9 (2009 animated film)

Plot

In the 1930s, a Scientist is ordered by his dictator to create a robot in the apparent name of progress. The Scientist uses his own intellect to create the B.R.A.I.N., a robot with a soulless ability. However, the dictator quickly seizes it and integrates it into the Fabrication Machine, an armature that can construct an army of war machines to destroy the dictator's enemies. Lacking a soul, the Fabrication Machine becomes so corrupted, sadistic, and bloodthirsty that it has the idea to exterminate all of Earth's population. The Fabrication Machine reprograms the other war machines to attack humanity, wiping out all plant, animal and microbial life with toxic gas and chemical weapons. On the verge of destruction, the Scientist who created B.R.A.I.N. uses alchemy to create nine homunculus-like rag dolls known as "Stitchpunks," giving them portions of his own soul via a talisman he created. He dies as soon as the final one is ready.

Some time later, that final doll, 9, awakens in the Scientist's workshop. Taking the talisman with him, 9 ventures into the devastated city and meets 2, a frail inventor who gives him a voice box and is surprised when 9 reveals the talisman. The last active machine, the Cat-Beast, attacks the pair and takes 2 and the talisman. 9 collapses, but awakens in Sanctuary, an empty cathedral that is home to other Stitchpunks, including the dogmatic leader 1, his large bodyguard 8, the cycloptic engineer 5, and the mentally unstable oracle 6. 1 immediately declares 2 as dead, but 9, having seen the condemned factory where the Cat-Beast has taken 2, decides to rescue him. 9 and 5 venture to the factory where they find 2. Meanwhile, 7, the only female of the Stitchpunks, arrives and slays the Cat-Beast. 9, drawn by curiosity, connects the talisman to the previously derelict Fabrication Machine, causing it to absorb 2's soul, reviving the machine and killing 2 in the process whilst 9, 5, and 7 manage to escape the factory.

7 takes 9 and 5 to an abandoned library, where the silent scholar twins, 3 and 4, show 9 the Fabrication Machine's origins. 5 realizes the talisman's symbols match the clairvoyant drawings of 6. 9 and 5 return to Sanctuary to investigate, but 1 decides to intervene by going up against them, and reprimanding them. The Fabrication Machine then assembles new robotic hitmen; one of them, the bird-like Winged Beast, attacks Sanctuary, leading to a battle between the Stitchpunks and the Winged Beast. 7 joins the fight, but is injured. Still 5, 6, and 8 win by murdering the Winged Beast.

As the group retreats to the library, 6, 3, and 4 cryptically explain the talisman's origins, but 1 gets upset again by announcing to the group that before he sent 2 out of Sanctuary on a scouting trip to die. 7, who gets shocked by this, loses her temper by lashing out at 1 before running off when 9 prevents her from attempting to murder 1. Meanwhile, the Fabrication Machine retrieves 2's corpse and uses it as a hypnotic lure for another one of its robot hitmen, The Seamstress. The Seamstress then attacks the library and captures both 7 and 8, but 2's body is recovered and given a funeral by the others. The others then run to the factory to destroy the machines. 9 goes inside alone, assassinates the Seamstress, and rescues 7, but not before witnessing 8's soul being absorbed by the Fabrication Machine. 9 and 7 escape while the others destroy the factory.

The Stitchpunks celebrate the destruction of the factory, but the Fabrication Machine, which stayed alive, suddenly emerges from the ruins of the factory and absorbs 5's soul after surprising the other Stitchpunks. The Fabrication Machine soon attacks the group as they run away with fear, and finally captures 6, who is absorbed but not before telling 9 to go to the Scientist's workshop to find answers. 9 follows 6's instructions, finding a holographic recorded message from their scientist creator, who explains that the Stitchpunks are all a part of himself, making them the only hope for humanity. After that 9 realizes how the talisman can be used against the Fabrication Machine to free the captured Stitchpunks' souls.

