Parents' Guide to

9

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Visually stunning but scary fantasy for older tweens and up.

Movie PG-13 2009 79 minutes
9 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 11+

Based on 34 parent reviews

Sliegrom
Sliegrom Adult
April 19, 2021
age 10+

Great Philosophical Kids Movie

This movie was fantastic. It deals with mature subject matter like the existential threat of misused technology and a government more concerned with power and war than the welfare of its citizens. It explores the Jungian concept of the archetypes of the human mind by having characters represent individual pieces of a human souls and as such are representation of the various different characters which war within our own minds. While it is mature in its context it also deals with very serious topics which children should be aware of. Like what type of person do they want to be? Sure there are characters which represent our baser emotions, but there are also characters which espouse our greatest virtues. Children often struggle the most with these warring emotions within us which both want to share with our friends while wearing with their own desire to be jealous and not share. We all experience these emotions, even our children and as parents a movie like this really offers a great platform to delve into these issues with your children as they struggle to determine who they would want to be. What aspects of the soul, represented by the characters in this movie do they want to emulate, who do they respect and admire? So is it mature? Yes to some extent and it is a little scary at times, but it also very much asks us what aspects of ourselves do we want to be in power and the movie makes those choices have real consequences. But in the end despite it all there is hope.

This title has:

Great messages
ryanfujismells
ryanfujismells Adult
July 18, 2020
age 13+

9 is my new lucky number

9 is awsoume. The Fabrication Machine is one of the best villains I've seen in my life. If 9 was release on the Switch, I'll get it! I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
See all 34 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Based on writer-director Shane Acker's 2005 Oscar-nominated short, 9 is set in a post-apocalyptic world where all that's left of humanity is a band of ragdoll-like beings created by an unnamed elderly scientist. When the final ragdoll, 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood), awakens, he sets off to explore his world. He stumbles upon another creature like him, 2 (Martin Landau), but they're quickly attacked by a mechanical beast, and 2 is taken. 9 joins up with the remaining ragdolls, who are split between those who want to confront the murderous machine to save 2 and those who want to hide from it. After 9 inadevertently powers up an even bigger machine, the group has no choice but to attempt to destroy the killer robot.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (34 ):
Kids say (136 ):

Acker is a gifted filmmaker: The movie's visuals are breathtakingly crafted. Everything in a scene -- from the buttons and zippers on the ragdoll creatures' bodies to the stained-glass window in a deserted cathedral -- is amazingly detailed. The pacing is also just right. At only 79 minutes, the suspense is crisply edited, with a couple of moments earning audible gasps from the audience. Based on style alone, this is a brilliant, five-star film.

But story-wise, Acker falls a bit short. The plot is minimalist, and all of the characters -- aged and jaded leader 1 (Christopher Plummer), fiercely brave 7 (Jennifer Connelly), sweet but scared 5 (John C. Reilly), introverted artist 6 (Crispin Glover), and mute librarian twins 3 and 4 -- deserve more depth. We see 9 from his "birth," but the rest of the gang isn't nearly as strongly sewn together. Still, plot shortcomings aside, 9 is a must-see for its impressive, inventive animation.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence and scary scenes. Is it any less scary because humans aren't involved, or is it still intense?

  • What is the movie saying about technology? Is technology portrayed negatively in other films?

  • Who do you think the movie's intended audience is? Do you think young kids will want to see it?

Movie Details

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