid’s film. (It’s me. I am Rizzo 😭)

[@TVChild3]

Ok, but, Ballister looks exactly like Rizzo.

[@PinkPopcast]

Haha I thought so too! -Benji

[@PinkPopcast]

He’s even played by a Riz!

[@jtm881]

Please- I said the same thing when I was watching this!

[@Ashely56]

25:23 shame on you Rizzo and this is why Benji has never shaped shifted in front of you😂

[@PinkPopcast]

DAMN! I am ashamed!

[@jptv8913]

I need a Rizzo as Bal cosplay immediately

[@PinkPopcast]

Would that even be considered Cos-Play!? 😂

[@toriecarter2711]

I see the it not being a one-to-one comparison argument & understand/agree to an extent, but it's also the closest I've seen something come to explaining to how maybe you would a child a trans or gender-fluid person by using Nimona as a sorta comparison. Like, I can see my sister's frustration every time someone asks her things like how or when she knew she was trans, and all my sister really wants to say is she just knew/is. My sister doesn't cry over things like movies easily, but we watched this as a group (her, her fiancee, my mother, and myself), and we *all* kinda came undone; I think it was the closest she felt to seen by a work of fiction~ And the whole Nimona is an actual threat? Some people are convinced trans/gender fluid people are an actual danger, and it seems somedays like an impossible task to convince them otherwise... In fact, all it takes is one unconfirmed story to convince some people the threat is real. Which is sickening, cause the only person I think my sister could ever be a danger to is herself, because of how others that have never met her think she is...

[@PinkPopcast]

Exactly! I do like the “itch” analogy! Tell your sister The Pink Popcast says hello and that she has an amazing sister!

[@PinkPopcast]

Also congrats to her fiancée!!!

[@Mira_Simmons05]

I think the reason she says violent things and acts like a villain is because of the principle: you want a monster/villain? Then I’ll give you one. But she really doesn’t want to be that

[@PinkPopcast]

No we for sure get that! It’s sad. We just think in the movie world Ballister isn’t crazy for distrusting them (Nimona). We know what shapeshifting is supposed to represent but unlike in our world, where people have access to information but refuse to educate themselves, Ballister has NO idea who Nimona is except that they claim to love murder and can change into dangerous creatures. In real life, with someone genderfluid, he’d be small minded… in Nimona’s world, with something that can transform into a literal monster kaiju, he’s honestly pretty valid for questioning them - and he’s still super nice despite them actively presenting themselves as a villain. If anything he is super open minded 😂

[@RedEveTillDawn]

@@PinkPopcast if you're interested, Cinema Therapy has a cool take on Nimona's personal thoughts based on her actions, specific phrasing and what we're eventually shown.

[@rubysmolen5155]

I love this movie and have been waiting to see when this reaction would happen, so excited! The animation is amazing! This was the best Queer+ film I had seen in a long time, and one of the most powerful! Nimona is a badass! It's based off the Graphic novel of the same name written by ND Stevens ( he created She-ra and the princess of power)

[@PinkPopcast]

We didn't find out it was queer until LAST MONTH otherwise we might have watched it much sooner!

[@miraeshin8652]

I think the question, what is Nimona and the answer being I'm me makes more sense in the story since I'm assuming that Nimona doesnt know what they are but has come to as far as to accept that they're probably not people and that should be fine but people don't accept that answer 😅

[@PinkPopcast]

Ooh that’s a clever perspective

[@Mayte-AC]

OMG YES! I read the graphic novel like 2 years ago I think, it’s different from the movie but I love both so much!

[@PinkPopcast]

Excited to have you watch along with us!

[@QueenOfTheZombieApocalypse]

Benji I did/do the exact same thing with guessing movie plot twists 😂. I don’t even do it on purpose, it’s just an automated “well obviously xyz”

[@PinkPopcast]

🤓🤓🤓

[@miraeshin8652]

This movie was made from Blue Sky studios (most known for Ice Age)who were bought and shut down by Disney along with this movie but then the movie was sold to Netflix 😅

[@PinkPopcast]

It’s a wild story! Thank god Netflix saved this gem

[@kymira1072]

This movie actually works incredibly well as an allegory for Neurodivergece as well. Specifically autism. People used to think we were not human and parents believed that their own children had been stolen and replaced with a fairy or “changeling”. Changeling children were said to have behaviors exactly like autistic children. (And in some stories other disabilities or differences) They didn’t think we were human so they would burn, drown, poison, or abandon their autistic children. As autistic people, many of us learn to “mask” at a young age by mimicking those around us to avoid abuse or bullying. It takes an incredible mental toll that can physically ache and lead to a breakdown. When we feel safe and can finally unmask and Stim , it truly does feel free. Like exhaling a long held breath.

