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9

  • 2009
  • PG-13
  • 1h 19m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
153K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,436
149
Elijah Wood in 9 (2009)
A post-apocalyptic nightmare in which all of humanity is threatened.
Play trailer2:31
19 Videos
99+ Photos
Adult AnimationComputer AnimationDark FantasyDystopian Sci-FiSteampunkActionAdventureAnimationDramaFantasy

A rag doll that awakens in a postapocalyptic future holds the key to humanity's salvation.A rag doll that awakens in a postapocalyptic future holds the key to humanity's salvation.A rag doll that awakens in a postapocalyptic future holds the key to humanity's salvation.

  • Director
    • Shane Acker
  • Writers
    • Pamela Pettler
    • Shane Acker
    • Ben Gluck
  • Stars
    • Elijah Wood
    • Jennifer Connelly
    • Crispin Glover
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    153K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,436
    149
    • Director
      • Shane Acker
    • Writers
      • Pamela Pettler
      • Shane Acker
      • Ben Gluck
    • Stars
      • Elijah Wood
      • Jennifer Connelly
      • Crispin Glover
    • 330User reviews
    • 234Critic reviews
    • 60Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 nominations total

    Videos19

    9, Directed by Shane Acker
    Trailer 2:31
    9, Directed by Shane Acker
    9: Trailer
    Trailer 2:04
    9: Trailer
    9: Trailer
    Trailer 2:04
    9: Trailer
    9
    Clip 1:40
    9
    9
    Clip 0:48
    9
    9
    Clip 1:48
    9
    9
    Clip 1:14
    9

    Photos219

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    Top cast10

    Edit
    Elijah Wood
    Elijah Wood
    • #9
    • (voice)
    Jennifer Connelly
    Jennifer Connelly
    • #7
    • (voice)
    Crispin Glover
    Crispin Glover
    • #6
    • (voice)
    Christopher Plummer
    Christopher Plummer
    • #1
    • (voice)
    Martin Landau
    Martin Landau
    • #2
    • (voice)
    John C. Reilly
    John C. Reilly
    • #5
    • (voice)
    Fred Tatasciore
    Fred Tatasciore
    • #8
    • (voice)
    • …
    Alan Oppenheimer
    Alan Oppenheimer
    • Scientist
    • (voice)
    Tom Kane
    Tom Kane
    • Dictator
    • (voice)
    Helen Wilson
    Helen Wilson
    • News Caster
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Shane Acker
    • Writers
      • Pamela Pettler
      • Shane Acker
      • Ben Gluck
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews330

    7.0152.9K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    9juliet-staveley

    A visual banquet

    As a long-time fan of animation, I like to believe (misguided or not) that I have high standards and am not easily impressed. But this creation blew me away, so much so that I felt compelled to write my first ever review on this site. Please forgive me for the abundance of clichés that may follow.

    9 reminded me strongly of my favourite short-work, Joacquin Baldwin's award-winning Sebastian's Voodoo. The detail, backgrounds, colours, forms, the dark 'grubbiness' of the overall look, the minimal but meaningful character expressions and sublime use of light and shadow were pure heaven for the eyes.

    Imagine, if you will, a strange but beautiful lovechild of The Borrowers, Voodoo, Alien, Corpse Bride and War of the Worlds; and you have 9.

    The atmospheric score and use of imagery from various real political movements and historic events added to the post-apocalyptic, almost Gothic feel. To prevent it from becoming too heavy, it is interwoven with a deliciously subtle humour and creativity - such as the use of ordinary household objects as weapons and items of clothing. You can tell that Tim Burton had more than a sprinkling of input.

    Yes, the storyline is simple (which is why I am puzzled that so many viewers found the ending difficult to grasp) and the characters could have done with more development. That said, I immediately fell in love with 2, 4 and 5 with no knowledge of their past - a difficult task to achieve. And it would be hard to create nine full-blooded personalities with back-history involved in a complex plot in only 80 minutes.

    Which brings me to timing and the only reason I knocked a star off - I felt it ended too quickly and I just did not want it to.

    It is a rare sort of exquisite film-making that makes you want to serve it on a plate and eat it raw, enjoying every last mouthful. Then savour it all over again because you know you've missed so much in all the glorious detail.

    It is a film that stays with you long after it ends. I would urge anyone with a love of the unusual to experience it.
    8ccthemovieman-1

    Not Super, But A Decent Film With Good Animation

    I don't know how much of a market there is for animated films like this but as someone who appreciates good artwork and computer animation, I enjoyed it. Yeah, the story is only so-so but the characters keep your attention - both good and bad guys, and it is deceptively involving.

    The "good guys" in here are burlap-looking sewn puppets. Why they are who they are is explained near the end of the movie. The "bad guys" are the machines. Yes, this is familiar "Terminator" country, theme-wise, but the machines in this movie are brutal and scary. This movie is definitely not for little kids!

    If you keep your expectations in the "fair" range, and watch it on Blu-Ray, you should enjoy it. As mentioned, the story draws you in. On the other hand, if you are looking for something fantastic, you might be disappointed.
    9anna_desu

    Multiple viewings strongly suggested

    Much like Shane Acker's short (of the same name), this movie almost REQUIRES multiple viewings for the viewer to really soak everything in.

    The first time I watched the film, my initial criticisms were "That was too short" and "There wasn't not enough emphasis on characters/story". However, after watching the movie a second time, I realized that I had missed a TON of information on my first round. Upon asking other friends what they thought about the movie the second time around, I discovered that they felt the same way.

