History WesternAnimation / Nine

* The UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-nominated short, released in 2005.

* TheForties: In an alternate universe, at least, given the date on the newspaper clippings (1930) and the old-fashioned record player playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (recorded in 1939). Not that it's really ''important'', though, since most human concepts of time have probably been eliminated. A Mark I tank (1916) can be seen sticking out of the ground at one point, but it's a blink-and-you'll miss it scene, so the 40s have much more evidence going for them.

** There was a little bit of foreshadowing for 9's disastrous curiosity: 2 has to stop him messing around with a bullet while he fixes his voicebox. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB9yg9x2o9k See here]].

** Sort of. It's on screen for a few seconds, but is almost unnoticeable unless its been pointed out. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1207pJUzM2E A deleted scene]] has the characters open the music box/projector with 6's key, and we see there's a word inscribed inside. While the finished product didn't focus too much on this, the word is still there. The word is "hope". PandorasBox reference?
** In the beginning after 9 awakens, he passes a body. This body stands out because it is the only dead human body where the face is shown. [[https://youtu.be/d5QkX5cbrBM?t=301 This body]] has been confirmed to be the chancellor, having the same face and uniform.

** The above makes [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAOA8ErDKpc this deleted scene]] pretty interesting... the last part of 1's outfit to be removed falls off after he speaks with and finally accepts 9.

* DeadPersonImpersonation: The seamstress uses [[spoiler:2's body to hypnotize and kill it's victims. This is successfully done to kill 8.]]

* MechanicalLifeforms: The dolls are actually small robots made out of scrap, possess some form of "soul" and look like they could, say, repair themselves with anything to hand. The machines that hunt them incorporate non-standard building materials, like animal skulls.
** The method of their creation seems to point towards their being some manner of primitive [[ArtificialHuman Homunculi]].

* YouAreNumberSix: Even though the characters all had distinct personalities.

* TheForties: In an alternate universe, at least, given the date on the newspaper clippings (1930) and the old-fashioned record player playing ''Somewhere Over the Rainbow'' (recorded in 1939). Not that it's really ''important'', though, since most human concepts of time have probably been eliminated. A Mark I tank (1916) can be seen sticking out of the ground at one point, but it's a blink-and-you'll miss it scene, so the 40s have much more evidence going for them.

* AgonyOfTheFeet: 2 hops around holding one foot after kicking [[spoiler:the Beast that 7 killed]].
* AHeadAtEachEnd: A ''big'' part of why the Seamstress is so horrifying is that [[spoiler: she's got a soul-drained stitchpunk body with HypnoticEyes for a tail]].

* AIIsACrapshoot: The Fabrication Machine. Justified: The Fabrication Machine's AI was made to be as human-like as possible, so when the Chancellor forced it to work too hard for too long, it did what any human would have done: it ''snapped''.

* AmbiguousGender: 3 and 4 never speak and have no TertiarySexualCharacteristics like 7, so it's up for debate what gender they are. WordOfGod eventually confirmed that they are Non-binary.

%%-->'''7:''' ''(to 9)'' They're ''free'' now.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Played with, in that 1, aka the biggest jerk out of all of the stitchpunks, has the crudest and most primitive, ugly design. A justified example, in that he was the first created, and the quality of the Scientist's craftsmanship visibly improves over time, culminating in [[TheHero 9]].

* BigDamnHeroes: 9 and others are cornered by a beast twice with no apparent way out, when 7 suddenly appears out of nowhere to save the day. (Although the second time this was attempted 7 [[spoiler: ended up with a harpoon in her leg]].)
-->"Let me try that again."

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The machine is defeated, but the world is still no better than before and 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8 have all passed on. 9's narration says that he has no idea what is left...except that the world now belongs to the few sackdolls that remain. Except for the somethings seen dividing in the raindrops hitting the camera at the end...implying that they've restored life to the world. Or something]].
** [[spoiler:The freed souls of the dead sackdolls mixed with primordial ooze in the atmosphere and created new organic life]].
** [[spoiler:And apparently it's up to 9, 7, 3 and 4 to oversee this new life]].

* [[CreepyChild Creepy Children]]: The twins could be interpreted this way. It bears mentioning that [[http://www.timburtoncollective.com/uploaded_images/acker02_twins-sketch-759717.jpg some of the older concept art]] for them was less cutesy. Though very awesome.

* CrucifiedHeroShot: Interestingly, signifying the ''creation'' of the main character (whose tagline, as seen above, is 'To Save Us') rather than a HeroicSacrifice.

