The Animatrix is a series of nine animated shorts based on the world of The Matrix as interpreted by some of the top animé talents in Japan today. Half of these shorts were briefly available online at the Matrix website for free, while the rest are specially produced just for the DVD release, which also enjoyed small, art-house theatrical release in the United States, Australia, and Japan.

I will be reviewing the technical aspects of this disc first, before diving into the details of the nine animated shorts. Brief making-of documentaries for each of these shorts are also available as a special feature, as well as a lengthy, educational and insightful documentary entitled Scrolls To Screen: The History and Culture of Animé that features genre experts from Japan and the United States including, but not limited to, Michael Arias, Todd McFarlane, and Harry Knowles talking about the cultural significance and impact of Japanese animation on modern pop culture.

Presented in crystal clear 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and English and Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, this is nothing to complain about this DVD in the audio and video department. Due to the digital nature of most of these shorts, I suspect they enjoyed a direct digital-to-digital transfer similar to Jason X and Star Wars Episode II, ensuring perfect image sharpness and clarity. The same applies to the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks, which is excellent all around with very good usage of all speakers without any aural distortion and level imbalance. A technically accomplished effort by the folks at Warner Bros. Home Video.

The audio commentaries are presented in Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with English subtitles, while the special features are presented in 4:3 fullscreen video in Dolby Digital 2.0 and burnt-in English subtitles whenever the Japanese interviewees appear. There have been many complaints that the Region 3 version of this disc are missing these subtitles, leaving non-Japanese speaking viewers in the dark as to what the interviewees are saying. I am unable to prove this though as I own the Region 1 version.

In short, this is an excellent DVD and a worthy and welcome addition to the libraries of Matrix, animation, and animé fans alike. The only shortcomings of this disc are the use of the flimsy Snapper case as well as the aforementioned missing subtitles in the Region 3 version. With all that out of the way, let's take a look at the various Animatrix shorts...

FINAL FLIGHT OF THE OSIRIS
The first of the Animatrix shorts released, it was also the only one to enjoy a general theatrical run as it was attached with the horror flick Dreamcatcher, as well as the only one that is directly related to the movies itself. Final Flight of the Osiris is essentially a prologue for both the Enter The Matrix videogame and The Matrix Reloaded.

Directed by Andy Jones and created by Square Pictures, previously responsible for the hauntingly beautiful but woefully under-appreciated Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, this nine minute short pushes CGI technology to its limits, rendering some of the most realistic human characters ever seen. I am really impressed with the character animation and texture mapping here as we can see every detail on the skins, right down to the pores and hair stubbles. The introductory sparring sequence between the two main characters set to Juno Reactor's Conga Fury is both jaw-droppingly beautiful and surprisingly erotic at the same time.

THE SECOND RENAISSANCE, PARTS I & II
These two connected shorts is by far my favourite amongst the various shorts available on this disc as not only does it employ beautifully done cel-shaded CGI merged with traditional hand drawn animation, but it also tells the history and back story of the events that led to the subjugation of Earth by the machines. Directed by Mahiro Maeda of Blue Submarine No. 6 fame and animated by Studio4°C, this is a stark and shocking tale of how man's initial dependency and subsequent rejection of the machines they themselves created eventually led to the downfall of civilization as we know it. Cleverly employing thinly veiled visual references to the Vietnam War and Tiananmen Square, Maeda disturbs the viewers' conscience, bringing to mind the horrific chapters of 20th century history.

To ensure compliance with established continuity as seen in the first Matrix movie as well as the comics on the website, the events from The Wachowski Brothers and Geof Darrow's webcomic Bits & Pieces of Information are referenced here. Clocking in at a combined running length of roughly 18 minutes, The Second Renaissance is also special in the sense that it remains the only project by Mahiro Maeda to feature original character design work from him.

KID'S STORY
This short tells the story of Kid, the youth seen in The Matrix Reloaded following Neo around and literally worshipping him. Bored with his life and constantly finding himself questioning the validity of reality as he knows it, he seeks the answers to his questions. His life takes an unexpected turn one day at school when he finds himself receiving a call from Neo on his cell phone and finds himself pursued by a trio of agents.

Animated in an intentionally scratchy and unpolished pencil style, Kid's Story has a very unique visual identity. I found the story rather uncomfortable as it deals very heavily with the concept of teenage suicide, and while it was used as both a metaphorical and literal vehicle behind Kid's escape from the Matrix to the so-called "real world", one wonders if director Shinichirô Watanabe could have used some other form of imagery. Then again, as the main purpose of The Animatrix is to allow total creative freedom and expression to those involved, credit has to be given to both Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures for leaving it untampered despite its controversial nature.

