Friday, January 02, 2009

The Trailer for 9

by Jill Duffy

[Jill made this comment on a forum, but thought it would fit here as well. I saw this trailer too, and I was really impressed by it.]

9




I was just watching a trailer for an upcoming movie called 9, produced by Tim Burton, which is what caught my eye about it.

The trailer had a complete video game feel to it, which I was not expecting when I saw the movie poster image and the style of the font used on the poster. I was expecting something quieter and more mysterious.

And then at the last moment of the trailer, the announcer voice says, "YOU... shall protect the future!"

The "you" is referring to the main character, but at the same time it is directed at the viewer, which seemed again to be very video game-like. Who shall protect the future? Both the main character AND I.

I really like when media hits these in-between spaces, when games or the web or film more than influences another form but goes so far as to carve out a new space somewhere in between.

3 comments:

finsof72 said...

Um...anyone ever played the Oddworld games? Abe's Exodus? Abe's Oddyssey? Munch's Oddyssey? The Stranger?

This feels really really really really Oddworldy.

So I want to see it.

neilshyminsky said...

The first 40 seconds or so are from a Knife song. Hopefully, they borrow a few more tracks from that album - sounds like they'd fit perfectly.

Christian O. said...

I almost refuse to believe that that is a movie and not a game. Like mentioned above it's got a very Oddworld feel mixed with a little Skullmonkeys or MDK2.

The characters also look very much like the main character of Little Big Planet, which furthers the video game connection (aside from the trailer structure and camera angles.)

Apparently it's based off of a computer animation from 2005 by Acker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IQcMeNh7Hc


The idea of doing an animation about objects having souls (animating them) isn't a new one, but it's still a fun theme. As is the idea of, what are basically, toys taking over the world.


I also like how this is truly a post-apocalyptic story in every sense of the word. Mankind is dead and gone, there is no chance of things ever getting returned to the status quo like in most fantasy.


I do have a love/hate relationship with Burton, but his animation stuff is usually quite good.