* DieselPunk: Despite the (somewhat unjustifiable) association with Steampunk, a good amount of the world pre-Machine War can count pretty well. It was the 1940s, metal and electricity were the norm, the Fabrication Machine was created by an eccentric scientist and it was all happening in a country greatly resembling Germany.
** The flags have angular black-on-white drawings that ''really'' scream "nazi", the main human baddie is called "Chancellor" and there are various writings in German. It's heavily implied it ''is'' Germany, with the nazi having corrupted the AI and started the war.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Sometime pre-storyline, the unidentified country of setting was ruled by a dark-haired, stony-faced EvilChancellor who plasters cities with flags displaying his red, black & white symbol, promises "the dawn of a ''NEW ERA!'' " seems to have a decent amount of {{Mooks}} in his employ, and is ultimately responsible for many, ''many'' horrific deaths.

* EsotericMotifs: The pseudo-alchemical glyphs of the Talisman crop up repeatedly throughout the film, largely thanks to 6 and his obsessive drawing. The Paracelsus text that briefly appears tells the observant viewer that the three main ones apparently represent 'Spiritus' (spirit), 'Animus' (mind) and 'Corpus' (body).

* EyeScream: Though it's not a ''human'' eye, and therefore less creepy, the scene of 5 losing his eye is still pretty cringe-worthy. There were frayed wires and sparks coming from his empty socket, fer crissakes! The fact that the souls get sucked out through the eyes and mouth, which ''shatters the glass'' in the optics ([[spoiler:Or, in 5's case, burns a hole through his patch]]) counts too.

* FreezeFrameBonus: Sort of. It's on screen for a few seconds, but is almost unnoticeable unless its been pointed out. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1207pJUzM2E A deleted scene]] has the characters open the music box/projector with 6's key, and we see there's a word inscribed inside. While the finished product didn't focus too much on this, the word is still there. The word is "hope". PandorasBox reference?

* GadgeteerGenius: 2 and The Scientist who created the sackdolls. The Fabrication Machine has this in its job description, and can create {{Killer Robot}}s from pretty much anything that's lying around. [[spoiler:This is because it has the Scientist's intelligence]].

* HardHead: 2 gets smacked in the head by 9 with a monkey wrench. Despite how old he seems, he walks around with little trouble after 9 helps him stand. If you listen, you can hear glass break when 9 swings the wrench. This suggests that 2 had the eyeglass-lens visor of his hat down in front of his face when he got ambushed; it's broken after the attack.
** He is wearing it. You have to pay close attention, since the scene goes by so fast, but it's possible to briefly see 2's face, complete with visor, just before he's hit.

** [[spoiler: "Huh? 2?...2 is...coming?"]]

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: 1]]. [[spoiler:9]] attempted it right before that too.
-->[[spoiler:'''1:''' "Sometimes [[DoubleEntendre one]] must be sacrificed for the good of many."]]

* JerkAss: 1 and 8. The former is an imperious bully, and the latter is his [[DumbMuscle attack dog]].

* MadArtist: 6 spends most of his time drawing. On the other hand, he keeps drawing the same thing over and over again, so it's not really artistic creation. He certainly is mad though.

* MeaningfulName: Brain - as in Brain-''Child''. Considering the FreudianExcuse above, this has even greater implications.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The first chance he gets, 9 sticks the talisman into an outlet without thinking about it ''at all''. [[spoiler:This not only kills 2 but wakes up the Fabrication Machine]]. As 1 points out, and not inaccurately, "Ever since you got here, things have been unraveling!"
** Though it is interesting to note that if 9 had listened to 1, B.R.A.I.N. would have been activated without anyone knowing about it until it was too late
* NonActionGuy: 9 is mostly pulled along by 7 during the action sequences. [[spoiler:This ceases to be the case when 9 kills the Seamstress - though even then, 7 very much takes over the job of getting them back out of the factory.]]

-->'''You. Awakened. WHAT?'''

* RuleOfSymbolism: When we first see 1, the leader of the group, he has a cape with a jewel on it, a staff, and a headgear resembling a bishop's miter. Over the course of the film, he loses them one by one, as 9 starts taking more charge than him and the others listen to 9 instead. [[spoiler:The icing on the cake, the last part of his outfit that needs removing, he removes ''[[HeroicSacrifice himself]]'']].
** The above makes [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAOA8ErDKpc this deleted scene]] pretty interesting...the last part of 1's outfit to be removed falls off after he speaks with and finally accepts 9.

