9 (2009)

9 is a 2009 computer-animated post-apocalyptic adventure film directed by Shane Acker, written by Pamela Pettler and produced by Jim Lemley, Tim Burton, Timur Bekmambetov and Dana Ginsburg. The film is based on Acker's Academy Award-nominated 2005 short film of the same name created at the UCLA Animation Workshop. Focus Features released it theatrically on September 9, 2009.

Plot
When 9 (Elijah Wood) springs to life, it finds itself in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are extinct, and the only signs of life are sentient rag dolls like itself and the machines that hunt them. Though it is the youngest of the group, 9 convinces his comrades that the only way to survive against the machines is to stop hiding, go on the offensive, and find out why the machines want to destroy them. As 9 and the group explore the question as to why the world got to this point, the very fate of life itself hinges on their success or failure.

Why Their Mission Began

 * 1) The idea of humans no longer existing in a post-apocalyptic world and the awakening of homunculus sentient rag dolls called "Stitchpunks" and the machines that hunt them for their souls is very creative and original.
 * 2) *What truly makes this movie's plot unique is the fact that, unlike most other apocalypse movies that take the time to show the world's destruction before moving on to the main story in said apocalyptic world, this movie actually starts off with the world already destroyed and our protagonists being left alone to survive in it as the final life forms on Earth that haven't been terminated by the Fabrication Machine.
 * 3) Clever and charming voice acting, especially Elijah Wood (9), John C. Reilly (5) and Christopher Plummer (1).
 * 4) Impressive, great, appealing, and very inspiring animation, especially for late-2000s standards. The human characters design doesn't slightly look uneven and uncanny at all. Since this film was animated by Starz Animation (Jam Filled Toronto) who also animated The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie.
 * 5) Not only Shane Acker did a great for directing this movie, but he also got him as the director as well since he directed Academy Award-nominated 2005 short film of the same name that make it more useful at all.
 * 6) One main of the main protagonist, 9 (Elijah Wood's character) is really likable and useful. He is very intelligent, but he can make mistakes due to his curiosity and he seeks the truth in the history of his creation, and wishes to know the meaning of life.
 * 7) The soundtrack by Deborah Lurie is really thrilling that fits tone on each scenes.
 * 8) Speaking of the Stitchpunks, they (while not exactly incredibly complex characters), all have distinct personalities that helps the audience tell each one of them apart from one another. A major contributor/reason to this fact is that they were all created using a different aspect of the scientist that was responsible for their creation's personality, something that plays into their own personalities greatly.
 * 9) *1 is the fearful, arrogant portion of the Scientist's personality. While he generally serves as the most aggressive and arrogant of the group, he, at heart, is actually a coward. Which is mainly symbolized by his lack of true action to protect the Stitchpunks and instead usage of words in order to keep himself above them.
 * 10) *2 is the creative and genius portion of the Scientist's personality. He's a kind-hearted and caring inventor, often intrigued by garbage or similar objects, which he uses in order to build his inventions.
 * 11) *3 and 4 and the historians of the group and parts of the Scientist's personality respectively. They have energetic and intelligent personalities, and communicate by flickering the lights on their eyes due to them both being mute.
 * 12) *5 is the healer part of the Scientist's personality. The peacemaker of the group, he has the most caring and nurturing personality of the group and is very skilled when it comes to weapon usage.
 * 13) *6 is the artistic portion of the Scientist's personality. One of the more eccentric members of the group, he tends to see things in generally mundane objects that the others don't due to his imaginative and resourceful personality.
 * 14) *7 is the fighter part of the Scientist's personality. The rebel of the group, she tends to be a loner and doesn't hesitate to risk her own life for the sake of protecting her people.
 * 15) *8 is the brutish ruffian from the Scientist's personality. He serves as the "strong, but dumb" character for the movie (which, despite already being done before in movies like The Emperor's New Groove, is still well-executed here), as well as the team's weapon expert.
 * 16) *9 is the one that represents the Scientist's humanity, bigheartedness, thoughtfulness, and sincerity. He's very curious (a trait that often leads him into dangerous situations), but also very intelligent and aspires to discover the true meaning of life.
 * 17) Similar to Coraline (another Focus Features animated feature that was, coincidently, also released in 2009 and arguably a pretty similar tone and atmosphere to this film) the movie begins with a montage of a doll-like character being sewn together. Which is some pretty good foreshadowing for the movie itself and its storyline/characters.
 * 18) There are some funny moments (in spite of the movie's incredibly dark tone due to its setting being a post apocalyptic world destroyed by machines and the events of the movie itself, but that still doesn't leave the film completely humor-free). Such as:
 * 19) *Meeting 9, 7 and 5.
 * 20) *The Stitchpunks celebrating the destruction of the factory while the phonautograph plays "Over the Rainbow".
 * 21) The ending is absolutely beautiful: After the destruction of the Fabrication Machine, 9, 7, 3, and 4 releases the souls of 5, 1, 6, 2, and 8 from the Talisman and they ascend into the sky, finally free. A voice (heavily implied to be 7) then asks, "What happens next?", which is met with a voice (presumably 9) telling her "I'm not sure, exactly. But this world is ours now, it's what we make of it." All the while rain pours down and drops of water land on the screen where tiny glowing green specks of bacteria are seen moving, indicating that the cycle of life is about to be re-started once again.
 * 22) * 9's (or who is heavily implied to be him) final lines in particular are very touching, as they are, as PhantomStrider put it "one of the most important messages we can ever be told".

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Even though 9's voice acting is nonetheless good, his voice can arguably sound a bit bland or even generic.
 * 2) The pacing can be inconsistent at times.
 * 3) The movie is kind of rushed sometimes (Due to the release date).

Reception
9 received generally mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating of 57% based on 187 reviews, and average rating of 5.90/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Although its story is perhaps too familiar and less complex than some might wish, 9 is visually spectacular, and director Shane Acker's attention to detail succeeds in drawing viewers into the film's universe.". On Metacritic, it holds a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based on reviews from 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". However, despite the mixed reception from critics, it was well-received by audiences alike.

Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, favorably comparing it to the works of Hayao Miyazaki and saying that it is "beautifully animated and intriguingly unwholesome... nevertheless worth seeing".

Trivia

 * Post-war Vienna was one of the major inspirations for the atmosphere and visuals of the film.
 * This was the first and (so far) only "adult" animated movie distributed by Universal Pictures (under the Focus Features name) to date.
 * This was Christopher Plummer's 2nd animated feature film to be made in 2009 after Up.

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