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9
Movie

9

2009 • Animation, Action, Adventure

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

In a world destroyed in a war between man and machine, a hand-stitched doll with the number 9 written on its back comes to life. The world he has awakened in is frightening, but he quickly learns that he is not alone and that there are others like him, also with a single digit written on their back. The first one he encounters is 2 who tells him something of what happened to the world. 2 is also thrilled with the disk 9 is carrying, one with three unique symbols on the front. 9 soon learns that the disk and some of the other dolls who are prepared to die for the good of humankind may be the last hope for man's salvation.

Overall Series Review

The film depicts a post-apocalyptic world where nine sentient rag dolls, the 'Stitchpunks,' possess fragments of their benevolent human creator’s soul and must fight the machines that destroyed humanity. The narrative is a straightforward, action-adventure story of survival and reclaiming a transcendent purpose for the soul. Character value is based entirely on individual skills, courage, and contribution to the group’s mission, such as the inventive main character 9, the battle-adept 7, or the paranoid leader 1. There is a critique of humanity's unchecked technological hubris and militarism, but the central theme involves a heroic human ancestor (The Scientist) who sacrifices himself to imbue his creations with a soul, which is the key to salvation. The characters, being rag dolls, are essentially neutral in terms of race and sexuality, ensuring the focus remains on their actions and personalities. Gender is minimally relevant, with the main female character being a strong warrior, but not at the expense of emasculating the various male-voiced characters, who all play distinct and vital roles.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The characters are inanimate rag dolls differentiated only by number, design, and personality, making immutable characteristics irrelevant. Character judgment is based on merit, such as inventiveness, courage, or leadership. The casting is colorblind to non-existent 'race' on the screen.

Oikophobia3/10

The world is destroyed by machines that were created after a government seized a peaceful invention (the B.R.A.I.N.) and turned it into a weapon. The film's criticism is aimed at the blind pursuit of military technology, a specific modern failure, not a broad condemnation of Western civilization, and the scientist who created the dolls is framed as a benevolent ancestor figure.

Feminism2/10

The main female character, 7, is a highly capable warrior, but the male characters (9, 2, 5, etc.) are also shown as inventive, protective, and vital to the mission. Men are not uniformly depicted as bumbling or toxic, and the different genders play complementary, mission-essential roles. There is no anti-natal or career-fulfillment messaging.

LGBTQ+1/10

The characters are soul fragments placed inside small, inanimate rag dolls, making any exploration of sexuality or gender identity impossible and irrelevant to the plot. The narrative maintains a normative structure by having no content that focuses on alternative sexualities or gender ideology.

Anti-Theism1/10

The film is heavily spiritual, with the scientist imbuing the dolls with fragments of his own soul via a talisman as 'man's last hope for salvation.' The soul (a transcendent element) is the source of all life and is presented as the essential factor for a moral, new beginning. This is a pro-spiritual, transcendent morality narrative.