Return to Nim's Island

The film opens on Nim's Island, where Nim lives with her scientist father, Jack, and their animal companions: Selkie the sea lion, Fred the lizard, and Arbie the bird. Their peaceful existence is threatened when Jack's father-in-law, Grant, warns that developers have hired a lawyer to argue that Jack is merely a squatter, clearing the way for a massive resort. Jack travels to Brisbane to lobby the Minister of the Environment, leaving Nim under the supervision of his awkward, lab-bound intern, Felix. Nim discovers a legal loophole: if she can document three endangered species on the island, it will be declared a protected habitat. Meanwhile, a teenager named Edmund runs away from his bickering parents in Brisbane and arrives on the island. Nim initially views him as an 'invader' and a threat, especially after his presence inadvertently leads a group of poachers—Booker and his sons Frankie and Ben—to their shores. Despite her initial hostility, Nim realizes Edmund's video camera is essential for documenting the animals. They successfully track Bulmer's Fruit Bats and a Bilby, but the mission is jeopardized when the poachers capture Selkie to sell to a Russian circus. Felix, inspired by Jack's advice to 'embrace the chaos,' leaves the safety of the lab to join the fight. Using tactics inspired by the fictional adventurer Alex Rover, the trio sets traps for the poachers involving a swarm of bees, quicksand, and liquid nitrogen. In the climax, Nim and Edmund scale the dangerous Cormorant Cliffs to find the final species, a Fijian Crested Iguana. They are cornered by Booker, but Jack returns just in time with the authorities. The poachers are arrested, the island is saved from development, and Edmund returns home to reconcile with his parents, though he and Nim remain close through their shared adventure.