9 (2009) is the brain child of animator Shane Acker, who developed a small video by the same name in 2005. That video became so popular that Acker was able to adapt it to the big screen, gaining the support of Tim Burton among others along the way.
From a Small Video Comes A Beautiful Film
There is no doubt that 9 is one of the best animated films to come out this year, but it has a different feel from movies like UP (2009) or Kun Fu Panda (2008). While Pixar and DreamWorks keep turning out cleaner more crisp films, 9 chooses to focus on textures and detail that those large studios often over look.
The detail is so striking that the viewer can see every thread on the dolls and every puff of dirt that is kicked into the air. The detail is also magnified by the originality of images, these are not huggable creatures, as per a Disney film, but things made with intentional flaws. These small flaws add a fantastic layer of depth to the film and make it almost impossible to pull your eyes away.
This attention to detail is complimented by an engrossing story that, while not fully realized, has great character development and flow. The story is made even more impressive knowing that the original film lasted two minutes and had absolutely no dialog or back story; to take such a humble original material and make it a full film is truly a great achievement.
Great Story Which May be a Little Short
Some will comment that the film is to short, clocking in at about 80 minutes. But the length of the film has no damper on the intensity or intricacy of the movie. The focus of the film is on 9 seemingly rag doll creatures who are trying to live in a destroyed city that is devoid of life except for some rather fierce mechanical creatures that are on constantly on the prowl.
They have no idea why they are there or what actually happened to the city, but that all changes when a new doll, 9, voiced by Elijah Wood shows up and begins to ask questions. What follows is a rather intense search for answers in a very barren and dark world. And while this may appear to be a child’s film, there are some rather dark images and themes throughout, though what else could you expect from a film produced by Tim Burton.
Stunning Visual Elements
It is one thing to make a film that has great images; it is another to make sure those images flow and are accompanied with fantastic scoring. There are quite a few sequences in 9 that will take your breath away, with that very combination. If this is the first of Acker's films Pixar should be worried about the strangle hold they have over medium.
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