[@RedEveTillDawn]

This explains why I'm so good at mimicking sounds and actions... HEAVY masking and now I just do it naturally :) even while unmasking. It feels necessary for certain situations.

[@Eggsther]

Nimona is more of a trans allegory (i say its nit even within the sub text but the text itself is trans) So Nimona existing that causes chaos in the institution is like how our society dominated by cisgenders feels like when trans people exist And how alot of people would just try to make trans people "explain themselves" when theyre just being themselves (hence why her answer is always just her being Nimona, she doesn't have to explain why she shapeshifts just how tran people don't have to justify why they exist)

[@PinkPopcast]

No I get that for sure. I guess since I don’t inherently distrust queer or trans people but WOULD distrust an inhuman kaiju who jokes about killing people im a little annoyed that people think I “don’t get the analogy” 😂 I am a nitpicking cis man tho so I need to stfu sometimes

[@SkwithOv]

@@PinkPopcast i agree, laughing emojis in response to most of the people bringing up anything about trans people being the point (rather than nimona being a gay allegory) is something maybe you should stop doing you don't get to say you're a safe person to trans people, trans people ge to decide that you're safe or not and i don't think laughing at everyone bringing up trans people is the way to go and maybe you should stop

[@PinkPopcast]

@@SkwithOv I was laughing at myself and even said I’m nitpicking and need to shut up. We promise we don’t disagree and aren’t laughing at anyone bringing anything up. I know Twitter has rotten our brains with how people respond but we are NOT antagonistic like Twitter people and have always been open to criticism and when I used the emoji it was to denote a sense of playfulness amidst the agreement. I will obviously continue to asses how our emojis are placed so as to never send the message that we are mocking or belittling anyone’s hurt or pain. This was never supposed to be an attack on anyone, we were merely mentioning something that makes US uncomfortable in how black or queer people are represented by something dangerous in cartoons.

[@SkwithOv]

@@PinkPopcast i don't know why you brought up twitter, i don't even use twitter. what i see is you laughing in multiple replies to people bringing up trans people. mean it as laughing at yourself or not, but it read as laughing at trans people to me and it made me feel uncomfortable, which is why i brought it up. i don't attack people and if i don't think someone is capable of change, generally i either make sure to leave a comment saying why they're wrong so that other people reading can see it, or i block them and move on with my life. if i DO think someone is capable of change i address them directly and try to explain TO THEM why i think there's a problem. but apparently that means i'm an angry twitter person 🙄 i saw a pattern of you responding to multiple people bringing up the trans comment using laughing emojis. i brought it up. see, me seeing someone laugh when people bring up a valid point about a minority group you are apparently not part of (trans people) makes me uncomfortable because it looks like you are laughing at them for bringing it up you COULD apologize and say "oh i'm sorry, i didn't mean it that way but now i see what you mean" but instead you wrote paragraphs blaming twitter for me not understanding what you mean, doubling down on the meaning of the emoji and how i'm wrong, and that you're open to criticism but you're not apologizing 🤷

[@Templarofsteel88]

One thing to take into mind is that a lot of her actions are based on others precived vision of her. Be told you are a monster/bad guy enough you will eventually fall into that mentality.

[@PinkPopcast]

True, but in real life, being genderfluid doesn’t turn you into a legitimate threat. In Nimona, their powers become uncontrollable which is almost like the film is validating the town’s concern. If Nimona’s shapeshifting represents genderfluidity, then it’s almost like the message is that what makes Nimona different IS inherently dangerous… … in real life, if someone wants to be dangerous that’s on them - it has nothing to do with their race, gender expression or sexual preference. i

[@MSinger4472]

@@PinkPopcast I do think an interesting point is at the end of that Nimona was more of a threat to herself than to the town, when she tried to kill herself. And I believe that is probably statistically true for trans people with risk for suicide and ideation. I do acknowledge that Nimona was a threat to the people in the beginning of that scene. I just thought that was an interesting point at the end, as well.