* SchizoTech: The newspapers from "before" list dates in the 1930s, but Over The Rainbow was not released until '39, and the B.R.A.I.N and other machines make it even more confusing. Being in an alternate reality though, it can easily be hand waved.
** DVD extras also have people pointing out how the lightbulb staff is made from a battery that looks like it came from a watch made in '75

--> ''"The light has faintly flickered on again beneath the ashes and I have begun the long awaited search for hope... I must find 9."''

* SoundtrackDissonance: Deliberate. "Over the Rainbow" plays as [[spoiler:the Fabrication Machine pulls a DisneyDeath and pursues, and then captures/kills 5]]. Justified as [[spoiler: they were playing the track a scene earlier, [[SorryILeftTheBGMOn on a record player]]]].
** Although it could be interpreted as forshadowing, because despite the 'happy' tone of the song, the lyrics talk about failed dreams and disappointing events. And they were disappointed
** In fact, even the happy tone of the song is unintentional. It was meant to be a thoroughly sad song, but the actress sang it ''too'' convincingly, bursting into tears in the original takes, so it had to be changed.

* TeamMom: 7 seems to be this to 3 and 4, if not to the rest of the group. The DVD commentary refers to 5 as the 'group mom', too.

** "Go back to the Source!"

%%* FourFingeredHands

* ArtEvolution: From 1 to 9, you can see that the Scientist improved his doll-making style. Lampshaded by 2.

* BigGood: The Scientist, the one who created Stitchpunks to deal with the machine army.

* ConflictBall: 1 starts out opposing everything 9 suggests. Then [[spoiler:everyone else starts opposing 9's ideas as well near the end, when they try to destroy the Machine but he doesn't want to]]. 1 even refuses at first to [[spoiler:take off his cape to save his life]], for no clear reason. (It could have been symbolic of his authority over the stichpunks, and losing it would mean losing the very thing that defined him (besides his dogged stubbornness).[[spoiler: or it could also foreshadow his eventual HeroicSacrifice later in the movie. First, a lost cape, next, Soul Theft]], or he could have just not wanted to loosen his desperate grip so as to free a hand for taking the cape off. Then again, 1 never actually ''refused'', or said "no," he said "I can't." He could have been afraid he'd fall if he freed one hand, but he still may not have been flat-out opposing 9.)

* CreatingLife: The first time the Scientist did this [[AIIsACrapshoot backfired]], so he had to try again with the haemonculi.

* DemotedToExtra: The Cat Beast was the main villain in the short and was implied to have hunted and killed every single stichpunk, save 9, who defeats the creature. In the film it only shows up for two sequences before being swiftly killed by [[ActionGirl 7]] and doesn't cause the deaths of anyone.

* DoomedByCanon: To anyone who's seen the short film it's a forgone conclusion that [[spoiler:most of the stichpunks will be dead by the end]].

** If [[spoiler: 1]]'s death isn't RedemptionEqualsDeath, than it is this.

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: The [[PunkPunk Stitchpunk's]] deaths. They have their souls ''ripped from their body, whilst screaming and flailing about''.

%%* TheGlomp: 2's reaction to seeing 7 alive and well.%%Is?

* NonActionGuy: 9 is mostly pulled along by 7 during the action sequences. [[spoiler:This ceases to be the case when 9 kills the Seamstress.]]

* The [[AllCGICartoon adult computer-animated movie]], produced by Creator/TimBurton (who saw the original short and loved it), released on 9th September 2009. Note, however, that Acker designed, directed and co-wrote both films, with Burton providing the financing. [[https://youtu.be/UY7Tge7ftxM You can see the trailer here.]]

* FallingIntoHisArms: Used when [[spoiler:9 rescues 7]].

%%* WhatWereYouThinking: Asked of 9 after the above event. Good question, 7. Very good question.%%Don't use other examples for context.

* CrapsackWorld: It's a crappy world for these sackdolls.

* ChekhovsGun: The intro sequence shows 9 setting up the trap to kill the Machine.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: The Machine
* GoryDiscretionShot: The Machine falls into the hole, but it seems that's not the most painful part.
* LastOfHisKind: Then came the film.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: 5
* NoDialogueEpisode: Don't expect the voice talents of Elijah Wood or John C. Reilly in this one.
* RubeGoldbergDevice: The trap for the Machine is a borderline example, as it's a little more straightforward than a typical RGC.

* TheForties: In an alternate universe, at least, given the date on the newspaper clippings (1930) and the old-fashioned record player playing ''Somewhere Over the Rainbow'' (recorded in 1939). Not that it's really ''important'', though, since most human concepts of time have probably been eliminated.
** A Mark I tank (1916) can be seen sticking out of the ground at one point, but it's a blink-and-you'll miss it scene, so the 40s have much more evidence going for them.

