I found a review/synopsis of the Blu-Ray online... Some of the stuff is Blu-Ray only, but most of it is on the DVD as well.
((He does not give that much away, but if you don't want to be spoiled at all, you probably shouldn't read the following stuff.))~~~
Video and Audio:
Universal delivered a spectacular high-definition presentation of Henry Selick's Coraline earlier in the year, cutting their teeth brilliantly in the animated spectrum of Blu-ray technology. They transferred the blend of computer-generated animation and stop-motion work through a real stunner of a disc -- at least, on the two-dimensional side of things. This same quality can be seen in their 1.78:1 1080p VC-1 encode for 9, a sublimely detailed and rich offering of complete CG material. Shane Acker's vision is densely textured, both in the character models and the surrounding environment, and Universal's image replicates every ounce of its dilapidated beauty.
Shots of decaying buildings make broad use of the disc's capacity for texture and contrast, which give the image a vastness of dimensionality that's staggering. It's worth noting the transfer's darkness, which shows off attractiveness within a dim, desolate palette. But, just like the whimsical visuals themselves, the real potency of the disc comes in the character models. Each and every stitch of the burlap material in the dolls is razor sharp, convincing us of their tangibility to unrelenting degrees. However, the image contains more than just broken-down building and rough cloth; some of the colors at play, both in the outdoor scenes and in the blasts of neon-drenched colors used in the soul extraction sequences, maintain sublime solidity with absolutely no distortion. Acker's creation is a dark, rich beauty, and this Blu-ray presentation doesn't disappoint in the slightest.
An English DTS HD Master Audio track accompanies the visual treatment, and it's about as complex and pleasing as the transfer. One of the secrets about 9 comes in the fact that it's a fairly active action-adventure film, filled with tons of clanking metal, roaring from a mechanical beast, and plenty of boisterous low-end rumbling from a slew of different sources. All of that thunders through the track with firm captivation, keeping deep blasts of sound from pounding too hard and low-to-mid effects both crisp and mindful of the treble-bass balance. There's a wealth of delicate distanced effects present in the sublime sound design that are preserved elegantly here, like graceful incorporation of Deborah Lurie's original music and sly ambient effects like wind and dust. On top of that, you're going to hear every ounce of the star-studded dialogue with as much clarity as the track can muster, brilliantly clear and very mindfully mixed against the environmental sound design. With its blend of grace and activity, it's one of the better Master Audio tracks of 2009. Subtitles are available in optional English, Spanish, and French languages, along with Spanish and French DTS tracks to accompany the film.
Special Features:
Commentary with Shane Acker and Crew:
To top things off, Shane Acker, animation director Joe Ksander, head of story Ryan O'Loughlin, and editor Nick Kenway hop into the recording chairs for a great commentary. As with other up-and-coming directors who haven't dabbled endlessly into their artform with commentaries, Acker and company's contributions are persistent, enthusiastic, and highly enlightening on both the process of building the animation and the thematic qualities of the picture. It talks about the action sequences, realism behind the mechanized creatures, historical reflection on its design, you name it. Great track.
U-Control PIP:
This picture-in-picture interactive feature takes recorded footage, some mentioned below in the special features and others recorded/taken at the same time, and pairs them within a green box at the lower-right portion of the screen. Interviews with Shane Acker, Tim Burton, Elijah Wood, Pamela Pettler, and others elucidate the process, while a sizable chunk of the dialogue recording footage mixes within raw concepts and behind-the-scenes footage. At times, some of the Picture-in-Picture features on other discs can be a bit sparse with content, but this one continues with the material with very few pauses.
9 -- The Long and Short of It (16:28, HD):
Naturally, this feature discusses Shane Acker's process of assembling the short, and how it's adapted to the big screen. Discussion pops up about Acker's process of building the film as his college thesis, along with how earning an Oscar changed his life. It then shifts over into how the short film fell over into Tim Burton's hands as a producer. Then, Acker and screenwriter Pamela Pettler (Corpse Bride) guide us through the process of bridging that gap between his short to the feature length, as well as whether they wanted to include dialog or not in telling the story. Interview time crops up with Acker, Burton, Pettler, as well as with Elijah Wood and other members of the cast, taken from both original interviews and archive footage.
On Tour with Shane Acker (5:36, HD):
Shane Acker takes us through the Starz Animation workhouse for the construction of 9, illustrating each depart in great detail. He talks about editorials, the art department, modeling, animation, layout, effects work in "the dungeon", and lighting. Hearing discussion about the film itself is great, but the behind-the-scenes shots of the computer imaging and the concept sketches are the real draws to this featurette.
The Look of 9 (13:12, HD):
Composing the visual look for 9 falls into focus here, as Shane Acker and others discuss the time placement of the story. They discuss the "caution tale" elements of the film, as well as the Industrial Revolution look about the picture that slaps it in the middle between World War I and II. It also discusses the low-angle construction of the film, and how it allows for a lot of great up-glancing shots. They also discuss the beauty used behind the rust, garbage, and industrial grunge appeal to the film, and how the feel of the film reflects on its influences.
Acting Out (4:54, HD):
To round out the featurettes, this piece covers how the animators become actors themselves as they construct the burlap dolls in the film. It discusses how they have mirrors at their desk to see facial expressions, and the dual uses behind having the recorded dialogue footage of the actors for both lip sync and emotion purposes.
9 -- The Original Short (10:33, Letterbox 4x3 HD):
As a very special treat, Universal have also included Shane Acker's original short on the disc -- with a commentary featuring Shane Acker and animator Joe Ksander. The commentary is very dense, as they discuss the differences between the two features -- where elements of the short went into the feature, the dynamics between the two puppets, the lack of dialogue, etc. -- and the entire "guerilla" feel to the camera movement. What's a shame is that it's a letterbox HD version of the short; and, since it's in 1080p, most Blu-ray players and internal zoom televisions can't zoom in on it. Still, the simple inclusion of the piece itself is absolutely wonderful.
Also included on this disc are five Deleted Scenes (7:24, 16x9 SD), available in striking storyboard illustrations. This Blu-ray Disc has also been activated in order to hop onto Universal's online framework, as well as containing pocketBLU interactivity. However, the online functions weren't active yet as of this testing. It's also been incorporated with Chapter / Bookmarking of "favorite scenes", like all of Universal's other discs, and activated with D-BOX motion control.
Final Thoughts:
It's hard not to go into Shane Acker's 9 with a lot of enthusiasm, especially when two very creative minds -- Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov -- headline the production crew. Their influence can partly be felt, but this certainly pours from the seams with Acker's creative juices. As an artistic piece and a thrilling adventure, it's very satisfying; beyond that, when looking a bit deeper into its potentially existential context, it's a bit shallower than expected. It also strays very, very little from its relentlessly stylish darkness, dragging us through the dilapidation without much in the way of joyful or humorous relief. That's the kind of picture 9 is, though.
Universal continues their range of success with animation on this Blu-ray presentation of Acker's film, sporting an astronomically clear, densely textured, and entrancing presentation of the picture both in its 1080p visual projection and the DTS HD Master Audio track. Topped off with a wide array of special features, including a commentary, several strong featurettes, and the original short, this is a
Highly Recommended disc that presents a somber yet thrilling piece of animation in an impressive way.
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