Bizarre ‘9’ a divine fantasy

Shane Acker’s 9, which appropriately opens Wednesday, Sept. 9 (9-9-09), represents the latest merger of CGI technology, animation and sci-fi fueled conspiracy theory. Acker previously did kind of a trial run about four years ago, and has joined forces with Tim Burton and Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov for a production whose look, tone and sensibility (at least in terms of what’s been advertised) falls somewhere between bizarre and outrageous.

The story follows the exploits of 9, one of a group of dolls who is the most inquisitive about all subjects. He also has an innate leadership sense that comes to the fore despite the fact that he lacks seniority among the group. 9 (voice of Elijah Wood) wants the answers to deeper philosophical questions, though he’s frequently forced to deal with more practical questions such as staying alive. In addition, 9 is resented by some other dolls, most noticeably 1 (voice of Christopher Plummer), who’s both the oldest and also the assumed group commander.

Despite 1’s many bad characteristics (quick temper, domineering, easily upset), he and all the other dolls were created by the Scientist (Alan Oppenheimer). The Scientist is now nearing the end of his life and isn’t always sure exactly who or what he once made. There are all types of dolls in his care, some wise, some dumb, some ambitious, some lazy — and all of them were created after the Scientist went underground.

Initially, the Scientist was funded by the Chancellor (voice of Tom Kane). He was enlisted to build the B.R.A.I.N., which the Scientist envisioned as a weapon that could greatly benefit humanity. Unfortunately, once the Scientist completed that task, his invention was taken from him before he could properly test and perfect it. That led to a rift between the Scientist and the Chancellor, who denounced his former benefactor and went into hiding. As a last resort, and to protect society from the Fabrication Machine, a device run by the B.R.A.I.N. that has subsequently built a host of evil war machines designed to erase all humanity, the Scientist built the dolls and transferred his own life force into them.

Now, the fate of the world rests in the hands of 9 and his friends. The Fabrication Machine has designed many frightening things to destroy them, including the Cat Beats, the Winged Beast and especially the Seamstress. The Seamstress has a broken doll’s face, can hypnotize its prey and lies in wait for unsuspecting dolls.

This is far from an ordinary or simple animated film, and the costuming and effects are aimed at adults. Trailers have already surfaced online showing just how visually striking some of the characters look, as well as the elaborate set designs and special effects. The world in which the dolls live is also, like other Burton productions, a mix of creepy, delightful and odd.

Thanks to its recent, heavy duty marketing campaign on both traditional and viral media, plus its midweek opening date, anticipation is quite high for 9. Acker made an appearance at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, and there’s been a Facebook page called 9 Scientist that’s been updated daily since April. Whether 9 will click beyond the world of techno lovers, sci-fi fans and comic book collectors will determine whether it’s a major hit or a disappointment.

9

Directed by Shane Acker

Written by Pamela Pettler, Ben Gluck, Shane Acker (story)

Starring the voices of Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer, Crisipin Glover, Martin Landau

Time: 81 minutes

Rating: PG-13