Elijah Wood starred in Shane Acker's animated feature 9 in 2009, which was largely made possible by Tim Burton. Following Wood's starring 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'aimeand Happy feet. Wood went on to star in the famous FX comedy series Wilfred and recently appeared in the second season of the Emmy-nominated series Yellow Jackets.
Burton created several notable animated films throughout his career. He was a screenwriter for animated classics such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach and directed Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie. Burton recently directed the popular Netflix series Wednesdaywhich returns for its second season in 2025, and the long-awaited sequel to Beetlejuice, which is now streaming on HBO/MAX. If not for Burton's efforts with 9the film may never have been made.
Tim Burton was one of the driving forces behind turning 9 into a full-length animated film
Burton saw the short film and became a producer of the feature film.
Shane Acker wrote and directed 9which began as an original short that Acker made in 2005. He created the original short, which was nominated for an Oscar, at the UCLA Animation Workshop. Burton saw the short film and became a producer of the feature film, which made him one of the driving forces that helped make Acker's dream a reality. Wood was cast as #9, the main character of the animated film produced by Burton.
Although Burton was a key driving force in the creation of Acker's 9 short film into feature film, he did not step in to direct or write the project. Acker wrote the script together with Pamela Pettler and Ben Gluck. Despite the original short's acclaim and Burton's endorsement as producer, the 9 the feature film received mixed reviews from critics, resulting in a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 57%. The film also failed to surprise at the box office, grossing US$48.4 million against a budget of US$30 million.
Elijah Wood isn't the only notable name on the 9
Jennifer Connolly and Christopher Plummer also star
Even though he voiced the main character in 9, Elijah Wood was accompanied by an exceptional cast that included Jennifer Connolly, Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau and John C. Reilly. Plummer would star Beginners, The girl with the dragon tattooand Knives out before his death in 2021. Connolly starred Top Gun: Maverick while Reilly recently starred Beating time: the rise of the Lakers dynasty on HBO. 9 is not currently available to stream, but is available to rent on multiple platforms.