Great animation but worn plot

THE animated offering 9 is a Tim Burton-backed post-apocalyptic adventure which is stunningly created but its plot is a patchwork of well-worn ideas.

And its rather scary vision of the future (and its 12A certificate) means it's not a good bet for little ones.

We arrive in a world that has fallen into ruin, where mankind has been obliterated and beast-like machines stalk the devastated urban landscapes.

In the last days of civilisation, a group of rag doll-like creations are given the spark of life by a dying scientist.

One of the little creatures 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood), emerges into the nightmare future world and barely survives an attack by a machine before being rescued and taken to the rag doll community led by 1 (Christopher Plummer), a play-it-safe veteran.

But there's friction among the battered doll clan with 5 (John C Reilly) and warrior-like 7 (Jennifer Connelly) favouring an all out assault on the machines which want to destroy them. The film is the brainchild of Shane Acker, who spent four and half years creating an 11-minute short film that went on to gain an Academy Award nomination.

His work attracted the backing of Burton, whose eye for visual flair has seen him support animators on such films as A Nightmare Before Christmas and The Corpse Bride.

The latter's script writer, Pamela Pettler, was brought in to expand Acker's story but the thinness of the original vision means that even in elongated form 9 only runs for 79 minutes.

And what we get is essentially Transformers as the rag dolls battle a series of metal monsters that keep getting bigger and more dangerous.

"Technology has been the ruin of us," we are told in 9. Nothing new there then.

But even while we are growing quickly bored with this decaying future, we are admiring the animation.

The rag dolls, officially "stitchpunk creations" are beautifully and sympathetically rendered, and the bombed-out buildings, set against fiery sunsets are wonderfully evocative.It reminds you how far animation techniques have come in the digital age.

But, in the end, for all its technical brilliance it will struggle to find a sympathetic audience.

Nigel Powlson

9

CERTIFICATE: 12A.

RUNNING TIME: 79 mins.

STARTS: Today at Showcase, Odeon and Cinema De Lux in Derby; Cineworld in Burton.

RATING: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■