The Animatrix
The Animatrix is a collection of nine
animated short films set in the fictional universe of
the Matrix series.
Quotations
Dan: Free, Free.
(directed by Koji Morimoto)
Duo: Maybe you regret taking the red pill. Cis: Maybe.
(directed by Takeshi Koike)
Thadeus: Sentinels...dammit.
(written by the Wachowski brothers, directed by Mahiro Maeda)
Trinity: It's unbelievable, I didn't think self-substantiation was possible. Neo: Apparently it is...
Trinity: There's a difference, Mr. Ash, between a trap and a test.
(directed by Peter Chung)
Zion Archive Computer: Blessed all forms of intelligence.
More Quotes >>
Encyclopedia
The Animatrix is a collection of nine
animated short films set in the fictional universe of
the Matrix series.
Production
Development of the
Animatrix project began when the film series' writers and directors, the
Wachowski brothers, were in
Japan promoting the
first Matrix film. While in the country, they visited some of the creators of the
anime films that had been a strong influence on their work, and decided to collaborate with them.
The Animatrix was conceived and overseen by the Wachowski brothers but they only wrote four of the segments themselves and did not direct any of them; most of the project was created by notable figures from the world of Japanese animation.
The
English language version of
The Animatrix was directed by Jack Fletcher who has brought the voice actors who provided the voices for the English version of Square Enix's
Final Fantasy X is a role-playing video game [i] developed and published b ...
, who are Matt McKenzie,
James Arnold Taylor,
John DiMaggio,
Tara Strong and
Hedy Burress. The English version also features the voices of
Victor Williams ,
Melinda Clarke , and
Olivia d'Abo .
The characters Neo and
Trinity also appear, with their voices provided by their original actors
Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Content
| Title | Written by | Directed by | Summary |
|---|
| "Final Flight of the Osiris" | the Wachowski brothers | Andy Jones | Set just before the events of Enter The Matrix is the first video game [i] based on the Matrix series [i] ...
and The Matrix Reloaded is the second installment of The Matrix series [i], written and directed b ...
, the crew of the Osiris attempt to send a warning message. |
| "The Second Renaissance" Part 1 | the Wachowski brothers | Mahiro Maeda | A prequel to the Matrix series, explaining how the war between humans and machines first began. It expands on events described in the online comic . |
| "The Second Renaissance" Part 2 | the Wachowski brothers | Mahiro Maeda | Depicts the man/machine war and the initial creation of the Matrix. |
| "Kid's Story" | the Wachowski brothers | Shinichiro Watanabe | Set between The Matrix is a science fiction [i]/action [i] film [i] written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski [i] ...
and The Matrix Reloaded is the second installment of The Matrix series [i], written and directed b ...
, a young boy, Michael Popper, becomes obsessed with learning the truth about Neo and the Matrix. |
| "Program" | Yoshiaki Kawajiri | Yoshiaki Kawajiri | In a Construct training simulation, a male rebel invites a female ally to return to the Matrix. |
| "World Record" | | Takeshi Koike | During a 100 metres sprint, an athlete becomes aware of the Matrix. |
| "Beyond" | | Koji Morimoto | Several children investigate a haunted house, which is actually a glitch in the Matrix. |
| "A Detective Story" | | Shinichiro Watanabe | A private investigator is employed by Agents in order to locate Trinity. |
| "Matriculated" | Peter Chung | Peter Chung | A group of humans capture a machine and plug it into a dreamlike Construct environment in an attempt to recruit it. |
|
Release
Four of the films were originally released on the series' ; one was shown in cinemas with the film
Dreamcatcher. The others first appeared with the
VHS and
DVD release of all nine shorts on June 3, 2003. The DVD also includes the following special features:
- A documentary on Japanese animation. The on-screen title is "Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime", but in the DVD menu and packaging, and on the series' , it is referred to as "Scrolls to Screen: The History and Culture of Anime".
- Seven featurettes with director profiles, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of each of the films.
- Audio commentaries on "World Record", "Program" and both parts of "The Second Renaissance".
- A trailer for the videogame Enter the Matrix is the first video game [i] based on the Matrix series [i] ...
.
It was broadcast on
Cartoon Network's
Adult Swim on April 17, 2004 and has received airplay on
Teletoon several months after. In the UK, "Final Flight of the Osiris" was broadcast on Channel 5 just before the DVD release.
The Animatrix was also screened in select cinemas around the world for an amazingly short period of time, a week or two before the sequel
The Matrix Reloaded, as a promotional event.
References
External links
