We here at Screen Rant have been anticipating the feature-length adaptation of Shane Acker's '9' all year long, and tomorrow all of our gushing praise and free promotion will come to an end, as 9 debuts in theaters everywhere.

Why have we been championing this film for so long? Well, for a couple reasons really:

  1. It's the uniquely original creation of a uniquely original visionary (Acker).
  2. Endorsements by both Tim Burton and Nightwatch director Timur Bekmambetov - two visionaries in their own right - who co-produced the film.
  3. The fact that 9 is based on Acker's awesome 2005 Oscar-nominated CGI short of the same name.
  4. The film is rated PG-13, meaning it's a CGI movie that's more for adults than kids (Yay!).
  5. The film looks like it could be the official good start to the Fall season (sorry Gamer).

Today I've decided to collect the best clips, trailers, images and posters for 9 in one place, to serve as your final prep kit for the movie (in case you're somehow still in the dark about it). I'll also point you to more clips and images, in case you still have 9 fever by the time we're done here.

You can also head to pg. 3 to learn how you can win Screen Rant's official 9 giveaway contest!

Let's kick things off with some multimedia enjoyment. I've laid the following videos out so that you can view them in order, starting with Shane Acker's 9 animated short, which was nominated for an Academy Award. After that we have a trailer for the feature-length version of 9, and some clips featuring the many (unique) tech-beasts from the film.

Get comfy in your chair, grab a snack and prepare to be spirited away into the world of 9:

SHANE ACKER'S '9' ANIMATED SHORT

'9' OFFICIAL TRAILER

"BATTLE OF THE WINGED BEAST" CLIP

"THE SEAMSTRESS" CLIP

"9 SAVES 7" CLIP

MAKING OF 9 FEATURETTE (WITH CHARACTER INFO)

For more clips from 9, check this Yahoo Movies Gallery.

(Continue to pg. 2 for 9 character posters!)

An image from the book of 9

Now that you've seen the clips and have a better sense of the world of 9, allow me to introduce the film's main characters, the living rag dolls numbered (you guessed it) 1-9.

Each doll was created with a unique personality, to serve a unique purpose. The posters do a good job of spelling it all out for you (click on any of them for a larger version). I've also listed the actors voicing each character:

.

Shane Acker's 9 - number 1
Christopher Plummer is 1
Shane Acker's 9 - number 2
Martin Landu is 2
Poster for Shane Acker's 9 - numbers 3 and 4
The Twins 3&4 don't speak, so no voice actors needed
Poster for Shane Acker's 9 - number 5
John C. Reily is 5
Poster for Shane Acker's 9 - number 6
Crispin Glover is 6
Shane Ackers 9 Number 7 poster
Jennifer Connelly is 7
Shane Ackers 9 Number 8 poster
Fred Tatasciore is 8
Shane Acker 9 Character posters 9 (fixed)
Elijah Wood is 9

For a more in-depth summary of each of the dolls of 9 go here.

(Go to pg. 3 for info on the 9 viral sites, cool images from the movie and 9 contest info!)

 

Shane Acker '9' The scientist

 

If you haven't checked out the viral site 9 Experiment and the Facebook page for "The Scientist" then you really are missing out. Both sites fill in the blanks of two of the key questions of 9, namely, "What happened to destroy life on Earth as we know it?" and "How did tech monsters and rag dolls ever come to life?"

Digging through the sites, you'll learn all about mankind's fall at the hands of technology, leading to The Scientist's bold experiments, which gave birth to the rag dolls and "the talisman," a key element in the story (see pic at the top of pg. 2). You can also learn what kind of unique details The Scientist built into each of his nine dolls, culminating with the advanced intelligence and intricate construction of the titular character, 9.

If you're one of those people who HAS to know the entire backstory of a cinematic world (we saw with District 9 that some of you are sticklers for that sort of thing), then don't wait to complain while you're sitting in the movie: go check out the viral sites beforehand. The filmmakers put a good deal of work into making sure the story behind the world they created was logical and believable. Might as well take advantage.

After you visit 9 Experiment and The Scientist's Facebook page head on back over here to enter our 9 Movie Giveaway. Prizes include the following:

The

limited edition official book for 9. There will only be 999 copies of the book printed and they come in a burlap pouch resembling the material the characters in the film are made from - as well as a DVD of the original short film that inspired the movie. The book contains tons of background information on the story and lots of beautiful images from the film.

Sounds good right? You can enter the contest by going here.

Speaking of "beautiful images" here a few from the movie:

'9' Screen Rant Exclusive Pic 2
'9' Screen Rant Exclusive Pic 4
9 In the Wasteland
Shane Acker 9 Seamstress
Shane Acker 9 Rag Doll Group Pic

'9' debuts in theaters on 9-9-09 - same time as our official Screen Rant review. Be sure to check back ASAP to see what we thought of the finished product.

Sources: YouTube, 9 Experiment and The Scientist Facebook page