Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/2965
W hether or not people truly believe that the numeral 7 is "lucky" doesn't seem to matter much; the phrase "lucky number seven" seems to be part of our vernacular. Indeed, most people have a "lucky" or favorite number. For di- rector Shane Acker, that number undoubt- edly is "9." On September 9, 2009, Acker's animated movie 9 was released to theaters nationwide, marking his debut as a fea- ture-fi lm director. is comes after spending nearly nine years working on the project, from its inception, to the release of a nine- minute animated short fi lm, to the feature he directed and Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov produced. In this article, Acker discusses his ambi- tious feature-fi lm project with chief editor Karen Moltenbrey. What made you turn the short fi lm "9" into a feature? I was approached by Jim Lemley to de- velop "9" into a feature. I was a little hesi- tant after spending four and a half years on the short to dive back in, but once I started writing the treatment, I fell in love with the characters and the world all over again. It has been four years since we saw "9" at SIGGRAPH 2005. Have you been working on the feature since then? Yes, and I have just recently fi nished it. It seems as if "9" has been a major part of your life, counting the years you spent working on the short at UCLA. How does that feel? I really enjoyed the time I've spent in this world with these characters, but at the same time, I am excited to get my brain ■ ■ ■ ■ Computer Animation September 2009 40 Shane Acker, director of the movie 9.