[@kaniamia]

@@PinkPopcast​​⁠Consider the bathroom debate. Consider the stigma around mental health. Consider all the fear-mongering about accepting refugees. People love to come up with all the ways that those different from them could potentially be dangerous, and they love to loudly point out those dangers as if they’re not talking about real people with real emotions. It’s not bullying, it’s not microaggression, it’s not hate, it’s just stating some facts, right? 🫤

[@besupaaa]

Oh my god I'm so glad you're reacting to Nimona. ✨🥺 It was such a special watch for me as a non binary person.

[@PinkPopcast]

🥰🥰

[@joserico4934]

Ok, no shade to all other KZbinrs, but that’s how you do a sponsor lol! Normally I skip the promos on other channels but yours was hilarious! 😂💜 Love your videos btw!!

[@PinkPopcast]

Thank you so much! We had to much fun writing and filming that bit! “Rocket Man OUT!” 🚀

[@pen9108]

Not Benji just using his magic psychic powers to perfectly guess the entire movie

[@PinkPopcast]

Friggin right!? We gotta stop him! He’s a menace!

[@Kmourkelis]

Kenny ortega finally got the rights back for Julie and the phantoms🙏🏽 can we get a reaction? There's a petition to get a 2nd season for 4 years now and on April 8 and the 30th all the fans are rewatching it for the views to go up!!!!

[@jtm881]

Is this legit? I would be so happy if he is able to continue the series!

[@-shiloh]

The way i screamed when I saw this

[@PinkPopcast]

Don't scream! You'll wake the neighbors 🤣

[@klaralundgren6998]

YES! You should a 100% watch Peter Pan from 2003, no no. You MUST watch Peter Pan from 2003!!! Love your videos and your reactions to my favorite movies and series❤Never stop:)

[@PinkPopcast]

We LOVE that movie lol

[@SocialTPIC]

This shit literally made me cry it was a great movie I had to rewatch it 😭

[@GhostLights44]

I have been waiting for this reaction for so long . Finalllyyyyyyyyyy.🎉❤😂

[@PinkPopcast]

Thank you for your patience!

[@Unkown_Person17]

It’s funny how you said you’ve heard this song in kick ass and nimona has the same VA as the girl in kick ass ( sorry I forgot her name )

[@PinkPopcast]

Yeah that’s why I brought it up 😂

[@Unkown_Person17]

@@PinkPopcast ahah 😂😂

[@Kinochan28]

17:38 Chloe Grace Moretz is the VA for Nimona😅

[@PinkPopcast]

Oh no I know ;)

[@L0uisVille_]

If either of you are Interested, this movie is actually based off the Nimona graphic novel by Noelle Stevenson. Who also did art (and I think co-wrote)for the lumberjanes graphic novel and was I believe director of the She-ra series!

[@lorettabes4553]

He has changed his name to Nate!

[@Eggsther]

"i would distrust somebody that could shapeshift" and that's exactly why this is the perfect analogy for being trans (specifically being genderfluid)

[@PinkPopcast]

But I DON’T distrust Trans or genderfluid people 😂 because boy to girl or girl to boy or non binary is still HUMAN! Nothing that can turn into a towering Godzilla monster when they’re angry is 100% safe!

[@PinkPopcast]

It’s a good analogy for other people I guess, but since I don’t have that inherent fear for queer or genderfluid people I feel judged because I ABSOLUTELY would distrust the bloody thirsty, shape shifting Nimona (maybe not “distrust” but I would definitely be asking a TON of questions they deem “small minded”)

[@SkwithOv]

@@PinkPopcast i don't think laughing about people bringing up valid points is the way to go about this :/ nobody is 100% safe, godzilla or human

[@PinkPopcast]

@@SkwithOv I promise you we are literally just talking about the movie and no, Godzilla is way worse.

[@bdd7881]

@@PinkPopcast I totally get what you're saying in both views of "they're shapeshifting into a dragon, there's gonna be some hesitancy with that" but also understanding that because there isn't that fear of tansgender/genderfluid people the initial analogy doesn't make sense and instead makes it seem like it's okay to fear them first then accept once they've proven themselves.