    The first time I watched the film, I felt like everything flew by. It was visual overload, and it just had bad pacing overall. However, on my second viewing of the movie, I noticed that things seemed to go by much, much slower. The pacing seemed better. I noticed character and plot subtleties that I simply did not catch the first time I watched it. I connected more with the stitchpunks, and I understood the story better. The visuals weren't just "Ohhh, pretty!" anymore, they had greater symbolism, and depth.

    The movie is, indeed, about 20 minutes too short. Certain characters needed more screen time, and certain points in the plot needed more emphasis. HOWEVER, I found that I enjoyed the movie drastically more when I saw it a second time. I plan on seeing it a third time later this week.

    This movie reveals new surprises every time you watch it. If you have seen it once already, and didn't think it was that great, I strongly suggest dropping the $8 and giving this movie a second chance. You may be surprised how much your opinion changes.
    7planktonrules

    Well, the animation was great...

    I was looking forward to seeing 9, as I had already seen the original short film (also called 9) and wanted to see what they could do by expanding upon the story. Well, after seeing this full-length film, I can certainly say I liked the computer generated animation....as for the story, well, it left a bit to be desired. And the problem is that I can't strongly recommend the film, but if you don't see it in the theater, then you'll probably like the film less because the graphics are THE film.

    The story is set in an alternate reality. While some of the features look very much like Earth, many of the details are different. There's been a war raging and tanks are definitely of the WWI variety while airplanes are of the WWII style--yet there are also very modern holograms as well. As for the leader, there is some similarity to a fascist dictatorship, but this guy sure ain't Hitler, Mussolini or Franco. It's like Earth, but not our Earth. Oddly, while I could accept this, in this alternate reality there apparently IS a Judy Garland and the song "Over the Rainbow"--an odd blending of the real and the fanciful.

    Most of the story, you have no idea what led to this ruined world that is now devoid of all life--no animals, no people...not even bugs. Slowly, some of the details of this apocalypse come out...but never is there ever a full explanation as to what happened and why--just a dribbling of information here and there. What you positively know is that instead of living beings, there are a group of very small and oddly designed burlap covered dolls--with very high tech eyes. Why these dolls are there and their purpose is unknown to them, but some are just happy to hide and avoid the hellish mechanical creations that inhabit the rubble as well.

    As for the burlap creatures, this is a shortcoming in the film. While 9 is the "designated hero", he and the rest of them really don't have any personality and a few of them seem like story clichés (such as the "strong and plucky female"). So, when one dies you are left wondering what made that one any different than the one that was killed moments earlier or you are left feeling a caricature died--not something tangible. No real character development occurs nor are their motivations particularly clear throughout the film. Nor, for that matter, does the story answer many questions at all. So, provided this doesn't bother you and you don't mind a vague story with vague characters, you'll enjoy the film very much--it certainly is a visual delight. If you demand clarity, then I suggest you see another film.
    9captaindoctorghost

    This film is one of few gems that explore the aspects of humanity

    This film at it's core explores the idea of humanity and what it means to be human. It does this by exploring themes such as friendship, curiosity and discovery, family and the fundamental question we all ask "why am I here and what is my purpose?" What makes the film so unique is that it projects these onto the main characters which are small ragdoll like automatons who have been set with the task of undoing the wrongdoings of their creator. This film has heart and on a first viewing the core themes and story may be lost by the stunning visuals of the characters and the environment they interact within. So I recommend at least watching this film twice to really appreciate all it has to offer. This film is set In a post apocalyptic setting yet it still manages to feel so unique. The closest I can think as far as cinematography is The Book of Eli, yet this is much more menacing and darker. Although wrapped up like a children's film with the animation, it definitely is for a more mature audience.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Shane Acker first made 9 (2009) as a ten minute short film while he was still at UCLA. It was nominated for Best Animated Short at the Oscars, and although it didn't win, Acker was offered the chance to expand it into a feature film. It follows the same basic plot, but more characters have been added, they have the ability to talk now, and the reason for the world's destruction is explained in more detail.
    • Goofs
      Once 2 places the voice box into 9, the zipper remains open. However, in the next shot, 9's zipper is closed. The following shot has the zipper open again. 9 is later shown zipping his zipper closed.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Scientist: We had such potential. Such promise. But we squandered our gifts, our intelligence. Our blind pursuit of technology only sped us quicker to our doom. Our world is ending. But life must go on.

    • Crazy credits
      Some of the end credits emerge from 9's talisman.
    • Alternate versions
      In the Russian dubbed version, the dolls represent the people in the Scientist's life instead of the American version where they represent his personality. 1 being the dictator, 2 being his lab assistant, 3 and 4 being the Scientist's twin children, 5 being the field doctor who saved the Scientist's life during the rise of the robots, 6 being the engineer who activated the robot, 7 being the Scientist's wife, 8 being the Chancellor's bodyguard, and 9 representing the Scientist himself.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Elijah Wood/Mila Kunis/Cheap Trick (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Over the Rainbow
      Written by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg

      Performed by Judy Garland

      Courtesy of Geffen Records

      Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

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    FAQ20

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 9, 2009 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Canada
      • Luxembourg
      • United Kingdom
      • Russia
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Nueve
    • Filming locations
      • Attitude Studios, Luxembourg, Luxembourg(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Focus Features
      • Relativity Media
      • Arc Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $30,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $31,749,894
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,740,446
      • Sep 13, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $48,428,063
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 19 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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