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We went to see 9 over the weekend, which is an animated feature brought to you by Focus Features. Since when did Focus jump into the ring? Well, imdb says since Coraline. And if that's how they start off in the arena of animation, I'm excited to see what else they'll have in the future. The movie opens as our protagonist, called 9, is born.. or comes to consciousness. He has just been created by some sort of scientist, and tries to reason things out as he stumbles across the floor of the apartment where he was made. As he moves towards the window, he looks out and discovers that the world outside has been devastated. He emerges and runs into a guy who is much like him in appearance - a small, doll-like figure made of burlap - and he is called 2.

2 introduces 9 to other similar people, who spend most of their time hiding from the potential dangers of their world - machines. Not unlike Terminator Salvation, any living thing is targeted and exterminated. And just as all of the threats of their world are starting to die out, the dolls (is that what they should be called?) find themselves facing the biggest threat of all. Some of them want to fight, while others want to retreat, and tries to reason with those who want to retreat.

The movie really is worth going to see just because of how great it looks. All of the sequences are great and atmospheric. There's a nice use of framing and lighting, and I especially like how the animators were able to make each of the dolls recognizable and individualized (except 3 and 4, who are twins - and my favorites). There are moments that would hardly look animated were it not for the fact that the subject matter is completely fictional.

The biggest fault of the movie is actually its brevity. It was expanded from a short film, but only to less than an hour and a half. I know a lot of animated features tend to run short, but in this case, I think 9 could have benefited from a longer running time. The world that was created is so awesome to behold, there are interesting ideas of robotic enemies, there are some nice heartfelt moments, there are plenty of entertaining action scenes, but when it comes to the story of what happened to the world and (more importantly) how the dolls were created, the story remains a little bit too mysterious. There is a gadget that contains some intriguing symbols, on which the characters fixate for most of the movie. An explanation of the dolls' origins is given, but there isn't really a true "how", and at the very end, the system of creating life is more confusing than ever. I wish there would have been more of a focus on this area, which was nicely mysterious at the beginning, but not properly explored by the movie's end, which is even more confusing when one stops to truly consider it.

Even still, this is science fiction, beautifully portrayed, and there are some truly memorable scenes. While one might consider use of any Wizard of Oz scene cliche, for some reason, it worked here, and I loved the quiet scene where the characters all listen to it. Some of the action scenes are really creative, and while it didn't go far enough into depth, I really enjoyed the sequence tying together the events leading up to 9's creation.

For me, 9 is another burst of creativity that has surprised me this year. I can't say I was particularly intrigued by the trailers, but it won me over and I liked it a lot. As Ric pointed out on the ride home from the movie, we really have had a pretty good year this year. There have been plenty of summer blockbusters, but they have been accompanied by several creative, smaller films, many of which feel new and exciting. It's been a fun year so far.