9 (2009 animated film)

9
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Shane Acker
Written by	Story: Shane Acker Screenplay: Pamela Pettler
Produced by	Jim Lemley Tim Burton Timur Bekmambetov Dana Ginsburg
Starring	Elijah Wood John C. Reilly Jennifer Connelly Christopher Plummer Crispin Glover Martin Landau Fred Tatasciore
Edited by	Nick Kenway
Music by	Danny Elfman Deborah Lurie
Production companies	Relativity Media Starz Animation
Distributed by	Focus Features
Release date	September 9, 2009
Running time	79 min.
Country	Template:FilmUS
Language	English
Budget	$33,000,000 (estimated)
Box office	$28,456,929

9 is a 2009 animated science fiction/action film directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov. The film stars Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau and Christopher Plummer.^[1][2] It is based on Acker's Academy Award-nominated 2005 short film of the same name.^[3] The screenplay for the film was written by Pamela Pettler. Casting for 9 was done by Mindy Marin, with production design by Robert St. Pierre and Fred Warter, and art direction by Christophe Vacher. The film is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for "violence and scary images".^[4][5] In the U.K., the film has been rated 12A by the BBFC for moderate sustained threat.^[6]

During a period of economic decline, the government of a totalitarian state commissions scientists to research ways for the nation to prosper. One scientist (Alan Oppenheimer) develops an artificially intelligent brain, but before it can be properly tested, it is taken away by the government to build the Fabrication Machine, which is used to provide labor for the people and creates machines for war. Eventually the Fabrication Machine snaps under pressure and turns against humanity, programming its machines to eradicate all forms of life. The scientist later creates a set of nine numbered ragdoll-like "stitchpunks", hoping they will preserve humanity's legacy and allow life to continue. He brings them to life by transferring his soul into each of them through a mysterious talisman object, and dies as soon as he gives life to the final stitchpunk, numbered "9" (Elijah Wood).

9 awakens in the scientist's laboratory, the world now a barren wasteland, and finds the talisman, which he instinctively takes with him. While exploring the ruined world, he encounters another stitchpunk, 2 (Martin Landau), who tells him of others like themselves before he is captured by the Cat Beast, which steals the talisman and takes 2 towards a towering factory in the distance. 9 escapes the attack and is found by the group of other stitchpunks consisting of 1 (Christopher Plummer), 5 (John C. Reilly), 6 (Crispin Glover) and 8 (Fred Tatasciore), who have all been hiding in fear of the Cat Beast. 9 explains what happened to 2 and insists they save him, but 1 refuses to jeopardize their safety. 5, on the other hand, is convinced to help 9. The two enter the factory and save 2 from the Cat Beast, which is decapitated thanks to the timely arrival of 7 (Jennifer Connelly). Noticing a socket shaped like the talisman, 9 inserts the talisman into it out of curiosity, only to have it open and inadvertently steals away 2's soul, leaving 2 lifeless. This awakens the long-dormant Fabrication Machine, prompting 9, 5 and 7 to flee.

Seeking answers about the Fabrication Machine and the talisman, 9 is taken to meet 3 and 4, who reveal details about the machine's past, though they know nothing about the talisman. 5 tells 9 that 6 might have answers and return to the hideout, where 6 states they must "go back to the source," where the talisman's secrets can be found. 1, however, berates 9 for awakening the Fabrication Machine and argues that 9 will just lead them to more trouble. Suddenly, the hideout is besieged by the Winged Beast, a new machine created by the Fabrication Machine. Through a combined effort, the stitchpunks destroy the Winged Beast, though the hideout is burned down in the process. During their search for shelter, they are attacked by another new machine, the Seamstress, which kidnaps 7 and 8 and nearly kidnaps 1 as well, who is convinced to strike back against the machines.

