While Pixar has been sweeping the animation category recently with its family-friendly and heart-warming brand of 3-D magic, a beautifully animated and nightmarish new film could serve as an interesting adult alternative.
9, boasting Tim Burton as a producer, is not an animated film for children. The colors are dank and dreary, and severed human parts pop up from time to time scattered among the bleak landscape. But while the film's message is a tad heavy-handed and the ending anticlimactic, 9 is an engaging and richly-detailed animation film that could rival other well-respected works in the genre.
The film follows "9" (voiced by Elijah Wood), the last creation of a group of rag doll creatures in a post-apocalyptic world devoid of humans. At the start of the film, we don't know who created 9 or why, and that sets into motion an intriguing scenario as we watch 9's past unfold. We quickly meet the eight other creatures in 9's set (voiced by John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly and Christopher Plummer) and learn that this world is now run by a terrifying spider-like machine that also spawns other enemies to 9's group. The film follows the nine creatures as they attempt to destroy the head machine, save the ones they've lost and discover their past.
The film's animation is overwhelmingly well crafted. From the gray, smoke-filled sky to the minutely-detailed machines, every aspect of this film is a feast for the eyes. The nine creatures in particular are like nothing viewers have seen before. Their design is based around a small, burlap sack with camera-lens eyes, but each one is infused with specific details that highlight their personalities, including the elderly "1," the overweight "8" and the flashing-eyed twins "3" and "4."
While sparse, the film's plot unfolds in small flashback sequences that leave viewers anxious to find out more. One of the major problems of the film, however, is how sparse that plot really is. In between the revelations are long, repetitive action sequences that don't add much to the film beyond a loud display of animation. The script is also thin and includes none of the wit expected from animated films, which would also help to detract from its dark demeanor.
Additionally, somewhat similar to the environmental theme rampant in the Pixar film WALL-E, 9's "technology-could-take-over-the-world" theme feels familiar and heavy-handed. Unlike the animation, there is nothing different about the story, leaving its finale predictable and anticlimactic.
Ultimately, 9 is a creepy but creative new film whose positives outweigh its faults. While it won't beat Up for best animated film of the year, it's an intriguing look at the direction that animated films are moving.
Grade: B
