The genesis of 9 started with the characters. I imagined a tribe of nomadic rag dolls that would carry all their possessions inside them. They would pull scavenged objects out from within themselves and use them to solve problems and create simple devices. They are a metaphor for a developing humanity; they possess the power of adaptation and invention. In contrast the mechanical beast is made from decaying cat bones and bits of broken machinery. It is a hunter. A creature that is driven by instinct, but at the same time it desires to assimilate, to evolve into one of the rag dolls. That is why it is stealing their souls and sewing their skins onto its back.

The thing that connects the two species is the talisman. I imagined it being a piece of ancient technology left over from when the humans still walked the earth. It is a vessel for capturing and containing the soul of an individual. It was split in two, and one half fell into the hands of the beast and the other into the rag dolls’ possession. The two halves are attracted to one another and call out when the other half is near.

9 is an innocent, he is a newer rag doll and learns from 5. When 9 witnesses the death of 5 he sees the soul-stealing talisman the beast carries. He then risks his own life to get back the lost souls of his brothers. The key concept is that 9 uses his intellect and cunning to destroy the beast, not his might.

The design of the film was inspired by the work of stop motion animation masters Jan Svankmeyer, The Brothers Quay and the Lauenstein Brothers. The fantasy artwork of Zdzislaw Beksinski and photographs of European cities destroyed in World War II inspired the scenic design.

The biggest elation I had during the production was hearing Dave Steinwedel’s sound design for the first time. After four years of silence the characters and the world finally came to life. He really did an amazing job. He took it in directions I hadn’t envisioned. That is the great thing about collaborating with other artists.