9 (produced by Tim Burton) review by Mark Walters

In this era of CGI animated features, PIXAR rules the day with undeniable power. But that hasn't stopped a few others from trying their hand at the realm. Tim Burton is of course renowned worldwide as a masterful director with a unique vision. Director Timur Bekmambetov made a big jump from Russian cinema to American moviemaking with WANTED, a huge hit based on the popular comic book. Now the two men have joined forces to produce a rather unusual computer-animated film called 9, directed by newcomer Shane Acker. With minds like that behind the scenes, the end result a hauntingly beautiful movie... but this ain't your parents' animated flick.

The story of 9 follows some living ragdoll characters, each with only a number on their back for identification, all living in what appears to be a newly post-apocolyptic world once inhabited by humans. They don't seem to know exactly why they're there, or what purpose they serve, but they have learned to fight for survival. The newest of the group, number "9" (voiced by Elijah Wood), wakes up to find himself voiceless and lost in this doomed world. He stumbles across "2" (voiced by Martin Landau), who helps him to talk, and begins to explain what is going on, just before he is snatched up by a mysterious mechanical creature. But "9" escapes, and soon finds others similar to him and "2" living in secret, and doing their best to avoid the aforementioned creature. He discovers "5" (voiced by John C. Reilly), a cautious ragdoll who "2" once saved from death, and "6" (voiced by Crispin Glover) who is a seemingly crazy and obsessive figure - just two of those among the ragdolls. This group is led by "1", a timid but stern leader, who feels they should stay hidden if they hope to survive. But "9" feels this is a time for courage, and the lives of their comrades are worth risking everything to save. Joined by a rather tough but exiled member "7" (voiced by Jennifer Connelly), our hero "9" goes out into the perilous land to hopefully save the one who once saved him.

From the moment this movie starts, you are transported into a familiar but yet magical world of twisted fantasy. Visually, 9 is one of the most amazing films in years. Some could say it's almost like a darker version of TOY STORY... much, much darker. The unique visual influence of Tim Burton is very apparent, not only in many of the character traits, but in the many settings our heroes find themselves in. And Timur Bekmambetov's flair for incredible action is evident in the imaginative action sequences. This surely wasn't an easy film to put together, or make sense of, and director Shane Acker has done just that. There is so much stuff going on here that you'd be hard-pressed to look away.



I found the characters interesting and perfectly cast in the voice department. I also enjoyed immensely the fact that the filmmakers weren't afraid to hold back with the dark elements of the story. This is NOT a kid's film, at least not one intended for younger children. But how refreshing is it to see an animated movie that smart young adults and regular adults can not only appreciate but be in awe of? That's how I felt watching this - I was in awe. The character design is fascinating, right down to very little details in the fabric and mechanics. It looks as if no expense was spared in capturing realism within this ever so surreal world. Voice casting either works or it doesn't... here it works very well. Elijah Wood personifies the reluctant hero with a heart of gold. One can't help but think of Frodo a tad while listening to Wood's innocent voice for "9" in the film, and in ways this story almost parallels some of the elements in THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies. Jennifer Connelly was so spot on as "7" that I actually forgot it was Jennifer Connelly doing it - it's instead just a cool character with a cool voice, and it works. I never thought I'd see the day that John C. Reilly would work as a voiceover artist, but he's great as "5", the more cautious member of the group who actually gives a lot of heart to the story. Martin Landau is very sparingly used as "2", but he works well regardless, and is as endearing with that vocal performance as one might expect. And the great Christoper Plummer adds a layer of elegance and refinement to the character of "1" that is penomenal. Since "1" pretty much serves as the antagonistic character in the film, that is one voice that must not be screwed up, and I'm happy to say that Plummer was clearly the perfect choice.

Is 9 perfection? Probably not. But it is an amazing experience at the movies, and visually stunning. I also found it to have a lot of emotion, perhaps more than I expected. Much of the heart in this movie comes toward the end, in a finale that will most likely polarize audiences, and create undoubtedly strong comparisons to the ideals of religion. But from just my perspective, I found 9 to be an incredible film, and I sincerely hope others can share the enthusiasm I found myself with upon exiting this instant classic. At 79 minutes, it never gets overlong, and it certainly never gets boring to look at.

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