9 infiltrates the machine factory where he is able to save 7 and destroy the Seamstress, though he arrives too late to prevent the Fabrication Machine from stealing 8's soul with the talisman. 9 and 7 escape while others ignite a barrel of gasoline and roll it into the gas-filled factory, causing the building to explode and apparently destroying the Fabrication Machine. As the stitchpunks celebrate by listening to Somewhere Over the Rainbow, 5 wanders off to find the Fabrication Machine is still active, and barely manages to warn the others before the machine steals his soul. During the ensuing chase, 6 tells 9 that the souls of the dead stitchpunks are trapped inside the Fabrication Machine when he loses his soul as well, but not before he urges the others to return to "the source" rather than destroy the machine. Despite this, 1, 7, 3 and 4 plan to destroy the Fabrication Machine anyway, believing the dead souls cannot be saved. 9 decides to heed 6's final words and returns to the laboratory where he first awoke and found the talisman, determining it to be "the source".

Back in the laboratory, 9 finds a message from the scientist explaining how to use the talisman. When the others begin their attack on the Fabrication Machine, 9 returns with a plan to take the talisman back from the machine and use it to retrieve the souls, intending to bait himself to the machine and sacrifice his soul. 1, however, ultimately makes the sacrifice instead, allowing 9 to use the talisman to retrieve the souls, destroying the Fabrication Machine in the process. Afterwards, 9, 7, 3 and 4 set up a memorial for 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8. 9 opens the talisman and releases the souls, which scatter across the sky. A rainstorm begins with each raindrop having a part of the scientist's soul, leaving the future in the hands of the stitchpunks and the spark of life renewed.

The time period in which the movie takes place is ambiguous. The history presented does not correspond clearly to events in actual history. The Fabrication Machine and the machines it creates are technologically advanced, but primitive electronics are also shown. When 3 or 4 projects a movie it is in grayscale, as is a hologram (not yet invented) of the scientist. The stitchpunks celebrate their apparent victory over the Fabrication Machine by listening to "Over The Rainbow", a song from 1939, on a hand-cranked phonograph. In addition, flashbacks show a war fought in trenches, reminiscent of World War I possibly hinting that the movie may have taken place after that war. The robots (not yet designed) built by the Fabrication Machine sport World War 1 era Mini guns, as well as the ability to launch mortar strikes. Also, the bombers that are seen flying over the battlefield and one crashed into Notre Dame having cloth propellers, combining WWII era bomber designs with WWI era materials. Some of the automobiles seen scattered around range from the 1920s to the 1930s.

• Elijah Wood as 9
• Fred Tatasciore as 8 and radio announcer
• Jennifer Connelly as 7
• Crispin Glover as 6
• John C. Reilly as 5
• Martin Landau as 2
• Christopher Plummer as 1
• Alan Oppenheimer as The Scientist

• 1 - Cowardly, arrogant and short tempered, 1 has a strong willed ambition to keep himself and the others nested, and is a self-proclaimed leader of the group. He is not a bit sympathetic, doesn't tolerate weakness, but doesn't encourage strength or courage when it's used in ways he doesn't agree with. Although, in the end 1 learns that "one must sacrifice himself for the good of many", and gives up his soul to the Fabrication Machine, giving 9 a chance to right the wrongs.

• 2 - The high-spirited part of the stitchpunk creations. He is an old inventor with a warming personality who is kind, comforting, and feels a great deal of affection toward the rest of the group. 2 is sort of a father figure to 5, since 2 is more of an inventor while 5 is more of a healer. 2 is the first stitchpunk that 9 meets before 2 defends him from the Cat Beast. 2 ultimately loses his life force when 9's curiosity gets the better of him.

• 3 & 4 - 3 and 4 are twins that don't speak but like to "catalog" images to project them later through their eyes. They only communicate fully with each other by blinking the lights in their eyes, which they also use to gather information. The twins wear hoods, are shorter than the others, and are shy. They are always curious and are quick to learn.

• 5 - 5 is a brotherly engineer with a big heart. 5 lacks much of 9's bravery and independence mostly from being under 1's authority for so long. Though he discovers his courage when he befriends 9. 5 is the first of the other stitchpunk characters that 9 really bonds with. 5 lost his left eye escaping the battle between the humans and the machines with the other stitchpunks. 5 carries around many sharp tools like scissors, knives , sewing materials, and a harpoon. 5 is noticeably a healer in the film, using his belongings to repair members of the group including 9 and 7.

