9
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: The voices of Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly
What's it about: After a war between people and machines that eliminated all the humans, a group of tiny mechanical dolls tries to save the world from the mindless machines that destroyed it.
High adventure: The little dolls - each of whom is known by the number on his back - have burlap faces, zippered fronts and very human expressions. When they accidentally activate the war machine, they must find the way to shut it down before it wipes them out. This computer-animated adventure is both visually amazing and intensely suspenseful. Within minutes, you'll be completely plugged into the efforts by little No. 9 (Wood) to restore the world to what it was - even though he's only about 6 inches tall. It's one of the most exciting animated films in recent memory, full of scenes that will sweep you into the action. It's so thrilling that it might be too scary for younger viewers.
Long story short: Look out, "Up" - you've got Oscar competition.
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