Netflix has shocked fans worldwide by dropping the hit 2023 anime film Nimona on YouTube. It can now be viewed for free ahead of the Academy Awards ceremony in March.
Netflix is one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world, famed for creating original series such as Stranger Things and popular adaptations like One Piece and The Witcher. The company has become famous in recent years for adapting anime films into live-action, but now, it is staying faithful to the original.
The company revealed they had put the film Nimona on YouTube for free. While some people believe the move is a marketing attempt from Netflix, the more likely option is that it has made the movie free to generate Oscar buzz. One Reddit user said, “Oscar voting starts this week, and Nimona is up for the best-animated feature. Netflix is trying to drum up some buzz around it.”
Nimona is up against stiff competition at the Academy Awards, as also nominated are Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Boy and the Heron.
The film was initially released on Netflix in June 2023. Despite receiving critical acclaim, it didn’t do as well on the streaming site as Netflix would like, as it is still relatively unknown today compared to some of the streaming sites’ more popular releases. Now that it is available for free on YouTube, it may be that the film receives more attention.
Only time will tell how long Netflix decides to leave Nimona on YouTube or whether it will be available permanently even after the Oscars.
Check out the trailer for Nimona below.