[@ya_fbr]

rizzo brings up a very interesting point, but i think the metaphor in this case is more about the fact that people are scared of nimona and deem her dangerous without actually getting to know her. the things they have been taught, their preconceived notions inform the way they see her and inform their decisions to kill her and hunt her down without a question because she *might* be dangerous. this is how a lot of transphobes feel. they won't even speak to one of us, they don't know anything about us, but they have already decided that we are dangerous. and at the end of it, is nimona actually dangerous? sure, she looks like an animal from time to time, but she doesn't actually turn into one (as the beloathed fin-legs of the anatomically innacurate shark so helpfully hint) - she is still nimona who just *looks* like an animal. the dangers of an animal are, after all, mostly to do with their savage and unpredictable nature - sure, the claws and venom are dangerous, but you don't automatically think a person who owns a gun will shoot you. that's just a tool they've got that they might never even use. and at the end of the day, nimona can't cause any more harm than so many of the humans in the movie have caused, so why is it that nimona needs to explain herself and make sure everyone understands what she is and her motivations, but - say - the guy who chopped his boyfriend's arm off without hesitation does not? and in the wake of all this, the dehumanisation, the loneliness for thousand(s) of years, being asked to explain why you are the way that you are (the way you have always been, the way you were born) and why you can't just stop changing and instead look "normal" and the way everyone else does will feel like small-minded questions, because they do come from that kneejerk fear that mostly inspires hate in others and they are still opposed to the possibility of just... getting to know someone without them having to make themselves easy to understand and instantly palatable.

[@PinkPopcast]

I like that assessment. From personal experience I haven’t questioned or been afraid of someone transitioning but I would ABSOLUTELY not trust the “blood-lustful” Nimona who can turn into a fire breathing dragon when angry 😂 But you’re definitely right and it still works as a beautiful metaphor and I can’t be so grumpy and nitpick queer works of art - Rizzo

[@ya_fbr]

@PinkPopcast nooo i think this is definitely a very cool and interesting discussion, and i truly do understand your perspective as well!! metaphors can be messy sometimes and an adhd brain can certainly be bothered by things not perfectly fitting 1:1 at times ;)

[@TheJeminiteLaw]

0:40 your guys’ sponsorship segments are the ABSOLUTE BEST 😂🤣

[@ChillinwithmyGnomey]

The hunt that y’all might do my favorite movie of all time “Peter pan” (2003 universal version) got me so excited. Just the reference to the movie had be giddy lol. It just makes me so happy when I find people who have seen movies like that

[@zuruaeclipse]

I have to mention this because I adore the movie and it’s message; Nimona hates being called a monster, but she acts like a villian/like one because she doesn’t want to be seen as weak and is used to the title being pushed onto her, she is leaning into the stereotype of what she should be. The only times she is genuinely close to killing someone ‘maliciously’ is when she’s been called a monster, as despite leaning into the stereotypes behind that title, she still reacts to it in a way that I’d call similar to PTSD However, even with her leaning into it, most of it is just her taking her gremlin self and turning it into a “hahaha! Murder!” though it is her personality by now, she wouldn’t outright kill a person unless warranted Some of this may be worded incorrectly, but this is my understanding of the character and I’ve never touched the books. But I’d also like to note that her “I’m Nimona” response is very much an genderfluid/agender type of response to “what’s your gender” and questions like that Edit: also, I don’t think this is about the ‘being gay is like being a monster’/‘people treat gay people as monsters’ at least unless it’s the author’s personal experience the story is based on, but yet again I have only watched the movie and am AWARE of the book, not the contents or much about the author (love ‘em for making it tho) and I’d say that, it anything, it’s about how trauma can cause a cycle of abuse and torment

[@morsidlamini1224]

Benji predicting what happens make me miss “called it “ in every video what happened to that ? 😂😂and I didn’t even know You guys had a new video coming up even though my notifications are all on . KZbin doesn’t wanna see y’all win 🫠. Great video as always And also ! I never see anyone mention the amazing effort you guys put out into the sponsor videos ! They’re fun to watch 💖

[@morsidlamini1224]

I spoke too soon , there was a called it in here 😂

[@PinkPopcast]

Thank you!! We’re looking to start an email list soon so we can tell people when new reactions are out cause a lot of people aren’t being notified to keep an eye out for that ❤️

[@rebellarose6434]

Disney dropped the wrong movie, that’s all I’ll say 😌✨

[@PinkPopcast]

They WISH they’d kept this 😉

[@aArtsyWriter]

Absolutely what I needed today

[@PinkPopcast]

🙌🙌

[@katebeckett5326]

Rizzo: “Story is the most important.” That just healed my little film student heart.

