What with Matrix mania currently sweeping the planet it's a shame these beauties weren't released before the second film to fill the gap. But, they're here next week and for that we should be thankful. Having seen the first short (Final Flight of the Osiris) we can vouch that they capture the Matrix universe and look simply breathtaking.
But what is The Animatrix? The Animatrix is a collection of nine original short films conceived by the Wachowski Brothers, delving deeper into the mind-bending world of The Matrix and the characters who inhabit it. Created by seven leading animation teams and helmed by world-renowned directors, The Animatrix also features the voices of actors Keanu Reeves (Neo) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity) in two of the shorts.
The shorts each ranging in styles (CGI, anime to more traditional animation) are created by different genre mainstays, e.g. the Wachowski's, Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll), Peter Chung (Aeon Flux - a personal favourite of mine), and Shinchiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop).
Titles: Final Flight of the Osiris (director Andy Jones), The Second Renaissance – Parts I and II (director Mahiro Maeda), Kid’s Story (director Shinichiro Watanabe), Program (director Yoshiaki Kawajiri), World Record (director Takeshi Koike), Beyond (director Koji Morimoto), A Detective Story (director Shinichiro Watanabe), and Matriculated (director Peter Chung).
