9 (2009)
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The story
In an alternate version of the 1940s, a rag doll named 9 awakens in a world where humanity has been destroyed by a machine uprising. He finds himself in a desolate landscape and encounters 2, an elderly inventor. Together, they must navigate a dangerous world filled with hostile machines. After 2 is captured by a menacing machine known as the Cat Beast, 9 is rescued by 5 and taken to a sanctuary. There, he joins a group of other 'Stitchpunks'—sentient dolls created by a scientist—who must decide how to deal with the looming threat of the machines and the mysterious power of a talisman.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a scientist creates nine 'Stitchpunks' to preserve his soul, he dies, leaving them in a world ravaged by machines. 9 awakens and meets 2, but they are separated when the Cat Beast steals 2's talisman. 9 is rescued by 5 and taken to Sanctuary, where he meets 1, 6, and 8. They eventually rescue 2 from a factory, but 9 accidentally activates the Fabrication Machine, which consumes 2's soul. The group later discovers the history of the war in a library. As the Machine begins building a new army, the Stitchpunks fight back, eventually destroying the factory but losing 8's soul to the machine. 9 eventually enters the machine's core and finds a recording from the Scientist. He realizes the talisman can transfer souls. In a final confrontation, 1 sacrifices himself to save 9, and 9 uses the talisman to extract the souls of the fallen Stitchpunks from the machine. He then uses the talisman to release their souls into the sky, where their essence creates rain containing bacteria, sparking the rebirth of organic life on Earth.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 79
- Production countries
- United States; Luxembourg
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Shane Acker
- Writers
- Pamela Pettler · writer
- Cast and characters
- Elijah Wood · 9; John C. Reilly · 5; Jennifer Connelly · 7; Christopher Plummer · 1; Crispin Glover · 6; Fred Tatasciore · 8; Martin Landau · 2; Alan Oppenheimer · the Scientist; Tom Kane · Chancellor Ferdinand
- Genres
- animated; post-apocalyptic; science fiction
- Themes
- sacrifice; rebirth; survival
- Tone and mood
- dark; atmospheric
- Premise and plot tags
- post-apocalyptic; sci-fi; fantasy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Acker's 2005 short film 9
- Reception
- The film received generally mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 57% · scale: percentage · review count: 185; Metacritic · score: 60 · scale: 100 · review count: 31
- Awards and nominations
- Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures · Producers Guild of America Awards · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was released on September 9, 2009.; The film's marketing included a '9 Scientist' Facebook page.; The film was the second animated feature released by Focus Features.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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