[@abe-bake]

I felt a bit frustrated watching this reaction because it felt like the trans narrative completely flew under your radar. Rizzo did say "oh I see what they're trying to do" but there was no trying, the shapeshifting was an allegory for genderfluidity, and the original graphic novel was created by a transgender author. At the same time, I get it though, I cannot tell you how to react to things, etc, it's your genuine reaction and that's valid, especially since both of you are cis you cannot speak on the trans experiences, but I just think this story raises a lot of interesting questions and is the great example of trans rep, so that can be a bit of a sensitive subject for me and other trans folks considering what's happening in the world (and US as well)

[@PinkPopcast]

No I totally get the trans rep which is what made me question HOW it was portrayed! You are human and beautiful and not dangerous and not at all a threat to anyone. You owe no explanation for your existence and transphobes are either A: Ignorant to how they’re resisting cultural change or B: Willfully participating in hateful speech (or worse). I was playfully mentioning that Nimona is sort of a legitimate threat which (in my eyes) undoes the analogy by hinting that who it represents could still harm people, even if accidentally (which is not true) But you are right! We are cis and could NEVER speak to your existence and at the end of the day, we really enjoyed this film 💖

[@JustWandering]

I don't think those issues went unrecognized, but I do think the issue is worth raising when it comes to analogies like this and X-Men and Zootopia. Comparing human beings to people with extrahuman powers, or to creatures who are inherently more dangerous within the world they live in, is a prominent trope. That doesn't mean it's automatically a bad analogy, or that it's invalid to appreciate it or feel seen by it, but I think it is worth discussing. Because while the issue of "they're inherently more dangerous than any ordinary human, do they still deserve equal rights?" is a fun conversation for an X-Men comic and can certainly be made to parallel civil rights struggles in real life, I know plenty of people in multiple oppressed groups who are frustrated with this type of representation specifically because they AREN'T more dangerous than anyone else. Nimona can both be a great kids' movie with a great trans allegory and simultaneously be representative of a trope that some people are feeling increasingly frustrated with.

[@PinkPopcast]

@@JustWandering I think what works about the X-Men series is that it’s NOT an allegory. “Mutant” is not representative of anything else, it’s an in-universe progression. So instead of their oppression being an allegory, it’s more of “history repeating itself” as these evolved humans now how to face the same difficulties they elicited upon others in the past.

[@PinkPopcast]

I also think an AMAZING queer/trans-coded allegorical animated film that works is Luca, because the only differences between the townsfolk and the water creatures is cosmetic. They have no extra set of powers, they’re not any more savage, and at the end when Alberto is exposed and seen as SCARY, he’s not any more of a threat to humans than they are to him… … versus Nimona changing into a POWERFUL KAIJU 😭😂 it’s still a cute and beautiful sorry, I just don’t judge Ballister’s small minded questions because in THEIR universe, it’s wouldn’t be a stretch for Nimona to be a legit threat. In Luca, the town’s people’s fear is unfounded and never revealed to have any merit. They were simply scared of a visual “other” which works as a perfect queer/trans allegory 💖

[@darksunshine9313]

Anything other than what is CONSIDERED ‘NORMAL’ is feared and targeted! No two people are exact replicas of each other in this world! Instead of embracing the ‘differences’ which is the beauty of every living thing on the earth, it is looked down upon, feared, targeted.. 😢 I am a 31 yo straight woman and I love to watch queer content! And my primary reason is that I am ‘different’ as I have epilepsy. 12 years back I was diagnosed with it and since then I am on medication and seizure free because of meds. Whoever came to know about it looked at me differently, I was looked down upon and it hurt so bad so I stopped telling people. But I want to tell people so that I can be my true self. So I always resonate with coming out scene in queer movies. I also want to ‘come out’ and be accepted for the way I am. Anyway, hilarious reaction guys! You put so much effort into sponsorship bits! Kudos! 😊

[@PinkPopcast]

