9

Do you know the game Machinarium? That’s exactly what kind of game this film would be. And it would have been a good PC or console game. But as a film it’s a bit boring to be honest. If I hadn’t been on the exercise bike at the time I watched it, I’m not sure if I would have watched it until the end.

Maybe that is also a bit because I’m always a bit prejudiced when it comes to animated movies and not in a good way. Shark tale ruined it for me forever I reckon (except for Disney films). But this one seemed to be different. It looks darker, is a Science Fiction setting and produced by Tim Burton. And I’m quite fond of Tim Burton, he does good stuff most of the time. Weird, but good.

This film is about a group of rag dolls which are living on Earth after all humans died due to the world’s machines killing them. In the final days of human kind a scientist gave life to said rag dolls. 9 is one of them and he leads the small
“people” on a journey to discover why the machines want to destroy them. They are trying to find a way to survive.

Even though the film quite adventurous and the characters keep exploring the world around them without really knowing what's happening, which is a bit thrilling, however it’s not the best film I’ve ever seen. Though it’s also not the worst (see what I said above about Shark Tales).

The problem is that you can tell it's the story of a short extended to a feature film. It's quite cute and emotional with the little rag dolls fighting against a big bad thing – I’ve got to admit that. But it’s got more than a few lengths and it’s not thrilling enough to watch them without feeling a bit bored.

But there’s also a really good thing about the film. And that’s the animation of it. It’s beautiful and visually spectacular. There’s so much detail and the design of the futuristic setting of the earth after humanity is extinct. The visuals of the film are really amazing, and I wish there were more films like this one (with a more thrilling storyline).

That’s why I decided to watch the short film as well, which was nominated for an Oscar back in 2005 by the way. And it is much better. The setting is the same, the story a bit different. The short is ten minutes full of adventure and the detail in animation is just as beautiful. Oh and I nearly forgot to mention: The music is very lovely as well. I think this example shows that you don’t necessarily need long films and speech to make a good story come to life – ten minutes and a great idea can be enough.

You can watch the short film on Vimeo.

What are your favourite animated films? What do you think of this one? Do you like Tim Burton? Comment below. I love reading your comments.