Elijah Wood starred in Shane Acker’s animated feature9in 2009, which was largely made possible by Tim Burton. Following Wood’s lead performance as Frodo Baggins in the groundbreakingThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy, the renowned actor appeared in several films such asSin City,Paris, Je T’aime, andHappy Feet.Wood went on to star in the celebrated FX comedy seriesWilfredand recently appeared in the second season of theEmmy-nominated seriesYellowjackets.
Burton has created several notable animated movies over his career. He was a screenwriter on animated classics such asThe Nightmare Before ChristmasandJames and the Giant Peachand directedCorpse BrideandFrankenweenie. Burton recently directed the massively popular Netflix seriesWednesday, which returns for its second season in 2025, and the highly anticipated Beetlejuice sequel, which is now streaming on HBO/MAX. If it weren’t for Burton’s efforts with9, the film may have never been made.
Tim Burton Was One Of The Driving Forces Behind 9 Being Made Into A Full Animated Movie
Burton saw the short film and became a producer on the full feature
Shane Acker wrote and directed9, which started out as an original short film that Acker made back in 2005. He created the original short film, which was nominated for an Academy Award, at the UCLA Animation Workshop. Burton saw the short film and became a producer on the full feature, which made him one of the driving forces that helped make Acker’s dream a reality.Wood was cast as #9, the main character in the animated filmproduced by Burton.
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While Burton was a key driving force in the creation of Acker’s9short film into a feature film, he did not step in to direct or write the project.Acker wrote the feature screenplay along with Pamela Pettler and Ben Gluck. Despite the acclaim of the original short film and Burton’s endorsement as a producer, the9feature film received mixed reviews from critics which resulted in a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 57%. The film underwhelmed at the box office as well, earning $48.4 million against a $30 million budget.
Elijah Wood Isn’t The Only Notable Name On 9’s Cast List
Jennifer Connolly & Christopher Plummer also star
Even though he was the voice of the main character in 9, Elijah Wood was joined by an outstanding cast that includedJennifer Connolly, Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau, and John C. Reilly. Plummer would go on to star inBeginners,The Girl with Dragon Tattoo, andKnives Outbefore his death in 2021. Connolly starred inTop Gun: Maverickwhile Reilly recently starred inWinning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynastyon HBO.9is not currently available to stream but is available to rent on several platforms.
