9 is a 2009 animated fantasy film/action film directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov. The film, which expands on a short film of the same name, stars Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau and Christopher Plummer. It is based on Acker's Academy Award-nominated 2005 short film of the same name. The screenplay for the film was written by Pamela Pettler. Casting for 9 was done by Mindy Marin, with production design by Robert St. Pierre and Fred Warter, and art direction by Christophe Vacher.

Plot

The film begins with the Scientist creating a little mechanical humanoid stitchpunk (9) (Elijah Wood) as he tells how humanity, in its blind pursuit of science and technology, went to its doom. He finally gives life to the doll with a talisman. Then he dies.

9 awakes, unable to speak. He takes the talisman, depositing it on the opening of his body under the closure. He opens the windows and sees a terrifying post-apocalyptic world, and someone walking. He leaves the building to see who it is. Outside, he sees several human corpses. 9 hears someone close, and then he meets 2, another, highly intelligent and inventive, stitchpunk created by the Scientist, who inserts a speaking device in 9 and becomes his friend. 2 tells 9 that there are others like themselves. 9 shows 2 the talisman, when suddenly the Cat Beast appears and attacks 2. 9 accidentally rocks the can he is hiding in, drawing the attention of the Cat Beast. The Cat Beast searches the can 9 hides in, but 2 distracts the Cat Beast allowing 9 to escape, tearing his shoulder in the process. The Cat Beast takes 2 to a towering factory in the horizon. 9 lies unconscious.