Elijah Wood starred in Shane Acker’s animated feature 9 in 2009, which was largely made possible by Tim Burton. Following Wood’s lead performance as Frodo Baggins in the groundbreaking The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the renowned actor appeared in several films such as Sin City, Paris, Je T’aime, and Happy Feet. Wood went on to star in the celebrated FX comedy series Wilfred and recently appeared in the second season of the Emmy-nominated series Yellowjackets.
Burton has created several notable animated movies over his career. He was a screenwriter on animated classics such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach and directed Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie. Burton recently directed the massively popular Netflix series Wednesday, 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 with 9, 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 directed 9, 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 film produced by Burton.
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While Burton was a key driving force in the creation of Acker’s 9 short 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, the 9 feature 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 included Jennifer Connolly, Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau, and John C. Reilly. Plummer would go on to star in Beginners, The Girl with Dragon Tattoo, and Knives Out before his death in 2021. Connolly starred in Top Gun: Maverick while Reilly recently starred in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty on HBO. 9 is not currently available to stream but is available to rent on several platforms.