9 (2009 animated film)

9
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Shane Acker
Screenplay by	Pamela Pettler
Story by	Shane Acker (original short) Ben Gluck (Supervisor)
Produced by	Tim Burton Timur Bekmambetov Jim Lemley Dana Ginsburg Jinko Gotoh
Starring	Elijah Wood John C. Reilly Jennifer Connelly Christopher Plummer Crispin Glover Martin Landau Fred Tatasciore
Edited by	Nick Kenway
Music by	Danny Elfman (Theme) Deborah Lurie
Production companies	Universal Pictures Relativity Media
Distributed by	Focus Features Universal Studios Home Entertainment (DVD)
Release date	September 9, 2009 (2009-09-09)
Running time	79 minutes
Country	Template:FilmUS
Language	English
Budget	$30,000,000
Box office	$48,428,063

9 is a 2009 American computer-animated science fantasy thriller film directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov. The film stars Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau and Christopher Plummer. It is based on Acker's Academy Award-nominated 2005 short film of the same name. The screenplay for the film was written by Pamela Pettler, with casting by Mindy Marin, production design by Robert St. Pierre and Fred Warter, and art direction by Christophe Vacher.

Plot

The movie opens with a speech by the Scientist (Alan Oppenheimer), stating that humans, in their "blind pursuit of technology", destroyed their world, but that life must go on. He is shown creating a robotic rag doll-like homunculus, or "stitchpunk," in order to ensure some form of life would carry on, and uses an alchemical Talisman to give it a part of his soul, granting it life. The Scientist dies animating his final creation, 9.

9 (Elijah Wood) awakens at the start of the film, taking the Talisman with him. Outside, in the lifeless and devastated world, 9 meets 2 (Martin Landau), who gives him a vocal processor to speak. However, they are attacked by a machine called the "Beast" and 2 is captured. 9 is saved by one-eyed 5 (John C. Reilly) who takes him to Sanctuary, an abandoned cathedral, where the surviving creations of the Scientist are led by 1 (Christopher Plummer) and his bodyguard, 8 (Fred Tatasciore). 9 decides to rescue 2 from an old factory, aided by 5.

The two locate 2 and the "Beast" is destroyed by 7 (Jennifer Connelly), the only female creation and an expert fighter. 9 spots a gigantic dormant Machine and, out of curiosity, connects the Talisman to a socket on it. The Talisman activates and sucks out 2's soul, which awakens the Machine. The survivors retreat to a hideout inhabited by the twins, 3 and 4, where they reveal the machine's origins: an artificial intelligence called B.R.A.I.N. which created other machines in its own image, but then turned on humanity and took over. 9 realizes they need to remove the Talisman from the machine, and returns to Sanctuary where 6 (Crispin Glover), who seems to have knowledge of the Talisman, urges them to "go back to the source." The Sanctuary is attacked by a bird-like robot sent by the Machine, which is destroyed, as is the Sanctuary.

Another machine, a snake/spider-like robot called the "Seamstress", uses 2's corpse as 'bait' and, generating a series of flashes through 2's eyes, hypnotizes 8 and 1. 7 tries to stop the robot, but is captured and taken back to the B.R.A.I.N., along with 8. 9 follows the "Seamstress" to the abandoned factory and witnesses the soul being sucked out of 8 by the Fabrication Machine, but rescues 7 before the remaining creations destroy the factory and, seemingly, the machine. The survivors celebrate, but the machine rises, absorbs the soul of 5, and grabs 6. 6 warns 9 that the souls of the murdered creations are within the machine and it shouldn't be destroyed, and that they must "go back to the source" in the Scientist's workshop where 9 awoke. The machine then sucks out 6's soul, dropping his body into a chasm. 9 goes to the workshop and finds a message for him from the Scientist, which explains how the B.R.A.I.N. was created of his intellect alone and was intended for peaceful progress, but was captured by government agents and used to build weapons of war. Thus it became corrupted, because the scientist never gave it a "human" soul.

In recompense, the Scientist designed and animated the nine creations, putting part of his soul into each of them, giving them his life. He explains how the Talisman can be used to destroy the Fabrication Machine by taking the intellect that he gave from the machine. 9 realizes that if he can take the Machine's Talisman, then he can save the souls of his friends. As they battle the machine, 9 prepares to sacrifice himself, but 1 sacrifices himself instead to allow 9 to remove the Talisman and destroy the machine. However, 9 is seemingly crushed to death underneath the Machine. 7 and the twins find his lifeless form and believe he is dead, but, much to their relief, he is alive, regaining consciousness in 7's arms.

The film ends with 9, 7, 3, and 4 releasing the souls of 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8, who, after briefly bidding them farewell, soar into the sky and cause it to rain. The raindrops contain green bio-luminescent single-celled organisms the same color as the departed souls, hinting that there is still hope for future life.

