Franchise Friday: The Animatrix (2003)
An anthology of short films shows us just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Given how quickly the sequels deflated our enthusiasm, it’s easy to forget the buzz of excitement audiences felt when The Matrix ended. Neo had discovered his calling and, in the film’s final moments, issued a challenge to the machines. One by one, he was going to evangelize the people asleep in The Matrix and call them to arms. The revolution had begun, and we all wanted to know what happened next.
The Animatrix buzzes with the curiosity many felt in those years following the Wachowskis’ blockbuster. An anthology of nine animated short films from a variety of anime creators, each story was released online in the months preceding the release of The Matrix Reloaded; one entry, “Final Flight of the Osiris,” was released theatrically preceding that March’s Dreamcatcher. The entire collection was released on DVD a month after Reloaded’s release (it’s currently available to stream on HBO Max).
Anime is not a genre I’m overly familiar with, which is likely why I stayed away from this for so long, considering it nothing more than a glorified bit of bonus marketing materials. But viewing this recently, I’m impressed by its ambition and artistry, and how the Wachowskis allowed the various writers and directors (including Koji Morimoto, Shinichiro Watanabe and Peter Chung) to let their imaginations run wild and create a textured, weird universe, not just a slick piece of brand extension.
Only one segment, “Kid’s Story,” features Neo, and even that is a brief, off-screen role (Keanu Reeves and Carrie Ann Moss both lend their voices, even for these glorified cameos). And while everything in “The Animatrix” is canon, none of it is essential to following the film stories. Even “Final Flight of the Osiris,” which sets up the first scene of The Matrix Reloaded, is simply a bit of stage setting, explained in a line of dialogue.
Instead, the creators seem to be given free rein to explore the possibilities presented by the Wachowskis’ 1999 film. Which means we get a horrifying and, at times, disturbing alternate history lesson in “The Second Renaissance, Parts 1 and 2,” and a reality-bending exploration of the scientific and ethical implications that would arise if humans created their own matrix to trap machines in. The philosophising and martial artistry of The Matrix is present, but The Animatrix leans more to the former, which is fine; the action’s the least-interesting bit about this. It’s the ideas that power this film.
“The Second Renaissance” entries are the most interesting, a detailed history of the escalation of the war with machines, as well as a biting bit of social commentary about humans’ tendency to exploit. It contains some of the anthology’s most brutal and horrifying imagery, both in the violent abuse humans heap onto robots and the nightmarish onset of The Matrix. It’s probably the most canon-ready bit of lore, although “Final Fight of the Osiris” is the most straightforward, Matrix-y story, about a doomed ship’s attempts to warn the people of Zion about encroaching enemies.
But it’s not just about action and adventure. One of the collection’s most interesting stories is the whimsical “Beyond,” a Miyazaki-adjacent story about how a simulation glitch in one Japanese neighborhood creates a magical space for children to explore and sit in wonder. “World Record” is a tragic, yet intriguing story about an athlete who senses the limits of his reality even though he never gets the same explanation or attempt at freedom Neo did. “Kid’s Story” is a tender story that puts a high school spin on the franchise, with a young man waking up to the truth and encountering a similar journey to Neo’s that ends with a daring and reckless act of trust. And “Program” is a reality-bending short story that explores the emotional manipulation that could occur inside The Matrix, and the tests of loyalty that the rebels often face.
Not all of the stories are great — “Detective Story” feels like a half-baked idea that’s saved by some striking visuals, and “Final Flight of the Osiris” feels too much like a slight bit of marketing, lacking the depth and curiosity of the other entries. But the vast majority showcase how the Wachowskis’ creation lent itself to modern mythmaking and philosophy, and just how diverse an exploration of its themes could be. The Matrix created an intriguing world, and the best moments of The Animatrix explore the vast philosophical, existential and ethical ramifications that come with it.
The animation is vibrant and often gorgeous. “Second Renaissance” traffics in horrific imagery and graphic ultraviolence, and there’s a hyper-exaggeration to “World Record” that contributes to its frenzied tone. “Matriculation” engages in a bit of computer-generated psychedelia, and “Program” is filled with beautifully imagined, Japanese imagery. “Kid’s Story” has a light, dream-like feel, similar to the rotoscope style used in Linklater’s Waking Life, and I dug the graphic novel-inspired, noir-influenced look to “Detective Story,” even if it’s story lacks much coherence. Oddly, only “Final Flight of the Osiris,” the one short story to get a theatrical release, is a visual mess, with computer-generated animation that attempts for something like reality but feels like a cold, awkward video game cutscene.
I wasn’t going to initially include The Animatrix in my Franchise Friday since it wasn’t technically a feature. But I needed another entry to get us to the release date of Matrix Resurrections. And in the end, I’m extremely glad to have watched this. It reminds me how much The Matrix made my brain buzz, and I love the depth it created for this world. I’ll also admit that it may have been a better way to get primed for a Matrix Reloaded rewatch; much of the criticism of that film tended to be because it didn’t do what people expected. What The Animatrix suggests is that this franchise could go anywhere, so why cling to the expected?
Previous Franchise Fridays in this series: