Movie · 2009 · Action, Adventure, Animation, Science Fiction, Thriller · 1h 19m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.0/10 (159.9K ratings)
When our world ended, their mission began.
Overview
When 9 first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.0/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 57%
Metacritic: 60
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Shane Acker
Production
Tim Burton Productions, Relativity Media, Arc Productions, Starz Animation, Focus Features
Cast
Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, Jennifer Connelly, Fred Tatasciore, Alan Oppenheimer, Tom Kane, Helen Wilson
Curator Review
Verdict
A striking post-apocalyptic animated sci-fi with strong atmosphere, inventive creature design, and a great premise, but the storytelling is thin and the worldbuilding often feels more suggestive than fully satisfying. It’s worth it for viewers who like bleak, stylized genre animation and don’t mind a short, somewhat rough-edged ride.
Best for
post-apocalyptic sci-fi fans
viewers who like dark animated adventures
people drawn to eerie production design and creature imagery
fans of compact, concept-driven genre films
Skip if
you want rich character development
you need a tightly written plot
you dislike grim, unsettling animation
you prefer polished family-friendly adventure
Overview
9 is the kind of animated film that arrives with a vivid image and a strong mood first, then builds a story around that mood. The ruined world, stitched-together characters, and mechanical threat give it a memorable identity, and the film’s design work does a lot of heavy lifting. It has a handmade, slightly ragged quality that can be appealing if you like your sci-fi strange and tactile.
Worth noting
What holds it back is that the movie often feels like a feature-length setup for a richer story than it actually delivers. The mythology is intriguing, but the emotional beats are broad and the pacing can feel rushed, especially when it shifts from mystery to action. Some viewers will find that brevity a strength; others will feel the film never quite cashes in on its best ideas.
Bottom line
Still, there’s real value in its atmosphere and ambition. It’s a good pick for anyone curious about darker animated genre work from the late 2000s, especially if they enjoy films that are more about tone, design, and apocalyptic imagery than clean narrative satisfaction.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Lydie 💜 (4★) · 3428 likes
Wow the LittleBigPlanet movie is dark
EDIT 09/03/2020: can people please stop liking this review. I will leave it up but I would like people to stop giving it likes because it is not funny or good
Madison 🎭 (2.5★) · 1591 likes
oh to be in 2009 again watching my coraline dvd and seeing the trailer for this and being confused but intrigued
Framesofnick (3★) · 1507 likes
Kids movie where dolls fight for their lives after the world ends in a terrifying way
somehow still less scary than happy feet
TheWorstCritic (3★) · 1460 likes
WHY CANT THIS MOVIE BE BETTER. ITS SO COOL. BE BETTER. FUCK.
ellie🫧 (3★) · 815 likes
i can’t explain why but 9 is exactly how i would picture elijah wood to look like if he was an inanimate object
1995 · Action, Animation, Science Fiction · 1h 23m · NR · Curator 8.7/10 (568.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A more cerebral take on artificial life, technology, and human identity in a futuristic world.