PROGRAM
The design work for Program was used as promotional material during the initial public press announcement of the Animatrix as well as the "What Is The Animatrix?" featurette in the The Matrix Revisited DVD. Taking place almost entirely in a fight simulation program, this is basically a duel between the two protagonists as they argue the merits behind leading a difficult and struggling existence in the real world or to blissfully return to the make believe world of the Matrix.

Animated and produced by the famous Madhouse Studios, Program also employs a combination of traditional animation with cel-shaded CGI similar in nature to The Second Renaissance. I found myself enjoying this more than I expected as the synopsis I read for this story did not sound appealing to me. The surprise twist in the end made me reconsider my initial assessment though.

WORLD RECORD
Directed by Takeshi Koike and also produced and animated by Madhouse Studios, World Record tells the story of world renowned runner Dan Davis, who unexpectedly discovers the Matrix during a race after pushing himself above and beyond the physical limits of his body.

Experimenting with a style that utilizes an almost monochromatic colour palette, World Record uses a very angular graphic style that heavily utilizes shadows to show detail, giving the short an organic and almost alien feel. While the animation is eye-catching just like the others, the protagonist Dan Davis is difficult to like and relate to, as he comes across as an arrogant ass who totally disregards the concern and opinions of those around him. As such, I found it difficult to get into the story and therefore did not really enjoy it.

BEYOND
As the Matrix is basically nothing more than a computer software simulation on a gigantic scale, Beyond asks the question what if the Matrix itself contains software bugs and how do these bugs manifest themselves and how they are perceived by the people inhabiting the Matrix. Set in what appears to be modern day Japan, the protagonist of the story is Yoko, a teenage girl who finds herself at a so-called haunted house while looking for Yuki, her pet cat.

The "haunted house" is actually a bug within the Matrix, creating anomalies within the compound that defies every single known law of physics. Here, Yoko and her friends encounters unearthly phenomena such as floating cans and magically spinning feathers while being able to perform superhuman feats such as those done by Neo and gang in the movies. The only difference is, these kids are not aware of the Matrix and treats it as an unknown supernatural phenomenon. Unfortunately, this secret playground of theirs does not last as the Agents show up to seal up the compound and fix the bug, transforming it into a nondescript parking lot.

Beyond most closely resembles a traditional animé compared to the other shorts. Beautifully animated by Studio4°C, they successfully interpret many of John Gaeta's trademark slow motion and bullet-time effects in traditional animated form. Beyond is basically a tale of childhood wonder and innocence invaded by the adult world, which is symbolized by the Agents here. I enjoyed it a lot and is my favourite in the entire disc.

A DETECTIVE STORY
A crime noir story that combines the world of the Matrix with traditional pulp fiction detective story sensibilities, A Detective Story is about a detective named Ash who has been hired by an unknown party to track down the whereabouts of Trinity.

Clocking in at roughly 10 minutes, A Detective Story is told almost entirely in grayscale with smatterings of muted colours used here and there. Purposely scratchy to simulate the effect of an aged film print, director Shinichirô Watanabe is successful in paying homage to the Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe pulps of yore. It is also the only Animatrix short that heavily features a character from the movies, in this case Trinity, who's voiced by Carrie-Anne Moss herself. Not being a fan of the crime genre, I find myself not enjoying this short, although the intentionally ambiguous and sudden conclusion was very well done, leaving the viewers questioning as to what is Ash's final fate.

MATRICULATED
Matriculated is the only short created totally without Japanese influence. Written and directed by Peter Chung of Aeon Flux and Phantom 2040 fame and animated and produced by Korean animation house DNA, the human characters in the story are traditionally hand drawn while the backgrounds and robots are CGI rendered.

It bears little resemblance to the established designs of the world of the Matrix. Instead, Peter Chung opts to employ an alien look to the story, giving the robots almost insectile forms. Matriculated tells the story of a chapter of the human resistance army that converts robots to the side of the humans, turning them traitors to the cause of the machine. It also asks the question of whether or not an artificial intelligence is able to comprehend the concept of human emotions and whether or not it is capable of feeling.

A large portion of the story is set within a Matrix construct designed to convert the humans' latest acquisition. It is totally trippy and psychotropic and this entire sequence employs minimal dialogue, forcing the viewer to form his/her own assumptions and conclusions as to what exactly happened within this construct. Unfortunately, I find this form of storytelling rather confusing and it took me several viewings to actually understand what was going on. Matriculated reminds me of a visually stunning amalgamation of TRON and the works of Alejandro Jodorowsky, Enki Bilal and Moebius.

Ultimately, Matriculated is a failed experiment in unconventional storytelling, and not even the sharp and colourful images can save it from being what in my opinion is the weakest piece in the entire disc.