We absolutely love queer content too! And sometimes these analogies really hit (I.e Luca or X-Men) we just get a little annoyed when something that ISNT dangerous (queer/trans/poc/disabled people) is represented by something that IS dangerous (a fox that has a natural instinct to hunt or a shapeshifter than can transform into an uncontrollable kaiju) because it essentially takes the Monster label from real life and validates it with a genuine threat in the film world… … which is why, in the fictional world of Nimona, I would ABSOLUTELY distrust the murder-obsessed shapeshifter and be validated for my initial concerns, but in the real world, we are NOT VALID for distrusting another human who is no more dangerous than I am. A black person is not a fox who might revert back to their “savage” roots, and my genderfluid friends are not going to transform into a massive kaiju who might step on a building and kill hundreds of people 😂

[@darksunshine9313]

@@PinkPopcast EXACTLY! Portraying it/ them as a monster just deviates from the purpose! As much as I liked Nimona, just the portrayal didn’t sit right with me…and similarly with Zootopia..what were they even thinking?! You cannot showcase someone as a monster and/ or someone with ‘savage’ roots and then expect it to be taken Normally without questioning 🤦🏻‍♀️ It’s like saying “Hey, they WERE ‘harmful’, but now things have changed and now they are ‘harmless’!” THEY WERE NEVER HARMFUL!! 😂 I hope the portrayals get better over time 🤞🏻 For Queer content you may check out SKAM FRANCE someday! It’s at par with Heartstopper for me 😁 Love you guys ❤️

[@squeezie_b8895]

Ahh, it’s a great tragedy to watch this movie without knowing who ND Stevenson is! He created the Nimona comic while still in school, was the main writer for She-Ra: Princesses of Power and publicly transitioned a few years ago. Nimona is inherently a story written by and about queer people who don’t fit the roles or categories society makes for them. While I don’t personally relate to Nimona’s brand of queerness, it resonates with me as someone who, throughout the past four years, watched an artist who I deeply respect embark on an identity journey that I didn’t and still don’t quite understand. I think Nimona is the closest I will ever get. Interesting side note: the Nimona character of the movie is far more textured and knowable than the Nimona of the comic. Here, I can confidently say the viewer knows who Nimona is, but in the comic, it feels as if the reader never knows her at all.

[@Xenolilly]

I love that version of Peter Pan too!

[@PinkPopcast]

🙌🙌

[@blainevanity6]

It's my favorite Peter Pan adaptation ♥

[@mads8545]

The way I squealed when I saw this was posted omg!!!!!!! Your videos always make my day!!

[@PinkPopcast]

We’re so glad!

[@aydauniverse662]

HII SO SORRY IF SOMEONE HAS COMMENTED THIS ALREADY, but future (hopefully) marine scientist here and im happy to inform you that, at 13:07 , fins DO exist down there! Many many shark species have two pelvic fins that they use for stability close to their tail fin, one on each side! But yes they do look extremely weird when enlarged and bent to look like legs. Though, I'm just glad they chose not to add the anal fin to the design also.

[@PinkPopcast]

Wait… WHAT!?! Bwahahaha no way!

[@katielong8495]

Rizzo tapping into his radio demon voice for his rocket money man. Love it 😂

[@astridmyst]

I completely understand the discussion at the end. There will never be a perfect one on one comparison for sure. I also read a ton of the comments threads as well. I completely agree and love this movie so much. It's a great discussion to have!

[@dapinkpanda113]

6:56 I don’t know if someone already mentioned this but that is a phrase a KZbinr called Ryan George says in his pitch meetings or screen rant videos. “ super easy barely and inconvenience”

[@alisond929]

The movie was based off a graphic novel by ND Stevenson btw.

[@user-vs6uh7gc6u]

I also relate to diverting questions when it comes to gender. I am not a male or female, im just myself, an entity that is not confined by gender rules. It does get exhausting though to always be told to just conform to 'normalcy' when to my culture that idea of being only two genders is part of the colonist idea.

[@BlackLion56982]

Oh my... I think I predicted this video since I was searching a few days ago whether you reacted to this movie. I love how the line between evil and good is blurred in this.

