HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Passes to ‘9’ Screening in Chicago From Tim Burton

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CHICAGO – In our latest animated edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-two passes up for grabs to the Chicago screening of the new animated film “9” from producers Tim Burton of “Beetlejuice” and Timur Bekmambetov of “Wanted”.

“9” features the voices of Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover and Martin Landau from director Shane Acker (an animator for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”), writer Pamela Pettler (Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride”) and producers Tim Burton (“Beetlejuice”) and Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted”).

To win your free pass to the advance screening of “9” in Chicago courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is answer our question below. That’s it! The screening will be held on Sept. 8, 2009 at 9:09 p.m. in downtown Chicago. Directions to enter this Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.

The movie poster for “9” from Tim Burton with the voices of Jennifer Connelly, Elijah Wood and John C. Reilly.
Image credit: Focus Features

Here is the “9” plot description:

An action-packed adventure, director Shane Acker’s animated fantasy epic is the feature-length expansion of his Academy Award-nominated 2004 short film of the same name. The screenplay for the feature is by Pamela Pettler (“Monster House”) and directors Tim Burton (“Beetlejuice”) and Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted”) are among the feature version’s producers.

The time is the too-near future. Powered and enabled by the invention known as the Great Machine, the world’s machines have turned on mankind and sparked social unrest. This has decimated the human population before being largely shut down. But as our world fell to pieces, a mission began to salvage the legacy of civilization.

A group of small creations was given the spark of life by a scientist in the final days of humanity and they continue to exist post-apocalypse. Another of their own, #9 (voiced by Elijah Wood), emerges and displays leadership qualities that may help them survive and possibly even thrive.

The conflicted but resilient tribe already includes #1 (Christopher Plummer), a domineering war veteran and the group’s longtime leader; #2 (Martin Landau), a kindly but now-frail inventor; #3 and #4, scholarly twins who communicate non-verbally and mostly with each other; #5 (John C. Reilly), a stalwart and nurturing engineer; #6 (Crispin Glover), an erratic artist beset by visions; #7 (Jennifer Connelly), a brave and self-sufficient warrior; and #8 (Fred Tatasciore), the none-too-bright muscle and enforcer for #1.

With their group so few, these “stitchpunk” creations must summon individual strengths well beyond their own proportions in order to outwit and fight against still-functioning machines – one of which is a marauding mechanized beast. In the darkness just before the dawn, #9 rallies everyone of his number to band together.

While showcasing a stunning “steampunk”-styled visual brilliance, the film dynamically explores the will to live, the power of community and how one soul can change the world.

The “9” theatrical movie trailer can be watched now below.

To secure your free tickets now, make sure you’re logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail address is required. Then, simply add a new comment in the form below. In your comment, include an answer to this simple question:

Like all Hookups here, this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup is simple: Just submit your comment below and we will award 50 people randomly via e-mail. Winners needs to arrive early as seats are consumed on a first-come, first-served basis. “9” opens on Sept. 9, 2009.

By ADAM FENDELMAN Editor-in-Chief HollywoodChicago.com adam@hollywoodchicago.com