Cast and characters

Each of the nine creations in the movie represents an aspect of the Scientist's soul.

• 9 (Elijah Wood) is the Scientist's humanity. He is the main protagonist of the film. He has the parts that make him good-hearted, thoughtful, and sincere. He is always willing to risk his life to save others. He embodies the Scientist’s bravery and courage. He seeks the truth in the history of the creations, and wishes to know the meaning of life. He often clashes with the fearful leader of the creations, number 1. He is an intelligent young man, often seeing things, or realizing things the others fail to, and can think quickly and form plans in a difficult situation. He makes a very large mistake when he awakens the Fabrication Machine, but he does all in his power to make it right and protect his people from their enemies. 9 is very selfless and has a strong heart, even attempting to sacrifice his life, so 7 could retrieve the Talisman from the Machine and save the souls. 9 forms a strong, almost brother-like bond with the Healer of the group, 5. 9 has a zipper on his body to fasten his skin. He is the second creation from the original short. 9 immediately becomes enamored with the sole female, 7, attempting, and failing to flirt with her, saving her on several occasions, and holding her hand during the end, etc.

• 8 (Fred Tatasciore) is the bully from the Scientist's personality. He wields the two halves of a scissor as his weapon. He is a master of his weapons, but is the least intelligent of the group. He is given to inebriation, as shown by his affinity for magnets that reduce his mental capacities. The muscle and enforcer of the group, 8 was created to help the others physically survive the dangerous, post-apocalyptic world. 8 isn't very clever and is easily deceived. 8 is especially susceptible to number 1's doctrines, so he becomes 1's personal weapon for the film. 8 is the second to die.

• 7 (Jennifer Connelly) is the warrior part of the Scientist's personality. She is the only female creation. A rebel and a loner, she is willing to take many risks for the good of her people. She is kind and caring for others, especially towards the Historians, 3 and 4, and towards the end of the film, shows her vulnerability, most notably when she believes 9 is crushed to death. Her canvas skin’s color has been bleached away by the sun, leaving her a moonstone-white. She uses a blade mounted on a long staff for fighting, and wears a helmet made from a dead bird's skull as well as two bird feathers hanging down her back, covering up her briefly shown scar that covers her number. A brave and self-sufficient warrior, she is a fiercely independent adventuress. She was the first to reject number 1's fearful teachings, and has spent the time leading up to the film in the wilderness fighting the Cat Beast on her own. Her skin is fastened together by stitching and a green button on her chest. Along with 9 and the twins, she is a survivor. As a hardened Warrior, her nature is hardened, but she is gradually softened toward to 9.

• 6 (Crispin Glover) is the artistic portion of the Scientist's personality. He is partially insane because the Scientist already gave half of his creativeness to the Machine. 6's fingers are made of ink pen nibs, which he uses to draw. He is white, covered in faded black stripes; his hair is made of ropes and is ink-stained, like much of his body. His right eye is larger than his left, and wears a key around his neck, which he protects with his life, but no one knows what it truly unlocks (although the original suggestion is seen in the deleted scenes of the DVD). He repeatedly tells the group to go back to the source but the others don't understand him. 6 speaks in a confusing manner, so he is often ignored. He also acts somewhat like a child. 9 is the only one of the creations that believes in 6 and listens to what he says. 6 has prophetic visions of the past and future, channeling his visions through drawings to interpret them, which are accurate in predicting events and help solve mysteries that puzzle 9. The Scientist described him as being peculiar and unable to naturally fit in to his surroundings, judging from his expressive artwork that he sees the world differently from the other creations. He is the fourth to die.

• 5 (John C. Reilly) is the Healer part of the Scientist's personality. He takes the parts that he has and makes them work together. Most often this means that he fixes the injuries that the other creations have gotten while fighting the Machine and its minions. 5 is also caring, nurturing, and the loyal, big-hearted "common man" who always tries to play the peacemaker. He is a diligent worker, a meek spirit, and a devoted friend to his people. He becomes number 9’s best friend and they share a strong bond with one another. He is missing his left eye, which he lost during the War of the Machines, instead wearing a leather plate, but says having only one eye is actually useful to him because it allows him to focus on one thing at a time. The Scientist remarked that 5 was the first of his creations not to run off or explore the workshop; 5 was very trusting of the Scientist. He has two buttons on his front to fasten his skin. 5 is the third to die. He is one of the characters from the original short.