[@_surayya_]

the "evil character is actually good and the good character is actually evil" trope is SO predictable and yet i eat it up every time! i get what rizzo is saying and agree, but i also love when they flip that on its head, like in x-men (think abt the whole thing where they're creating anti-mutant legislation to sneakily surveil the masses. the movies are kind of annoyingly neutral, but it felt v much like my experience as a muslim in the early 2000s. i'm not dangerous but people point to propaganda and go "see! you're all evil!" or "you're one of the good ones" because they're comfortable never questioning anything. these allegories are almost always clumsy and borderline offensive when you spend time thinking for 10 seconds though lol). it's a fine line because the people who make these movies want to make it an "understandable" prejudice so that they can redeem characters easily, but it ends up justifying that prejudice as if bigotry comes from stupidity and not hatred, doubly so in cases when the company who makes it is on the payroll of an imperial army (i.e. marvel). it's either the autism or the gay/non-binary/commie in me, but the way villains were coded when i was a kid (queer, socialist, anarchist, etc) just made me like them more, like magneto is cool as fuck and i don't think he did anything wrong tbh. also the "villain" always monologues abt their reasons and the "hero" is just like... doing what they're told and doesn't know why. almost like US imperialism requires heavy brainwashing and anti-intellectualism. that's when they hit you with the killmonger and have the villain do literally everything right and then one cartoonishly evil thing to make sure they have no credibility!

[@DoubleBlack2.0]

6:57 AHHHH!! Love the Ryan George shoutout! ❤

[@beckmannm]

Yeah, the movie was very heavy handed with the analogy 😂. They were like, "let's make it VERY clear, it's for kids!" The graphic novel is much more ambiguous, Nimona as a monster is mysterious, and it's much darker in general. I read along with it as a webcomic, and reading ND's current thoughts on it is fascinating. He's like "oh this was about being trans and I i can't believe I didn't realize sooner"😂 It's just SO cool to see this go from webcomic to published graphic novel to development hell to cancelation to an actually completed movie! (I miss Ambrosius' long flowing locks 😢)

[@Keeshya6]

Just discovered this channel with your Pride & Prejudice reaction. See this was on your channel and had to watch. Less than 10 minutes in and Benji has guessed the entire freaking movie! Lmao! Cracking me up!

[@DarcOne13]

"Benji guessed the ending." Girl, Benji guessed EVERYTHING.

[@BlissOfCydonia94]

absolutely love every time Rizzo stops himself from putting his head on Benji's shoulder whenever he laughs 😍

[@emilyschomer6715]

39:06 But that's not what Nimona was, she was forced into the role of a monster because she was different. All people have the potential to be dangerous and she's usually just a person

[@jaydengilchrist7091]

Me and Nimona have in common because, we both know how we feel when people call us names and we lash out on people

[@SnowLeopardTherian-qr2tl]

Literally loved this episode so much! Nimona is my favorite movie and seeing you guys react to it made my day! Also Benji keeps guessing all the endings! We need to keep count of how many movie endings he guesses correctly 😂😂😂

[@PinkPopcast]

😂😂

[@stephaniefrost4910]

11:38 ah yes “nemesis green” 😂

[@PinkPopcast]

We’ve learn from Disney lol

[@agness6766]

To everybody who reacted to this movie i always write this: It came out (quite literally) at my country pride week and me and my friends sits around tv and just Watch This movie is so healing, all over the top but at the same time best of storytelling. I'm glad you enjoy this lovely peice of cinematoghraphy

[@svarakissoon1189]

the way rizzo immediately got ru paul

[@aryelmeiras6870]

I absolutely love Nimona! One of my favorite things about it is the world they created. The combination of the future (super cool technology) and the past (knights, realm, Queen…) shows that even though people and societies move forward and can achieve great things, prejudice remains. Only at the end of the movie we see the knights in regular clothes including CJ, the prejudices is slowly leaving the kingdom Sorry for the rant, thank you for coming to my Ted talk

[@RS-bn1ty]

Omg! Frances Conroy (AHS queen) voices the director!

[@Princess_-gp3ep]

Nimona is very underrated! With all due respect to studio Ghibli, Nimona should’ve won the Oscar for best animated feature!!

[@ANME1rocker]

I love predicting the movie as it's going and hearing what other people think. It's part of my fun!

