Starfest - "9" Panel

Shane Acker, Director of "9"

Got to see some more from "9" today at Starfest with an even better clip this time! To be totally honest, I was slightly underwhelmed with the Wondercon footage, in retrospect, but today's clip has changed all that. We were the first ever audience to see it, but luckily instead of describing the clip to you, you can see it for yourself, courtesy of MTV!



Creepy, slightly disturbing and all awesome. Definitely looking forward to this one. Here are some tidbits from the panel!

- Acker was inspired by European stop motion animation
- The talent signed on mainly because of the short, but also in Acker's opinion, because voice acting is all about focusing solely on the work - go in, record, go home, no bullshit or bells & whistles
- The film plays with time as the short does, but in a different way. All he would really say is that when the film starts we are with 9 and we follow him, discovering the world through his eyes. All the characters are present, all 9 ragdolls, but the film has fun with who is left & where they are.
- The great acting helped the animators craft the performances of the ragdolls - they learned a lot from the actors' voices, even to the point of slightly altering the character design. But still, a lot of the movie is sans dialogue, the characters emoting with body language & action instead of words.

Unfortunately that's all we got from Acker & Joe Ksander, 9's head of animation, but it was enough to build my interest back up. I hope we get to see even more at Comic Con!!

P.S. For more photos of Acker & Ksander, click here