''9'' is a 2005

computer animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images ( moving images), while computer animation re ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

created by

Shane Acker Shane Richard Acker (born 1971 in Wheaton, Illinois) is an American animator, film director, screenwriter and animation teacher known for directing '' 9'', which is based on his 2005 Academy Award-nominated short film, of the same title. He is a ...

as a student project at the UCLA Animation Workshop.

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

saw the film and later produced a feature-length adaptation also titled '' 9'' (2009), directed by Acker and distributed by Focus Features. The film was presented at the Indianapolis International Film Festival. It was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...

, but lost to '' The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation'', although it did win a

Student Academy Award The Student Academy Awards are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in an annual competition for college and university filmmakers. Description The awards were originally named the Student Film Awards and were first ...

for Best Animation. It was released on April 21, 2005.

Plot

9 is a

sentient Sentience is the capacity to experience feelings and sensations. The word was first coined by philosophers in the 1630s for the concept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin '' sentientem'' (a feeling), to distinguish it from the ability to ...

rag doll who appears to be the last of his kind, living in the ruins of a decaying,

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...

Earth. Hunting 9 relentlessly is the Cat Beast, a mechanical monster wearing a cat's skull for a head. It appears to be guided by a small glowing

talisman A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...

which it holds in its claws. Sitting quietly, 9 stares into the mirrored surface of his own strange talisman and has a flashback. In the flashback, 9 searches the ruins with his mentor, 5, a one-eyed rag doll. The Cat Beast attacks the pair and consequently kills 5 by sucking his soul out from his mouth and 9 escapes. 9 is woken from the memory by the warning green glow of the mirrored talisman. The Cat Beast chases 9 into a building and reveals that it has not only taken the other rag dolls' souls, but also wears their numbered skins like a garment. Eventually, it falls into 9's trap and falls to its death. 9 salvages the skins of the other rag dolls and prepares them to be ceremonially burned. As he looks sadly at the skin of 5, the two talismans begin to glow. 9 realizes that they are two halves of a whole and puts them together. A beam of green light erupts from the united talisman, and the spirits of the eight slain rag dolls 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 emerge, returning to their rag doll skins to be at peace. Before disappearing, 5's soul turns to 9 and nods in approval. In the morning, 9 walks off into the wasteland, leaving the empty talisman behind in the sand.

Themes and motifs

Humanity and machines: Director Shane Acker has openly rejected the analysis of ''9'' being a "human vs. machine" narrative, saying instead: "It's not just man against machine, because our heroes are machines, as well... but it's the humanity ''within'' the machine, tempering the machine with morality... empathy... compassion." Commonalities of humans: The characters' lack of verbal speech and near-identical appearances were intended to highlight the innate ways that every person is alike with only certain individual aspects that set us apart. This contributes to the similarities between the rag dolls and humans. Humans and nature: Acker has said that the "post-human" setting of the film is the result of a man-made apocalypse, but nature has inevitably reclaimed the world. In this way, nature is inseparable from mankind.

Production

''9'' was originally supposed to last three minutes, but was later extended to ten. It was meant to be a stop-motion film, but was later made using CGI. The 2D elements of the film were made by drawing, painting, and using

Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1988 by Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the industry standard not only in raster ...

. The puppet characters and stop-motion animation were inspired by those in the film ''

Balance Balance or balancing may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance as in equality or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgaria ...

'' directed by Wolfgang and Cristoph Lauenstein.

Awards

;Awarded *

– Gold Award for Animation * SIGGRAPH – Best in Show * Animex – First Prize, 3D Character Animation * Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation College Awards – First Prize, Non-traditional Animation * Florida Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival – Best Animated Short ;Nominated *

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

–

Best Animated Short The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year ...

, lost to '' The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation''

Feature film

''9'' is a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

(which the short film accompanied on DVD and Blu-ray) adapted from the short film. It was produced in part by

Timur Bekmambetov Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov (, ; ; born June 25, 1961) is a Russian-Kazakhstan, Kazakh film Film director, director, Film producer, producer, screenwriter, and tech entrepreneur. He is best known for the fantasy epic ''Night Watch (2004 fi ...

, and Jim Lemley, and released on September 9, 2009 by Focus Features. Shane Acker stayed on as director and the screenplay was written by Pamela Pettler. The lead voice actors are

Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy (2001–2003) and '' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'' (2012). Woo ...

Jennifer Connelly Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12, 1970) is an American actress. She began her career as a child model before making her acting debut in the 1984 crime film ''Once Upon a Time in America''. After having worked as a model for several year ...

John C. Reilly John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer, and writer. After his film debut in ''Casualties of War'' (1989), he gained exposure through his supporting roles in '' Days of Thunder'' (1990), '' ...

Martin Landau Martin James Landau (; June 20, 1928 – July 15, 2017) was an American actor, acting coach, producer, and editorial cartoonist. His career began in the 1950s, with early film appearances including a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's ''North ...

Crispin Glover Crispin Hellion Glover (born April 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for portraying eccentric characters on screen, such as George McFly in ''Back to the Future'' (1985), Layne in ''River's Edge'' (1986), Andy Warhol in ''The Doors' ...

Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore (; ) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk and Beast in various Marvel media and Solomon Grundy in various DC ...

, and

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0443424, 9 2005 short films 2005 computer-animated films 2005 science fiction films 2000s American animated films 2000s animated short films American animated short films American animated science fantasy films American robot films American science fiction adventure films Animated films without speech Animated post-apocalyptic films Animated thriller films Computer-animated short films Films based on urban legends Focus Features animated films Focus Features films