• 6 - 6 plays the role of a crazy artist. 6 is labeled as deranged by most of the group until 9 shows up with a strange contraption that matches 6's drawings. 6 is built looking a little clumsy. He is striped black and white all over, has an impression of black messy hair, has an eye that is smaller than the other, and ink filled pen nibs as fingers that he is often exercising on various sheets of paper. 6 has black marks all over himself as a result of his "pen fingers". 9 is the only one of the group to believe in 6 throughout the entire film.

• 7 - 7 is a female warrior. She wears a bird's skull as a mask and uses a dual-bladed spear as a weapon. All her color is bleached away from exploring the wild world. She is rebellious, fearless, graceful and steady-minded in the midst of danger, and can possibly be called stubborn. She is introduced as a stitchpunk who had broken off from the group long ago, probably after disagreeing with 1's ideas to stay hidden. She is also introduced to appear slightly terrifying when she effortlessly saws off the head of the massive Cat Beast. 7 cares about her group very much and doesn't really go very far from them. She makes many surprise entrances in order to protect the others from the machines. 9 admires 7 in a romantic sense, and saves her life a couple times; eventually gaining her respect and affection.

• 8 - 8 is a big, tough, and a loyal bodyguard for 1. He's not exactly intelligent, but provides a lot of protection to some of the group. He is a slight bully, and is the only one to openly dismiss 6 for his unusual ideas. 8 cares large blades with him and uses a magnet to drug himself right before he is taken by the Seamstress Machine.

• 9 - the main character and last stitchpunk created by the scientist. 9 doesn't have most of the wear and tear of the others, as he awakens as a very pure and innocent being. 9 is driven by his curiosity to eventually overcome 1's destructive rulings and the machines. He confronts with 1 quite a bit for he is a natural born leader, more so than 1. And 1 is extremely reluctant to accept that. 9 is the highest quality stitchpunk creation according to 2. He had carved wood and molded copper hands while the others seem to have more scraps and random pieces that make up their parts. 9 gains the loyal trust of most of the group with ease. He is absolutely fearless, selfless, modest, and completely willing to give his own life in the place of someone else. 9's curiosity doesn't serve him well at first, when he accidentally awakens the Fabrication Machine that steals away 2's soul.^{[original research?]}

• The Fabrication Machine - A machine built by the B.R.A.I.N that houses the B.R.A.I.N as well. It is the main Antagonist of the movie. It was designed for building war machines but also has an advanced artifical intellgence from the B.R.A.I.N. The Chancellor forced the Fabrication Machine to make more and more war machines, in which the machine snapped under the stress and pressure thus causing it to self program the war machines to attack all humans. After humanity was destroyed the machine fell dormant (for an unknown reason, though possibly due to having nothing more to do after destroying all life) until 9 (out of curiosity) placed the talisman into a socket made for it. The Fabrication Machine used the talisman to steal the souls of Stitchpunks in the hopes of gaining a soul itself and possibly hoping to become human since the Stitchpunk each contain a human soul. The Machine's victims were 2, 8, 5, 6 and 1. When the Sitchpunks destroyed the factory they first assumed that the Fabrication Machine was destroyed as well, however, it revealed itself to have survived the explosion. It was later destroyed by 9 when he stole back the talisman and used it to take back the souls of the fallen Stitchpunks, draining all life from the machine in the process. The Fabrication Machine has a pod shaped body, several arms and eyes and a long tail to fixate itself to the ceiling. When it gets angry electric sparks can be seen.
• The Cat Beast - A cat like machine built by the Fabrication Machine. It appeared in the short film where it served as the main antagonist but is only a minor villian here. It has a cat skull for a head (hence its name), a red mechanical eye (in the short film the mechanical eye was green) and a light bulb for the other eye to help it see in the dark. The Cat Beast is shown to have the behavior of a big cat due to its feline appearance. It was first encountered by 9 and 2. It captured 2 and stole the talisman. It was later defeated by 7 when she decapitated it.
• The Winged Beast - A pteranodon like machine built by the Fabrication Machine. It has wings that are made of the Nation's national flag, a mouth made of various sharp metal objects, four eyes and a harpoon that it can launch from its tail. It encountered the Stitchpunks at their shelter and was later destroyed when its harpoon tail got caught in a fan that shredded the beast to pieces.
• The Steamstress - A cobra like machine built by the Fabrication Machine. It has a head resembling a broken doll face, a red mechanical right eye, scissors for crablike claws, spools on its back, a snakelike body made of rags and 2's lifeless body sewed to the tip of it tail. It was able to make light rapidly flash through 2's eyes to hypnotize its prey (in a way similar to what an anglerfish does) and tied them up with the thread on the spools on its back.
• Blimp Beasts - Blimp like machines built by the Fabrication Machine. They are designed to patrol the factory from the sky. They have two stalked eyes, an arm and are equipped with searchlights and a siren. It is unknown if the they destroyed when the factory explodes or if they manage to escape the explosion by being high up in the air.
• Insect Machines - Small Insect like machines built by the Fabrication Machine to guard it. They have many legs and many red eyes. They've been seen chasing after the Stitchpunks in the Factory. It is unknown for sure if they were destroyed when the Factory explodes or if they survived the explosion like the Fabrication Machine did. However if they survived they would followed the Fabrication Machine as it chased the Stitchpunks.

