Produced by renowned filmmaker, Tim Burton, 9 is a dark sci-fi animated film set in an apocalyptic future. The film follows a rag doll named 9 who awakens in a world overrun by malignant machines. No humans remain in this world but along the way, 9 meets with eight others like him. They soon learn they must band together to save what’s left of humanity — which might just be themselves.
At first glance, 9 seems like an obvious competitor with movies like Coraline. Though Tim Burton is not associated with Coraline, contrary to popular belief, both movies share a uniquely dark take on the animated fantasy film. In fact, this is what initially drew me toward the movie. Coraline (2009)has safely cemented itself as one of my favorite movies since I first saw it in theatres. Though I enjoyed many aspects of 9 and would gladly rewatch it, it didn’t leave the impact I expected.
Intriguing Concepts and Design
Let’s start with the good. The overall concept of the film is intriguing. Darker animation has become even bigger in recent years. More and more animated films and series target a wider audience rather than just kids. I do believe 9 played a part in this ever-growing trend. At the time of its release, it was a unique addition to the film landscape. A scientist imbued nine rag dolls with the essence of humanity and left the fate of the world in their hands. The concept allows the film to explore themes of humanity versus technology, power, corruption, and more. 9 does a good job of handling the divide between humans and machines. Though the ragdolls aren’t human, they capture the emotions and flaws of being human. They each have unique personalities. They struggle against their fear and curiosity. These endearing dolls make you root for their survival.
The character design is another strength of the movie. The unique details added to each doll express their individual characters beautifully. 1’s extra stitching and patching, 6’s wild “hair” and erratic striping. The pieces of the human soul they represent are reflected in the very materials they were shaped from. The twins, 3 and 4, were my favorite characters despite their lack of screen time. They don’t speak but rather communicate through the shuttering of their eyes. They represent the human intellect and curiosity, cataloging information about the world before and now. I would have loved to see more of them.
Lacking in Worldbuilding and Cohesion
Despite 9‘s initial appeal, it doesn’t hold up as well as other movies of its time. The heart of the story was there but the animation can’t help but feel dated. It didn’t ruin the experience of watching it by any means and there’s something to be said about the nostalgic feel of it. But the overall look was a bit muddy.
The bigger issue wasn’t so much the animation but the plot. The concept draws you in but the plot and pacing don’t fully deliver. There are moments in the backstory that give insight into how this world came about but they’re sparse. There are more fight scenes where I would have loved to see more world-building. The movie felt at times like a repetitive series of action scenes cut together with little chance to breathe. I was left wanting to know more about the world as well as the characters. Since the characters’ design was so interesting and their personalities so clearly differentiated, I wanted more dialogue scenes between them, something to build the sense of found family that was being formed.
9 was originally a short film that Shane Acker created during his time at UCLA. Running just over ten minutes long, Acker’s then-student project sets up the world of the movie, introducing audiences to the titular character, 9, as he battles a machine. Tim Burton later picked up the short and the feature-length film was born. The short itself has no dialogue and, other than a brief appearance from 5, focuses on 9. Watching the short, the strengths of this story are more apparent. The intrigue is there throughout despite the lack of an outright explanation of events. The music, design, and plot of the short feel coherent. Small details like the machine donning 5’s material and 9’s flashbacks shine.
Not Bad But Not Great
This story almost seems to work better in short form. The film tried to expand on the world that Acker created but failed to fully deliver on its promise. Rather than filling up an hour and 20 minutes run time, the story did well leaving something to the imagination.
Ultimately, 9 is not a bad movie. In many ways, it’s a good one and one I could see myself rewatching, if for nothing else, then to admire the design and feel of it. It simply fell short of my expectations. I still encourage everyone to go watch the film and decide for themselves how they feel about it. It’s not hard to see why many consider the film a favorite. I also encourage audiences to check out the original short film. It captures the heart of the story that I loved from the full-length film, minus some of the flaws introduced to it.
