More Then Beauriful Animation Standard Movie 9

More Then Beauriful Animation Standard Movie 9

The new animated feature "9" delivers audiences into a blasted, desolate landscape reminiscent of Warsaw or Dresden after World War II. We're thrown headlong into a postapocalyptic universe. Humanity is no more. Life, or something like it, has come down to the vicious combat between two species: Machines resembling metallic dinosaurs, voracious and relentless, and a tiny band of brothers and sisters akin to burlap-sack hand puppets, with big goggle eyes and an instinct for survival.
So it's not "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." Director Shane Acker's fantasy comes from his superb 2004 short subject (easily YouTube-able). The feature-length expansion of "9" does not feel artistically compromised or in any way interested in pandering to a young audience. The PG-13 rating is appropriate. Acker's influences are a stimulating lot, including Tim Burton (Burton is one of four producers on the project), and more to the non-human point, the melancholy riches of the stop-motion oddities created by Jan Svankmajer and especially the Brothers Quay, whose "Street of Crocodiles" remains a pinnacle of contemporary cinema, in any genre.
Novice director Shane Acker presents a meticulously detailed world for his characters. It's a functioning society in a world built from bits and pieces of a landscape ravaged by war. Every detail from the zipper on 9 to the barren world are images you want to freeze and carefully scrutinize.
They make a good distraction from Pamela Pettler's screenplay, which should've sparked intelligent conversation but never rises above a standard action film. You can't introduce a discussion as lofty as to what actually defines life and then let it drift away -- no matter how amazing the background.
Despite that fact, and that it doesn’t come from the hit-making Pixar or DreamWorks animation factories, advance word on “9” is strong as Focus Features prepares to release it in theaters Wednesday (09/09/09, if you’re into numerology).
The complications of the plot are the weakest part of the film. Acker is better at capturing moments than stitching everything together for a satisfying big picture, and the ending in particular has a painted-in-a-corner feeling. But there's so much to like about the film, starting with the enthusiasm of the young director. Acker pays homage to his influences (he's a "Star Wars" fan, apparently) and still leaves his mark on the genre. His eye for framing shots is excellent, as is the use of light. Each scene is vibrant, even with a near-complete lack of primary colors.
The battle scenes in particular have a swashbuckling vibe that adds a welcome dose of humanity to the movie. Danny Elfman's score is strong. And the perfectly cast voice actors - usually only noticeable in animated films when they're bad - are nuanced and memorable. From a technical point of view, "9" never disappoints.
As for the dark tone, it's reminiscent of movies such as "Labyrinth" and some of Steven Spielberg's earlier work. While children still watching Tigger videos should stay away, older kids will enjoy the bloodless action and awesomeness infused into nearly every frame.