* ArtificialHuman: The stitchpunks.
* AscendedExtra: Every doll except 9 and possibly 5.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence:
-->'''7:''' ''(to 9)'' They're ''free'' now.
* TheAtoner: The Scientist, who carries out his atonement before the film even starts.
* AudibleGleam: During the Winged Beast scene.

** "Let me try that again."

* CallBack: "One must be sacrificed."
* CassandraTruth: 6, no one seemed to listen to him before 9.

* {{Cute Mute}}s: The twins do not speak.
* DeadlyGas: What the machines used to sterilize (all?) organic life.

* DefiantToTheEnd: How [[spoiler:8]] goes out.

* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:9 at the end]]. The ''[[AnyoneCanDie other]]'' deaths, however, were permanent.

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The Scientist and the Chancellor.
* EvilChancellor: The Chancellor, of course.

* FauxAffablyEvil: The Chancellor.

* TheFundamentalist: 1.
--> "No! We have '''RULES!'''"

* TheGlomp: 2's reaction to seeing 7 alive and well.

* GoBackToTheSource: 6's MadnessMantra is the TropeNamer.

* ICantBelieveItsNotHeroin: Magnetism, apparently.

* ImpairmentShot: Used when 9 wakes up in the infirmary.
** And again when 1 awakens from his Seamstress-induced hypnosis.

* KickTheDog: 1 ''[[spoiler:sent 2 to die]]''.
* KillItWithFire: The stitchpunks blowing up the Factory

* LadyOfWar: 7.

* MadArtist: 6 spends most of his time drawing.
** On the other hand, he keeps drawing the same thing over and over again, so it's not really artistic creation. He certainly is mad though.

* MadnessMantra: "The source...the source...go back..."
* MadOracle: 6 has a strong taste of this.

* MookMaker: The Fabrication Machine itself.

* NonActionGuy: 9 is mostly pulled along by 7 during the action sequences.
** [[spoiler:This loses its meaning when 9 kills The Seamstress]].
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: The twins, 3 and 4. But 5 and 2 get pretty touchy-feely too.
** 5 also gets more and more touchy-feely with 9 as the film progresses.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: 1. Totally.
* OffWithHisHead: The fate of [[spoiler:the Cat Beast]].

* ParrotExpowhat: When told by 1 to "subjugate [9 and 5]", 8 responds with "subje - what?"

* SamusIsAGirl: 7

* SingleMindedTwins: 3 and 4. Pretty close, anyway.

* TheSpeechless: 3 and 4 never speak, using lights and film to communicate with each other and others respectively. Also, 9 at the beginning.
** It's worth noting that 9 can't speak until about ten minutes into the movie. The original short, which had no dialogue at all, was also [[MythologyGag ten minutes long]].

* StupidJetpackHitler: The Chancellor, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard and his]] [[AIIsACrapshoot "machines of]] [[KillAllHumans peace and prosperity"...]].
* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler: 1]] does this for [[spoiler:9]].

* TwinTelepathy: Possibly how 3 and 4 can understand each other.
** In one of the scenes, they communicate between themselves by flashing their broadcast-camera-eyes directly at each other.

* WhatTheHellHero: Pretty much everyone, after 9 [[spoiler:activates the Machine and gets 2 killed]].
** And later on with [[spoiler:1, when it was revealed that he did in fact sent 2 out to be sacrificed]].
* WhatWereYouThinking: Asked of 9 after the above event. Good question, 7. Very good question.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: The Fabrication Machine. A sentient robot who was worked to the point a human would die....and it didn't. No wonder the thing's insane.
* YouFool: Said by 1 to 9, after 9 [[spoiler: accidentally awakens the Fabrication Machine]].
** He also says it to 5, when the latter is [[spoiler:trying to stop him from setting fire to the factory before 9 and 7 can escape]].

* AffablyEvil: The Chancellor.

* ShoutOut
** The only female stitchpunk is [[Series/StarTrekVoyager 7 of 9]]. Her fighting style and bird's skull helmet make her reminiscent of a [[Franchise/FinalFantasy Dragon Knight / Dragoon]].
** The Seamstress is a snake / [[Literature/{{It}} spider monster which hypnotizes its victims with bright lights and uses the image of a dead friend as a lure]], [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory as well as having an eerily familiar baby doll head]].
** The pterodactyl has a [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess head that completely opens up]].
** A bulky character wears a helmet reminiscent of that of a [[VideoGame/BioShock Big Daddy]].
** The machines are based off mythological beasts. Makes it a lot easier to describe the Seamstress as a Medusa than all the bits and pieces that make it up.