[@dannaradilla6276]

OMG, I love this movie and i actually saw it when they put it here on YT for free (I do have Netflix) but it was a good move from Netflix specially because it was before the Oscars and the movie was nominated, I found that interesting and it Is on one of my fav movies now, thank you so much for reacting to t!!!

[@tateperson]

Never seen that many ABCi moments xDD 2:22 I don't know if it's a joke or simply a fact lol Also, it's been a while since I watched yall's videos but I like the new editing style

[@PinkPopcast]

Yay! I’m glad! Had to change it to work around KZbin’s new copyright system and figured it was best to focus on the actual REACTION!

[@tateperson]

@@PinkPopcast Well you did a great job :)

[@beth12svist]

As someone who read the comics as it was coming out online, I need to say this: had the shark not been included, original Nimona fans would have rioted. 😂

[@carlalorenaoliveirarosales6722]

Don't be mad Rizzo you had that epic Call it in Bridgerton season 2

[@stephaniefrost4910]

22:50 my brother loves to guess the ending of movies out loud sometimes lol it annoys me so much! I just wanna sit back & go along for the ride!!

[@PinkPopcast]

😂😂

[@PinkPopcast]

That’s how I feel too! Thankfully Benji doesn’t do this to me when we’re in the theater lol

[@RedEveTillDawn]

I hecking love your dinosaur wallpaper!!

[@lorettabes4553]

Other comments have already explained Nimona's symbolism, but I wanted to say on first time viewing Rizzo and Benji have very valid opinions on Nimona explaining herself. The intro tells you there is a monster, and if you're not deep into animation and thinking of Disney: there is normally a black and white narrative. Good vs Evil. Nimona to us Gen Z is obviously not evil. She's never harmed anyone and we can tell from her look and rebellious way of acting that its pretty harmless. I think most of us instinctively think 'this girl might have some trauma which causes her to act this way'. But if you look at the movie without that context, it's completely valid to be like Balister and question Nimona a little, to explain herself a little. Though Bal has to, ofc question more than just Nimona. And this is one kingdom surrounded by walls they never leave. What if Nimona was the norm for the outside world? Then you can really tell how scared this kingdom is of anything different.

[@MegaTigger98]

Love the reaction, I would love to see Peter Pan 2003! I think something that can get overlooked with this movie is that it is also about mental health. ND Stevenson dedicated the original Nimona graphic novel 'to all the monster girls', the ones who have been made to feel like monsters and internalised that. Nd is bipolar and that definitely played a role in how he wrote the story, he has autobiographical graphic novels as well that explore that and his transition (i would highly recommend!) The original monster attack was not her fault and any damage that occurred was from self defence. But once that label of monster was on her she started to internalise that. We all know someone with horrible mental health that causes them to lash out and be destructive to others around them. The mental health is a reason but not an excuse. Yes Nimona causes damage and can be violent from a place of frustration, self loathing and self preservation. That violence then gets put on her as another mark against her. I've definitely had people in my life say they support trans people but they shouldn't get so angry or, in some cases, violent. We see it with every human rights movement, look at Stonewall, the Suffragettes (UK), Black Panthers. And the violence then gets used as an excuse to fuel fear and negativity. You're right, it's not a 1-1 comparison but i think there's a lot in there that gets missed.

[@stephaniefrost4910]

I hope you guys come out with some “Sweet Dreams Popstars”pajamas one day 🥰😂

[@PinkPopcast]

Oh that would be so cute!

[@forestcatkay14]

This is such an unexpected movie and unique plot. I still need to get the book to see if its just as good. I do agree i want to know how she has her powers. Like is she a fae, phoenix, just a general shapeshifter? Is she like Maleficent in that she is the last of her species? I wanna know.

[@svarakissoon1189]

so glad to see the reaction to this !!!! i love seeing queer creators react to this so much. nimona makes me cry every single time

[@sanneannelies843]

I love this movie, always makes my cry😢❤

[@PinkPopcast]

Aww so cute

[@EmzKitten]

I’d love to see an arcane reaction if you’ve not done one already, and I absolutely loved this one definitely a new subscriber ❤️

[@grookeymon]

You lot seem very cool and I LOVE your heartstopper reactions!!

[@PinkPopcast]

We’re so glad you enjoyed these reactions 💖

[@sassquatch990]

Benji sitting there predicting the whole movie 😂

[@PinkPopcast]

😄😄