Back in 2005, Shane Acker's dark, stark, post-apocalyptic fairytale 9 picked up an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Film. This year we get to see 9 in full feature-length splendour, with Acker's vision augmented by the gothic touches of co-producers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, and co-writer Pamela Pettler (Corpse Bride).
Voiced by Elijah Wood, the titular 9 is the film's stitch-punk hero, one of nine ragdolls given life by a scared scientist and left to lead his fellow burlap creations against the malevolent machines that roam the devasted planet.
He may sound like the exact mid-way point between John Connor and Bagpuss, but as you can see from the illustrations, 9 has a design aesthetic all of his own. As these official pics show, the art design is incredibly detailed and judging by the official trailer, they'll only be enhanced by 9's inventive CG animation.
Click the image above for more stills on MTV
Click hereto check out the trailer in full. 9 is out in the UK on September 9.