Tim Burton and 9

In 2005, director Shane Acker, with assistance and encouragement from Tim Burton, made a short animated film set in a post-apocalyptic world. The short was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Short Film, Animated category.

9 (US-2005; animated short [10:38 min.]; Dir. Shane Acker)

Synopsis:

A rag doll fights a monster that has been stealing the souls of his people.

Here it is:

Now a feature-length animated film based on this short, produced by Tim Burton and directed by Shane Acker, will be released on 9 September (9th of the 9th — get it?).

9 (US-2009; animation; dir. Shane Acker)

Short Synopsis:

9 takes place in a world parallel to our own, in which the very legacy of humanity is threatened. A group of sapient rag dolls, living a post-apocalyptic existence, find one of their own, 9 (Elijah Wood), who displays leadership qualities that may help them to survive.

Long Synopsis:

When 9 first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world where 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. (IMDb)

The film will be voiced by Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau amd Christopher Plummer.

Trailer:

• Sources: IMDb (long); IMDb (short); Official site
• Thanks to Robin Pen