• 3 and 4 are twins, and the Historians of the group. They are unable to speak, instead using flickering lights in their eyes to communicate with each other and project images on screens for the other members of the group. They instinctively run and hide at the sight of danger. Both wear hoods because they are made of garden gloves and have a cape-like empty thumb hanging from their backs. They are both very scholarly, voraciously cataloging everything they can see and find, recording and building a massive database of the world that surrounds them and the history that led up to their creation. They are very playful and intelligent. After the Scientist created them, they playfully romped around his workshop and read all of his books. They treat 7 as an elder sister. They are both somewhat smaller than the others, and can be told apart by their numbers; 3 is slightly taller than 4, and 4 has a small blue dot on his left thigh. They, along with 9 and 7, are the survivors of the film.

• 2 (Martin Landau) is the Tinkerer portion of the Scientist's personality. He is the oldest of the creations in terms of physicality. He is a kind, delicate old inventor. He is fascinated by garbage, and loves to explore the wastelands and look for parts for his inventions. He is not in very good shape, always walking with a cane, and can only see with a lorgnette attached to his stovepipe top hat. The Scientist wrote that after 2's creation, 2 began tinkering with the loose parts of the Scientist's workshop. He is an explorer who embodies the Scientist's strong creative spirit. He is virtually fearless, and possesses an inquisitive personality. He is a teacher to 5, whom with he shares a special bond. He is also the very first one to befriend 9. 2's leather skin is fastened with many knotted strings. Shane Acker affectionately describes him as a “salty old sea dog.” He is the first to die.

• 1 (Christopher Plummer) is the traditional portion of the Scientist's personality. He is extremely clever and sly, but also domineering, irritable, quick-tempered, and slow, if not reluctant, to trust 9 and his own ideas. The Scientist described 1 as struggling out of his hands after his creation, and being stubborn and defiant. Number 1 wants to protect the group, but he can understand the world only through strict rules that end up causing harm. He ostensibly sent 2 out to scout but he really sent him out to die. Number 1's strong belief that fighting is futile leads him to avoid taking risks, which hurts the group at multiple times throughout the film. Number 1 is the most tragic of the characters in the film because he is a veteran of many wars and wants the best for the group, but his fearful nature prevents him from effectively helping the others until he sacrifices himself. Number 1's skin is fastened by many metal snaps. The old soldier shows much more courage when he preempts 9’s self-sacrifice, giving his soul instead – he is the last one to die.

• The Scientist (Alan Oppenheimer), who invented the nine creations in an attempt to thwart for the corrupt and warlike B.R.A.I.N., hoping that they would continue the spark of life. Each of his creations contains a portion of the Scientist's soul, embodying his qualities and his flaws. He used the talisman to transfer his soul and supply each with life. At the beginning of the film one of the first things 9 comes across is the Scientist's lifeless body sprawled on the floor, frightening him.

• The Cat Beast, part cat and part monkey, this robot is the first machine that 9 encounters. It has a cat skull and a red mechanical eye in its left socket and a light bulb in its right, which it uses to see in the dark. In the short film upon which the movie is based, this machine was the primary antagonist.

• The B.R.A.I.N., (Binary Reactive Artificially Intelligent Neurocircuit), a.k.a. The Fabrication Machine, is the main antagonist of film. It is an evil machine that is trying to destroy all life left on earth. It has been described as a wounded animal that lashes out at anything it feels is a threat.

• The Winged Beast, a pterodactyl-like machine. It flies with wings made from the nation's banner and a propeller, and its head and mouth consist of knives, saws, dental tools, and other razor-sharp weapons. It also contains a harpoon launcher on its tail to trap its prey.

• Seekers, zeppelin or balloon-like machines with small bodies in place of a gondola. Zeppelin Beasts move via a pair of bellows at their rear and seem to be aerial patrols for the Fabrication Machine. They have two eyes on stalks and an air raid siren, which one uses to alert the Fabrication Machine.

• The Seamstress is a snake-spider-like robot, that has 2's corpse on its tail. It flashes light through 2's eyes to hypnotize its victims, then wraps them in red thread to bind them. It kidnaps 7 and 8, but is destroyed by 9.

Production

9 was directed by Shane Acker, who also wrote the story based on his previous short film by the same title. Pamela Pettler and Ben Gluck wrote the script. It was produced in part by Tim Burton, Timur Bekmambetov and Jim Lemley, and released on September 9, 2009. Animation began in Luxembourg at Attitude Studio, but subsequently moved to Starz Animation in Toronto, Canada. The film was released by Focus Features.

Director Shane Acker at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International

Music

While the surviving creations are celebrating, "Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland plays on a vinyl record.

"Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria plays in the trailer for the film, with minor censoring.

KOCH released the soundtrack CD which was only available on iTunes before the movie was released. It includes the themes created by Danny Elfman, Deborah Lurie's score and "Welcome Home".

