RECOMMENDED

In a word:  Surreal

Plot:  9 - a strange, burlap covered robotic creatures, awakens to find himself in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have all been destroyed by machines.  He soon finds others like himself (all burlapy and cute), numbering 1 though 8.  #1, 2, 5 and 8 have gone into hiding; #3 and 4 collect data and #7 (the lone female) fights the few remaining machines.  When 9 mistakenly re-activates a soul-stealing machine - his newfound companions are picked off, one by one.  #9 and #7 find themselves in a fight to save what little there is left of the world.  This movie, though animated, is not for children. 

Thoughts:  The animation is worth the price of a theater ticket, alone.  The creatures, and the world they inhabit, are breathtaking!  The film is fast-paced, seemingly told in real-time from when #9 awakens and the 80 minutes zoom by quickly.  Most of the storyline is wonderfully told, with the exception of the ending (see spoiler, if you wish).  The voice acting is also superb.   I'm not a fan of using well-known actors as voice artists.  Having met some professional voice actors, I know there is an art to this - one that is sometimes missing when the 'stars' do the talking - but big names will sell tickets.  This movie isn't really hurt by that.  Elijah Wood does an excellent job as #9. Also notable is Christopher Plummer as #1.  I would recommend seeing this on a big screen.  Some of the extraordinary details of the world will be lost on a small screen and this truly is a work of art.  Pity about that ending....

Spoilers:  I would have ended the story differently.  The movie ending - the souls of #1, #2, #5 and #8 are released from the machine and 'fuse' with the rain to create new life, leaving #7, #9, #3 and #4 alone to tend to the new world - really didn't make a whole lot of sense.  There is no indication that these tiny creatures are organic, so there's really no hope of them procreating.  I'm not sure how they are, at their size and structure, supposed to influence any life that grows on the Earth. 

If you liked this try: Nightmare Before Christmas; Sunshine; THX:1138