Fairytale no. 9

In its own right ‘9’, the movie, is actually a fairytale. In the sense that how this film actually got made is all but a fairytale. And that would make Tim Burton (of the forthcoming Disney's Alice in Wonderland) and Timor Bekmambetor (Wanted), as executive producers, the proverbial fairy godmothers.

‘9’ started life as the thesis project for Shane Acker’s final film school project. It was a short film – originally conceived as a stop motion film, with no speech-  to give it a universal appeal. It took him four and a half years to complete the film, with him even coming to NZ to work on ‘Lord of the Rings’ for a 6 month stint. The 11-minute short, 9, was completed in mid 2004 and it impressed audiences around the world with its striking ‘stitch-punk’ characters and thoughtful storyline. He even received an Academy Award nomination in the Best Animated Short Film category and a Gold Medal (the top prize) at the Student Academy Awards.

Acker owes his good fortune not only to his great talent, but also to Lee Clay, an assistant to Jim Lemley (Red Eye). In the middle of a 3am shoot his assistant told him to watch the short film, and was immediately taken with the otherworldly vision of the inhuman (but humane) characters. Three days later he met with the director, and with his own money, the project started moving forward. Once Tim Burton and Timor Bekmambetov were on board, the screenwriter, Pamela Pettler, was chosen in mid-2005.

The story that evolved out of that original 11 minutes is a post apocalyptic look at a world devoid of humans, with the only ‘living’ things tiny 8 inch creatures that look much like miniature ragdolls made of sack cloth. Each one has a personality of its own. #9 is the final creature to emerge, and searches out for the others who have been living among the horrifically ravaged remains of an un-named city.

The creatures are tortured and chased by the machines that are the only other ‘thinking’ things left on the planet. #9 is voiced by Elijah Wood, and is to all intents and purposes the heart and conscience of the story. He chooses, when no one else will, to try and save one of the other creatures when the machines take him.

All the voices are remarkable and it is a testament to Tim Burton’s involvement that there are so many interesting, talented voices at work on this film. The elder statesman, Christopher Plummer, is the paranoid voice of #1, Crispin Glover the ravaged #6, Martin Landau the spirited #2, John C Reilly the supportive #5, Jennifer Connelly the warrior-hearted #7, and Fred Tatasciore (a friend of Ackers from film school) the brawny #8. #3 and #4 have no voices, but are visually beautiful. They all somehow seem part of a whole.

It truly is a remarkable film, one which obviously was birthed with a lot of talented help, but which is so very obviously helmed by a truly remarkable man. It is very easy to forget that this film is made by a young man, and that this is his first full length feature. The future is going to be an amazing place for him.

I loved this film. It had a few pacing issues – but ones that could very easily be overlooked. The mood is dark and brooding and darkness is used to good effect. The animation is excellent. It is well worth a look, though don’t be fooled by its animation context. This is not a film for small children, and I would be careful about taking even young teenagers because of its dark tones. The film is rated M. Make the effort to see it – it really is worth it.

By Anya Brighouse, February 2010.