Track listing

1. "Introduction" [1:42]
2. "Finding Answers" [1:48]
3. "Sanctuary" [2:12]
4. "Winged Beast" [4:28]
5. "Reunion/Searching For Two" [2:12]
6. "The Machines" [0:58]
7. "Out There" [2:42]
8. "Twins" [1:36]
9. "Slaying the Beast" [1:21]
10. "Return of the Machines" [2:47]
11. "Burial" [1:24]
12. "Reawakening" [3:10]
13. "The Aftermath" [1:41]
14. "Confrontation" [1:53]
15. "The Seamstress" [2:05]
16. "Return to the Workshop" [1:54]
17. "The Purpose" [5:20]
18. "Release" [4:00]
19. "Welcome Home" - Coheed and Cambria [6:15]

Marketing

On December 25, 2008, a trailer was released on Apple.com, featuring The Knife's "The Captain" and Coheed and Cambria's "Welcome Home".

The trailer featured several machines up against the protagonists: the Cat Beast, a cat-like ambush predator that appeared in the original short film; The Winged Beast, a pterodactyl-like machine with movable blades in its mouth; the Seamstress, a hypnotic serpent; Mech Walkers, large two-legged machines armed with a machine gun and poison gas missiles which can kill in a matter of seconds; the Fabrication Machine, a cyclopic, spider-like machine with many multi-jointed arms; and Seeker, several flying zeppelin machines with searchlights. Later trailers also reveal the existence of several small ant-like machines.

Part of the film's marketing strategy was its release date of September 9, 2009 ("9/9/09").

9 is the second animated feature film to be released by Focus Features, the first being Coraline, based on the book by Neil Gaiman. The trailer for 9 preceded Coraline when it was shown in theaters and released on DVD.

A second trailer for 9 first appeared on G4's Attack of the Show. It is an extensive trailer which includes a bit of the background story behind the existence of the creations.

In April 2009, the film's "Scientist" began making journal entries on a Facebook page called "9 Scientist", including essays about each of his nine creations. The "9 Scientist" Facebook page seemingly references events leading up to the release of the film.

Most recently, a new viral campaign promotional website for 9 has been launched. It sheds some light upon the background of the 9 world.

Since the work of The Scientist is ultimately responsible for the destruction of mankind, it is of some note that the actor who plays this role, Alan Oppenheimer is the cousin of scientist Robert Oppenheimer, the "Father of the Atomic Bomb".

The film was rated PG-13 for "violence and scary images".

Home media

9 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 29, 2009 in US (region 1) and was released on February 22, 2010 in Europe (region 2).

Video game

Shortly before the film's release, SkyZone released a mobile game adaptation entitled 9: The Mobile Game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The plot is similar to the movie's plot, with minor differences. It received mixed reviews.

Reception

Critical reaction

9 has received mixed reviews from critics, with its visuals being the most highly praised aspect. Based on 174 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall "Rotten" approval rating of 57% from critics, with the Top Critics ranking it slightly lower, giving it a "Rotten" rating of 50% and the film having an average score of 5/10. On Metacritic, it currently holds a score of 60 out of 100 indicating mixed or average reviews. The general sentiment by critics is that the film is "long on imaginative design but less substantial in narrative." Variety's Todd McCarthy says "In the end, the picture's impact derives mostly from its design and assured execution."

Box office

Its opening weekend landed it at #2 behind I Can Do Bad All By Myself with approximately $10,856,000 and $15,264,000 for its 5-day opening. As of November 29, 2009, the film has grossed US$41,859,395 worldwide.

Awards and nominations

• Honored with the Winsor McCay Award [for career achievement] (producer Tim Burton)

Awards
Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Outcome
Annie Awards
	Best Animated Effects in a Feature Production	Alexander Feigin	Nominated
	Best Production Design in a Feature Production	Christophe Vacher	Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards	Producer of the Year in Animated Motion Picture		Nominated
Visual Effects Society Awards	Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture	Ken Duncan, Jinko Gotoh, Daryl Graham, Joe Ksander	Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Best Animated Film		Nominated

Prequel and Sequel

In the commentary for 9, a comment was made about a prequel leading up to the events of 9. It was also stated in the commentary that the rain drops had microscopic organisms that would eventually evolve and be shown in a sequel. These features are speculative.

See also

• List of American films of 2009
• 9 (2005 film) - The original short film on which 9 is based.
• Homunculus
• Rag doll

External links

• Official website
• Official Facebook page
• Official trailer
• The Scientist's Laboratory
• 9 at IMDb
• 9 at Box Office Mojo
• 9 at Rotten Tomatoes
• 9 picture gallery
• Shane Acker's official website
• Erin Maxwell (July 24, 2009). "Burton rules Con with Alice and 9". Variety.