* The movie, produced by Creator/TimBurton (who saw the original short and loved it), released on 9th September 2009. Note, however, that Acker designed, directed and co-wrote both films, with Burton providing the financing. [[https://youtu.be/UY7Tge7ftxM You can see the trailer here.]]

* AmbiguousGender: 3 and 4 never speak and have no TertiarySexualCharacteristics like 7, so it's up for debate what gender they are.

* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: 9, 8, and 1 are cornered by the Winged Beast when 7 flips into view behind it, charging up a slope and taking a running leap at it. She reaches the peak of her jump, silhouetted by the sun, weapon poised to strike with an AudibleGleam, the music swelling... and the Winged Beast looks back at her and deflects her with a wing, sending her sliding along the ground until she hits the wall behind the others with a thump. She gets up and tries charging it head-on, only for it to fire its harpoon this time, hitting her leg and throwing her back against the wall ''again''.

* [[CreepyChild Creepy Children]]: The twins could be interpreted this way. It bears mentioning that [[http://www.timburtoncollective.com/uploaded_images/acker02_twins-sketch-759717.jpg some of the older concept art]] for them was less [[TastesLikeDiabetes cutesy]]. Though very awesome.

* RuleOfSymbolism: When we first see 1, the leader of the group, he has a cape with a jewel on it, a staff, and a nice hat. Over the course of the film, he loses them one by one, as 9 starts taking more charge than him and the others listen to 9 instead. [[spoiler:The icing on the cake, the last part of his outfit that needs removing, he removes ''[[HeroicSacrifice himself]]'']].

* NiceHat:
** 1's hat looks similar to a bishop's miter.
** 2's candlestick hat.
** 7's skullmet is pretty nice, though it may fall under MaskPower as well.

* RuleOfSymbolism: When we first see 1, the leader of the group, he has a cape with a jewel on it, a staff, and a NiceHat. Over the course of the film, he loses them one by one, as 9 starts taking more charge than him and the others listen to 9 instead. [[spoiler:The icing on the cake, the last part of his outfit that needs removing, he removes ''[[HeroicSacrifice himself]]'']].

* The movie, produced by Creator/TimBurton (who saw the original short and loved it), released on 9th September 2009. Note, however, that Acker designed, directed and co-wrote both films, with Burton providing the financing. [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UY7Tge7ftxM You can see the trailer here.]]

* The movie, produced by Creator/TimBurton (who saw the original short and loved it), released on 9th September 2009. Note, however, that Acker designed, directed and co-wrote both films, with Burton providing the financing. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnoJecu9e7c&feature=channel You can see the trailer here.]]

* The movie, produced by Creator/TimBurton (who saw the original short and loved it), released on [[MeaningfulReleaseDate 9th September 2009]]. Note, however, that Acker designed, directed and co-wrote both films, with Burton providing the financing. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnoJecu9e7c&feature=channel You can see the trailer here.]]

* The movie, produced by Creator/TimBurton (who saw the original short and loved it), released on 9th September 2009. Note, however, that Acker designed, directed and co-wrote both films with Burton providing the financing. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnoJecu9e7c&feature=channel You can see the trailer here.]]

[[quoteright:358:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Nine.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:358:''[[TagLine When our world ended, their mission began.]]'']]

The movie [[AdaptationExpansion expands]] on the short considerably; 9 awakens alone in a burned-out house in the ruins of a city, with no clue to his origins except a mysterious talisman. He begins to explore the wasteland and quickly encounters both the Cat-Beast and his own numbered compatriots (each of whom is more fully fleshed out as a character). Soon, they are drawn into an exploration of both humanity's destruction and their own origins as a terrible enemy hunts them down to consume their souls.

* BreakTheHaughty: 1 might be an imperious coward, but he gets absolutely put through the ringer, losing his home, his symbols of authority, his ''actual'' authority, and finally [[spoiler:his life]].

* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: 9, 8, and 1 are cornered by the Winged Beast when 7 appears behind it, charging up a slope and taking a running leap at it. She reaches the peak of her jump, silhouetted by the sun, weapon poised to strike with an AudibleGleam, the music swelling... and the Winged Beast looks back at her and deflects her with a wing, sending her sliding along the ground until she hits the wall behind the others with a thump. She gets up and tries charging it head-on, only for it to fire its harpoon this time, hitting her leg and throwing her back against the wall ''again''.