9 reunites with the other Stitchpunks and devises a plan to sacrifice himself to allow the others to retrieve the talisman from the Fabrication Machine. 1, having had a change of heart, redeems himself after saving 9 by pushing him out of the way, allowing himself to be absorbed and giving 9 the opportunity to remove the talisman. As the Fabrication Machine desperately tries to grab the talisman, 9 activates it and reabsorbs the souls taken by the Machine, resulting in its final destruction. Afterwards, 9, 7, 3, and 4 free the souls of 5, 1, 6, 2, and 8 from the talisman as they fly up into the sky, causing it to rain. The final image shows that the raindrops contain small flecks of glowing bacteria, bringing life back into the world.

Creations

Humans

Robots

Production

9 was directed by Shane Acker, who also wrote the story based on his previous short film by the same title. The screenplay was written by Pamela Pettler. Acker, a young director, was influenced by Tim Burton, who worked with him on this animated feature. It was produced in part by Burton, Timur Bekmambetov and Jim Lemley, and was released on September 9, 2009. Animation began in Luxembourg at Attitude Studio, but subsequently moved to Starz Animation in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The film was released by Focus Features. Originally, TriStar Pictures was supposed to release the film with Focus Features, but was later dropped out to distribute Planet 51.

Music

While the surviving creations are celebrating, "Over the Rainbow", the song from The Wizard of Oz performed by Judy Garland, plays on a 78rpm gramophone record, which was not included in the original motion picture soundtrack to 9. "Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria plays in the trailer for the film, with minor censoring, which is included in the soundtrack. The trailer also features an excerpt from "The Captain" by The Knife, which was also not included in the soundtrack. It was only available on iTunes and on Amazon before the film was released 8 days later. It includes the themes created by Danny Elfman, Deborah Lurie's film score and "Welcome Home".

All music composed by Danny Elfman and Deborah Lurie with soundtrack, except "Welcome Home" (lyrics by Claudio Sanchez, music by Coheed and Cambria).

Marketing

On December 25, 2008, a trailer was released on Apple.com that features The Knife's "The Captain" and Coheed and Cambria's "Welcome Home". The trailer featured several machines: 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; Steel Behemoths, 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 Seekers, aerial machines with searchlights. Later trailers also reveal the existence of several small spider-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, written and directed by Henry Selick and 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 and was later shown before Land of the Lost. 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. A viral campaign promotional website for 9 was launched. It shed 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". Although it was an animated film, 9 was rated PG-13 for "violence and scary images". NECA Toys released collectible action figures of 9 and 1.

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.

Critical reaction

9 has received generally mixed reviews; critics praised its animation, visuals and tone but criticized its average voice acting, lack of character development, and pacing. Based on 182 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating of 57%, the critical consensus stating: "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 currently holds a score of 60 out of 100 indicating mixed or average reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying it is "beautifully animated and intriguingly unwholesome... nevertheless worth seeing". 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 $10,740,446 and $15,160,926 for its 5-day opening.The film has grossed US$48,428,063 worldwide.

Awards and nominations

Home media release

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 29, 2009, just three-and-a-half months after the film's theatrical release. The DVD and Blu-ray contained special features such as the director Shane Acker's original 2005 short film of the same name, cast interviews, and commentary by the filmmakers.

Possible sequel

No plans for a sequel have been made, but possibilities were mentioned via the film's 2009 DVD commentary. Director Acker has also mentioned the possibility of a sequel being made because of the lack of darker animated films, claiming that everything is G and PG-rated with little to no dark elements. In 2009 he said that he will continue to make darker animated films, either doing so with a sequel to 9 or original ideas for future films. Before the theatrical release of the film, Acker and producer Tim Burton stated they were open for a sequel, depending on how well the film was received. Since the film's home release, there have been no further mentions of a sequel, with Acker focusing on projects announced in 2012 (Deep) and 2013 (Beasts of Burden), neither of which have been released as of August 2017. However, despite the silence from Acker, in January 2017, the Facebook profile under the scientist character was updated with a rather cryptic message. The profile had been inactive since 2009, leading some to speculate the teasing of a sequel.