9 is produced in part by Tim 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, Canada.^[7] The film was released by Focus Features.

Shane Acker directed the film and, with Pamela Pettler and Ben Gluck, wrote the script.

On December 25, 2008, a trailer was released on Apple.com, featuring The Knife's "The Captain" and Coheed and Cambria's "Welcome Home".^[8]

In the trailer there were several machines up against the stitchpunk group: the Cat Beast, that appeared in the short film of the same title; The Winged Beast, with movable blades of various types in its mouth; the Seamstress, the hypnotic serpentine creature; Mech Walkers, 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 pod-shaped machine with many multi-jointed arms; and several flying blimp-like machines with searchlights.^[8] Later trailers also reveal the existence of several small insect-like machines.

Part of the film's marketing strategy was its release date of 9 September 2009 ("9/9/09").

9 is the second animated feature film to be released by Focus Features, the first being Coraline, based on the book by Neil Gaiman. The trailer for 9 preceded the film 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. It is an extensive trailer which includes a bit of the background story behind the existence of the stitchpunks.

In April 2009, the movie's "Scientist" began making journal entries on a Facebook page called "9 Scientist". Daily thoughts and images of his inventions are updated frequently. The "9 Scientist" Facebook page seemingly references events leading up to the release of the movie 9.^[9]

Most recently, a new viral campaign promotional website for 9 has been launched. It sheds some light upon the background of the 9 world.^[10]

9 has received mixed reviews from critics, with its visuals being the most highly praised aspect. Based on 112 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall "Rotten" approval rating of 56% from critics, with the Top Critics ranking it higher, giving it a "Fresh" rating of 65% and the film having an average score of 6/10. The rating from the RT Community has been slightly higher, with a rating of 77%. On Metacritic, it currently holds a score of 60 out of 100 mixed or average reviews.^[11] The general sentiment by critics is that the film is "long on imaginative design but less substantial in narrative." ^[12] Variety's Todd McCarthy says "In the end, the picture's impact derives mostly from its design and assured execution."^[13]

On opening day, the film made #1 with $3,115,775. Its opening weekend landed it at #2 behind I Can Do Bad All By Myself with approximately $10,856,000 and $15,264,000 for its 5-day opening.^[14]

• List of American films of 2009
• 9 (2005 film) - The original short film on which 9 is based.
• Steampunk
• Rag doll

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 9 (2009 film).

• Official website
• 9 (2009) at IMDb
• 9 (2009) at Rotten Tomatoes
• 9 Picture Gallery
• Shane Acker's Official Website
• The Scientist's Laboratory
• The Scientist's Laboratory, Russian
• Erin Maxwell (2009-07-24). "Burton rules Con with Alice and 9". Variety.