Belgian postcard by Boomerangjack. Photo: Cinenews.be. Publicity still for 9 (Shane Acker, 2009).
Belgian postcard by Boomerangjack. Photo: Cinenews.be. Publicity still for 9 (Shane Acker, 2009). Caption: 1 - to protect us...
Belgian postcard by Boomerangjack. Photo: Cinenews.be. Publicity still for 9 (Shane Acker, 2009). Caption: 2 - to inspire us...
A battle against a Transformer-like red-eyed monster called the Beast
A hand-stitched doll with the number 9 written on its back (and with the voice of Elijah Wood) comes to life. The world he has awakened in is frightening, but #9 quickly learns that he is not alone and that there are others like him, also with a single digit written on their back.
The first one he encounters is #2 who tells him something of what happened to the world. 2 is also thrilled with the disk 9 is carrying, one with three unique symbols on the front.
They meet also #1 through #8, including the domineering war veteran #1 (voice of Christopher Plummer), the aging inventor #2 (voice of Martin Landau), the stout mechanic #5 (voice of John C. Reilly), the visionary artist #6 (voice of Crispin Glover), and the fearless warrior #7 (voice of Jennifer Connelly).
They find themselves in a battle against a Transformer-like red-eyed monster called the Beast in which #9 shows unique leadership skills. The nine will prove capable of salvaging what still remains of this world, and laying the groundwork for a hopeful future.
Belgian postcard by Boomerangjack. Photo: Cinenews.be. Publicity still for 9 (Shane Acker, 2009). Caption: 3 - to define us.... / 4 - to teach us...
Belgian postcard by Boomerangjack. Photo: Cinenews.be. Publicity still for 9 (Shane Acker, 2009). Caption: 5 - to guide us...
Belgian postcard by Boomerangjack. Photo: Cinenews.be. Publicity still for 9 (Shane Acker, 2009). Caption: 6 - to lead us...
A ground-breaking post-apocalyptic fable
Wikipedia describes 9 as "a 2009 computer-animated post-apocalyptic action film". The film is based on a short film that Shane Acker, then a student at UCLA, made in 2005. This film, also titled 9, was nominated for a 2006 Oscar.
So Acker was permitted to make his feature directorial debut with an expanded version of his ground-breaking post-apocalyptic fable. 9 (Shane Acker, 2009) was the second animated feature film to be released by Focus Features. The first was Coraline (Henry Selick, 2009) based on the book by Neil Gaiman.
The first images of 9 (Shane Acker, 2009) are spellbinding. In close-up, thick fingers make the final stitches in a roughly humanoid little rag doll, and binocular eyes are added. This creature comes to life, walks on tottering legs, and ventures fearfully into the devastation of a bombed-out cityscape.
9 (2009) received generally mixed reviews. The general sentiment by critics was that the film is "long on imaginative design but less substantial in the narrative."
Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars in the Chicago Sun-Times: "9 is nevertheless worth seeing. It might have been an opportunity for the sort of challenging speculation sci-fi is best at, however, and the best reason to see it is simply because of the creativity of its visuals. They're entrancing."
Variety's Todd McCarthy wrote: "In the end, the picture's impact derives mostly from its design and assured execution." 9 earned $48.4 million on a $30 million budget.
Belgian postcard by Boomerangjack. Photo: Cinenews.be. Publicity still for 9 (Shane Acker, 2009). Caption: 7 - to defend us...
Belgian postcard by Boomerangjack. Photo: Cinenews.be. Publicity still for 9 (Shane Acker, 2009). Caption: 8 - to guard us...
Belgian postcard by Boomerangjack. Photo: Cinenews.be. Publicity still for 9 (Shane Acker, 2009). Caption: 9 - to save us.
Sources: Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert.com), Jason Buchanan (AllMovie), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
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