Arkratirma | Jillian Lambert | JML

9

This film was originally set to be released today, but now will not be released until September 9, 2009.

It is based on a 2005 short film of the same name by Shane Acker; Acker animated the Mumakil in The Return of the King, the giant war elephants seen during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

Embedded below is the short film (10:38).


From the Apple Trailer page:

A new era in animated storytelling begins on 9.9.09. Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton (The Corpse Bride, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Nightwatch) join forces to produce wunderkind director Shane Acker’s distinctively original and thrilling tale. 9 stars Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer and Crispin Glover and features the music of Danny Elfman. When 9 (The Lord of the Ring’s Elijah Wood) 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. They must take the offensive if they are to survive, and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they’ll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them.

Cammy reminded me about 9 while we were driving south on Tuesday, and I recalled reading about it briefly when I noticed that Elijah Wood AND Crispin Glover were providing voices for two of the characters.

But after I saw the trailer, I was blown. The fuck. Away.

This is the kind of storytelling I can, for the time being, merely aspire to create.

I was also very pleased and amused when I recognized the song at the beginning of the trailer: "The Captain" by The Knife.

I don't know about you, my friends, but I cannot goddamn wait for this movie now. I'm as excited about seeing it as I am about seeing Watchmen.

Enjoy ogling over this poster created for the short film: http://www.timburtoncollective.com/uploaded_images/ShaneAcker-9poster-770058.jpg