9 (Nine) parents guide

9 (Nine) Parent Guide

The production's redeeming feature is the creative team's innovative and clever animation. But this story may feel too familiar to be worth the price of admission.

Overall C+

Endowed with life as the last hope of a dying scientist, 9 (voice of Elijah Wood) sets out into the waste of what was once the human world. There he discovers 8 other creatures like himself who are battling an army of machines that wiped out mankind.

Release date September 9, 2009

Violence C
Sexual Content A
Profanity A
Substance Use B+

Why is 9 (Nine) rated PG-13? The MPAA rated 9 (Nine) PG-13 for violence and scary images.

Run Time: 80 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

In a post-apocalyptic world, machines roam a barren and burnt landscape hunting down all that is left of humanity—a group of stuffed, sequentially numbered dolls who’ve been brought to life by a scientist.

The first recognition of consciousness for #9 (voice by Elijah Wood) happens at the moment his creator (voice by Alan Oppenheimer) dies. Confused and left alone in a secluded lab, the tiny burlap covered character makes his way out the room’s open door and stumbles upon another individual known as #2 (voice by Martin Landau). The enterprising #2 finds and implants a voice box in the newly animated figure, allowing him to speak. But before #2 can fill #9 in on all the details of their situation, a mechanical monster swoops down on the twosome and captures the inventive second edition rag doll.

Rescued from the frightful experience by a handful of other similarly fashioned characters (voices by John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, Jennifer Connelly, and Fred Tatasciore), #9 is hurried into an old cathedral where he meets #1, an aging, Asian miniature (voice by Christopher Plummer) who has appointed himself commander of the cloth-covered figures. When #9 suggests that the group mount a rescue party to find #2, his idea is quickly shot down by the cloaked leader who believes hiding is the only way to stay alive.

Fortunately some of the others are willing to join the daring attempt to find their comrade. But the insurmountable odds these miniscule combatants face make their chance of survival look as small as they are. However this movie combines old standby villains (Nazi-like commanders contaminated with a thirst for power) and stereotypical characters (including a negatively portrayed ethnic figure, a large and dumb bodyguard and an athletic, tough female) with a script that is so overused it won’t leave anyone wondering about the eventual outcome.

Depictions of war, explosions and moments of peril make up most of this film’s content concerns. Yet the storyline often feels tedious and pretentious as it attempts to mimic a multitude of futuristic doomsday films. The production’s redeeming feature is the creative team’s innovative and clever animation that gives life to this progressive series of dolls. For animation aficionados, the CGI work may be enough to hold their interest through the dark and dreary battle sequences. But for entertainment seeking teens heading out to the theater, this story may feel too familiar to be worth the price of admission.

Directed by Shane Acker, TIm Burton. Starring Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover. Christopher Plummer, John C. Reilly, Tim Burton.. Running time: 80 minutes. Theatrical release September 9, 2009. Updated

9 (Nine)
Rating & Content Info

Why is 9 (Nine) rated PG-13? 9 (Nine) is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for violence and scary images.

Portrayals of the aftermath of war, death and bombed buildings are central to this film. There are also depictions of corpses, including a dead mother and child. Machines in dog and bird-like forms hunt down and shoot at the characters in this story. One character is captured and carried off by a robot. Others are killed or injured. An individual unknowingly plays with a bullet. A bomb releases a deadly gas across the city that kills the populace. Characters have their eyes burned out. A magnet causes a mind-altering experience for one of the dolls. Buildings are engulfed in flames. Massive explosions cause the destruction of homes and factories. Characters participate in a funeral and are subjected to repeated moments of peril.

Page last updated

9 (Nine) Parents' Guide

How is technology misused in this story? Are there real life examples of this type of exploitation?

How does #1 try to control the other dolls? How do leaders use fear as a weapon against their own people? What kind of personal sacrifices are portrayed?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of 9 (Nine) movie is December 29, 2009. Here are some details…

Release Date: 29 December 2009

9 on DVD is presented in widescreen, with audio tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French and Spanish). Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish. Special features include:

- Commentary with Writer/Director Shane Acker, Animation Director Joe Ksander, Head of Story Ryan O’Loughlin and Editor Nick Kenway.

- Featurettes: 9 - The Long and the Short of It, The Look of 9, Acting Out and 9 - The Original Short.

- Deleted Scenes

9 on Blu-ray is presented in widescreen, with audio tracks in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English) and DTS 5.1 (French and Spanish). Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish. Bonus extras include:

- Commentary with Writer/Director Shane Acker, Animation Director Joe Ksander, Head of Story Ryan O’Loughlin and Editor Nick Kenway.

- Featurettes: On Tour with Shane Acker, 9 - The Long and the Short of It, The Look of 9, Acting Out and 9 - The Original Short.

- Deleted Scenes

- My Scenes

- U Control - Picture in Picture

- Blu-ray features: Pocket Blue App, BD Live and D-BOX

Related home video titles:

Along with live action films, many of the actors in this movie also work in animated productions. In Up, Christopher Plummer lends his voice to an adventure explorer. Elijah Wood can be heard as a penguin named Mumble in the environmentally minded movie Happy Feet.

Tim Burton, who is one of the producers of this movie, has been involved in other animations, like The Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Another scientist creates creatures he hopes will help the future in I, Robot. And a mechanical devise with a personality is left to clean up the mess left by humans in the Pixar film Wall-E.